# Bad sitcom. Good joke. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 30, 2005, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-sitcom-good-joke/319260 "2005-08-30T15:08:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Rube\_E.Tewesday](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f0a364/32.png) [@Rube\_E.Tewesday](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rube_E.Tewesday)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2005, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-sitcom-good-joke/319260/41 "2005-08-31T14:24:07Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > The entire “Just Shoot Me” episode with David Cross as the “retarded” brother of Eliot was a great moment in a terrible show. Similarly, the one where Finch is able to recruit essentially the entire straight male population of Manhattan to assist him in his quest to have sex with two women was hilarious from start to finish. ---
**Author:** ![Wolfian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/7ea924/32.png) [@Wolfian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wolfian)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2005, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-sitcom-good-joke/319260/42 "2005-08-31T14:40:06Z")
> [@Rube E. Tewesday](#): > > Similarly, the one where Finch is able to recruit essentially the entire straight male population of Manhattan to assist him in his quest to have sex with two women was hilarious from start to finish. Right though to the slow clap at the end. _Two girls for every guy!_ ---
**Author:** ![Draelin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ce73a5/32.png) [@Draelin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Draelin)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2005, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-sitcom-good-joke/319260/43 "2005-08-31T14:51:01Z")
> [@Ruby](#): > > There was a short lived sitcom in the mid '90’s called _Boston Common_ starring Anthony Clark. > > He used a line (sorry I can’t quote it) about elephants flying out of his ass. It was hilarious and the first time I had heard that off-color language on network TV. I remember a scene from that show where he and his sister were both awakened by a very loud alarm clock. He gets up, walks over to the alarm clock, and yells at his sister that it’s her turn to shut it off. She gets up, walks over next to him, and says “No, I shut it off yesterday.” They’ve both got those excellent sleepy-faces on, and he says to her, “I’m afraid at this point, I’m going to have to call you a liar.” I do not know why it makes me laugh. I still giggle when I think about it, and I use that line often. ---
**Author:** ![Greywolf73](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/d9b06d/32.png) [@Greywolf73](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Greywolf73)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2005, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-sitcom-good-joke/319260/44 "2005-08-31T14:51:35Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > The entire “Just Shoot Me” episode with David Cross as the “retarded” brother of Eliot was a great moment in a terrible show. How could I forget “Slow Donnie”? That whole episode had me gasping for breath. It was truly a moment of brilliance. “Chicken pot pie, chicken pot pie, chicken pot pieeeee!” ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2005, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-sitcom-good-joke/319260/45 "2005-08-31T14:55:45Z")
I rather liked Just Shoot Me, but when it comes down to it, there are only a few episodes that I truly liked. The afore mentioned Slow Donny episode. The one where Finch’s father thinks Finch is gay, and it turns out his macho firemen brothers are gay instead. The one where Finch’s childhood best friend had a sex change operation (and was played by Jenny McCarthy). Finch was not OK with this until he discovered that his best friend Bert had a great ass. The cameo by David Carradine was brilliant. ---
**Author:** ![Cliffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/59ef9b/32.png) [@Cliffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cliffy)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2005, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-sitcom-good-joke/319260/46 "2005-08-31T15:45:57Z")
> [@Bryan Ekers](#): > > “I’m in the house, but I’m still in the car.”. Heh. I remember laughing at that line. My sister was in the demographic, so I watched more Full House than is healthy. In one episode of **Mr. Belvedere** , someone mentioned that the elder son (Kevin?) was in a band called the Young Savages. In the next act, you see Kevin playing in the band, which is an extraodrinarily clean-cut group of preppies straight out of the ‘50’s singing "Sittin’ on the Corner, Watchin’ All the Girls Go By." Dad: Those are the Young Savages? Mom: Yes. There’s Paul, Tim, and Mark Savage. Mr. B: And that’s David Young. That bit was so good, it almost justifies the years of such a horrible, awful, banal show being on the air. –Cliffy ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2005, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-sitcom-good-joke/319260/47 "2005-08-31T16:31:57Z")
> [@Cliffy](#): > > Dad: Those are the Young Savages? > Mom: Yes. There’s Paul, Tim, and Mark Savage. > Mr. B: And that’s David Young. I’m laughing out loud right now. Jocularity, jocularity! ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2005, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-sitcom-good-joke/319260/48 "2005-08-31T16:34:54Z")
> [@Cliffy](#): > > In one episode of **Mr. Belvedere** , someone mentioned that the elder son (Kevin?) was in a band called the Young Savages. In the next act, you see Kevin playing in the band, which is an extraodrinarily clean-cut group of preppies straight out of the ‘50’s singing "Sittin’ on the Corner, Watchin’ All the Girls Go By." > > Dad: Those are the Young Savages? > Mom: Yes. There’s Paul, Tim, and Mark Savage. > Mr. B: And that’s David Young. > > That bit was so good, it almost justifies the years of such a horrible, awful, banal show being on the air. And…oh, the pained look on Kevin’s face! ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2005, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-sitcom-good-joke/319260/49 "2005-08-31T16:39:43Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > I rather liked Just Shoot Me, but when it comes down to it, there are only a few episodes that I truly liked. > > The afore mentioned Slow Donny episode. > > The one where Finch’s father thinks Finch is gay, and it turns out his macho firemen brothers are gay instead. > > The one where Finch’s childhood best friend had a sex change operation (and was played by Jenny McCarthy). Finch was not OK with this until he discovered that his best friend Bert had a great ass. The cameo by David Carradine was brilliant. What got me was the one where the boss comes back from somewhere in Asia, where he bought this weird candy. “There’s a chair…over there!” ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2005, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-sitcom-good-joke/319260/50 "2005-08-31T18:29:23Z")
