Your favorite recurring jokes from TV shows

Cafe Society
1

What recurring joke that shows up every once in a while in a TV show is your favorite?

For me, (and I’m not as fanatical a fan of this show as some people, although I like it quite a bit), it’s the various chicken dances done by members of the Bluth family on Arrested Development. This is particularly funny for two reasons:
(1) The thing is, there IS only one way to dance like a chicken, and EVERYONE knows what it is. (You put your thumbs in your armpits and flap your arms like wings). So it’s hilarious that not only do the members of the Bluth family NOT dance like that, but each of them dances a different and unique way.
(2) And of course the way the performers throw themselves into the physical comedy of it is just wonderful.

2

I’ve made a huge, tiny mistake.

Yeah, I know, it’s usually* I’ve made a huge mistake.*

Not recurring, but: I just blue myself. Priceless.

3

From Arrested Development I loved the “And that’s why you don’t…” lessons from the one armed man that appeared in at least 2 or 3 episodes.

On Sanford & Son I loved the episodes when he’d tap a sales clerk/waiter/pilot/etc. for help and it would be Frank “u-Yessssssssssssssssss!?” Nelson. Per imdb he was in 6 episodes.

The John Larroquette Show wasn’t great, but did have a sometimes funny running gag about an elephant that had escaped from the St. Louis zoo. Periodically there’d be an outdoor shoot that would show the elephant walking past or standing, but the main characters were too self absorbed (or in the case of the cop characters too incompetent) to notice it.

4

Of course, he was doing that same gag back in The Jack Benny Show. I think they also did the old radio catchphrase “Anaheim, Azusa, and Cucamonga.”

Green Acres was filled with running gags: the door to their bedroom falling off, Lisa’s hotcakes, climbing up on the telephone pole to make a call, etc.

5

"Hi, I’m Troy McClure. "

6

House & Lupus. “It’s never lupus.” Also House eating other people’s food. I don’t know why that is so funny; it just is.

7

Laverne & Shirley:

“Have you ever heard of anything more stupid in your whole life?”
[enter Lenny & Squiggy] “HELL-OOOOO!!”

8

That 70s Show:
“Good day to you.”
“But, Fez…”
“I said good day!”

9

Hello, Jerry
Hello, Newman

And Gibbs smacking the back of people’s heads on NCIS

10

From Fairly Odd Parents:

Timmy Turner’s response to every question about where he got something he wished up:

‘… Internet?’

I use it myself at the least provocation.

I also quote Cosmo’s line in this repeated exchange a lot (only a running gag in one episode, but, still):

Wanda: ‘<Something horrible about a product Cosmo was behind>’
Cosmo: ‘And that was our slogan!’

11

It only occured on one show, but several times and it still makes me laugh: Chicken pot, chicken pot, chicken pot piiiiiiiiiiiieeeeeeeeeee.

12

If I live to be 1,000, hearing Cheese call Mr. Herriman “Kitty” will never get old.

And yet, somehow, when Goo calls him a badger, it’s irritating to me.

13

I didn’t watch it when it was first run, but sometimes if I can’t sleep in the middle of the night I’ll turn on The Fresh Prince and hope it’ll be one with the Carlton Dance.

14

Bugs Bunny knew he should have taken that left at Albuquerque.

15

I prefer Wil & Carlton’s Apache Dance.

16

What gets me is how family members immediately know what the others are doing - even from several rooms away.

Lindsay: Caw-ca-caw! Caw-ca-caw!
GOB: Who’s doing the chicken dance in there?!

My current favorites are the ongoing slap bet on How I Met Your Mother, and “Robin was a Canadian teen pop star”.

17

Cheers: Cliffie’s making up of facts - “Eh, it’s a little-known fact…”. There’s even a websitededicated to this phenomenon.
Newhart: “Hello. I’m Larry.This is my brother Darryl…”

18

A bit obscure, “Did you get that thing I sent ya?”

19

Anything to do with Maris on Frasier.

Iggins, I never got the thing!

20

“…but I’m feeling much better now.” (Night Court)