> [@Cliffy](#): > > Heh. I remember laughing at that line. My sister was in the demographic, so I watched more Full House than is healthy. TWO full episodes?! :eek: ---
**Author:** ![js\_africanus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/87869e/32.png) [@js\_africanus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/js_africanus)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2005, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-sitcom-good-joke/319260/51 "2005-08-31T18:46:55Z")
I’ll confess that for a bad show, _ALF_ was often funny. One great line was when ALF opened a book of checks and shouted indignantly, “Sunrise?! I ordered sunset!” ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2005, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-sitcom-good-joke/319260/52 "2005-08-31T18:51:26Z")
Years and Years ago Bernadette Peters starred in a long-forgotten sitcom called **All’s Fair**. Her roommate was supposed to have a genius-level IQ but a complete ditz in everyday life. The roommate was having an affair with a married man and came home on night singing _I’m in Love With a Wonderful Guy_ in Latin. The first of multiple attempts to put Tea Leone in a sitcom called _The Naked Truth_ had her staking out a morgue with the dependably hilarious Holland Taylor. When they hear someone coming, Taylor pushes Leone into one of the corpse drawers. Later she opens the drawer to let Leone out. Leone pops out of a _different_ drawer and in a state of near hysteria manages to say “Cold…Dark…BAD!!!” ---
**Author:** ![Mal\_Adroit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df788c/32.png) [@Mal\_Adroit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mal_Adroit)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2005, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-sitcom-good-joke/319260/53 "2005-08-31T19:49:05Z")
> [@Blind Guardian](#): > > I never really “got” why Friends became this huge cultural phenomenon in the mid-late 90s Og in heaven, me either. The show went at least four seasons past it’s shelf date, was tremendously cloying and maudlin. And yet. They did have some sharp writers. I remember the Ob/Gyn episode you refer to, **BG** , and another one I always recall fondly: Joey’s Tailor. Chandler goes to Joey’s family tailor to get a suit taken in and is dismayed when the old guy basically, mmm, how can I put this delicately. Grabs a handful of nutsack. So Chandler tells Joey about this. _Joey:_ Of course- that’s how they do it! They measure one inseam. . . _cup. . . move it to the side. . ._ then measure the other. Ross, tell him. Isn’t that how they measure pants? _Ross:_ Yes. That’s definitely how they measure pants. (beat) In **prison.** ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2005, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-sitcom-good-joke/319260/54 "2005-08-31T20:28:02Z")
There was a show called **Good Grief** that starred Howie Mandel as an undertaker (I know, how could it miss?) that had a line I still remember. The mayor of their small town has died, and Howie finds out that the body has accidentally been cremated. He’s asking his assistant why he did that when the paperwork specifically said not to, and the assistant points to the form and says “it says right here’ may or may not be cremated’.” ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2005, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-sitcom-good-joke/319260/55 "2005-08-31T20:56:47Z")
> [@Robot Arm](#): > > the assistant points to the form and says “it says right here’ may or may not be cremated’.” Heh. Similar one in Three’s Company, one of the stupidest shows of all time. Janet is suspicious that some guy (that week’s guest star) is some horrible sex maniac. She finally proves it when she sees his business card. “See? Robert Smith, The rapist!” “Um, Janet? That says ‘Therapist.’” To this day I cannot say the word therapist without wanting to say “the rapist.” ---
**Author:** ![Draelin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ce73a5/32.png) [@Draelin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Draelin)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2005, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-sitcom-good-joke/319260/56 "2005-08-31T21:04:31Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > “Um, Janet? That says ‘Therapist.’” When that joke was first used in an SNL “Celebrity Jeopardy” bit, I remember saying “Hey, that’s a _Three’s Company_ joke!” Everyone in the room looked at me blankly. ---
**Author:** ![Scott\_Plaid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Scott\_Plaid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scott_Plaid)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2005, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-sitcom-good-joke/319260/57 "2005-08-31T21:04:52Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > To this day I cannot say the word therapist without wanting to say “the rapist.” Damn you, Trebeck! ---
**Author:** ![Loopus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loopus/32/15343_2.png) [@Loopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loopus)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2005, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-sitcom-good-joke/319260/58 "2005-08-31T21:25:40Z")
Probably the only joke on _Friends_ that really made me laugh: Joey and Chandler somehow lose a baby they’re taking care of. They go to the lost and found, and find that two babies have been turned in, but they don’t remember what their baby looks like. One of the babies is wearing PJs with clowns on them, the other is wearing PJs with ducks. They decide to flip a coin, but must decide which side means what, which leads to: Joey: Heads’ll be ducks because ducks… have heads. Chandler: [pause] What kind of screwed-up clowns came to your birthday parties? ---
**Author:** ![TellMeI\_mNotCrazy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tellmei_mnotcrazy/32/3419_2.png) [@TellMeI\_mNotCrazy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TellMeI_mNotCrazy)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2005, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-sitcom-good-joke/319260/59 "2005-08-31T21:35:33Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > Another piece of sitconm detritus that still litters the cultural scene (I _still_ hear this, decades later) is the song “Happy Anniversary” sung to the tune of “The William Tell Overture” (You know, the part that gave us the Lone Ranger music): > _Happy Anniver-sa-ry! > Happy Ann-i-ver-sary! > Happy Ann-i-ver-sar-y! > Haaaaaaaa—ppy Anniversary!"_ > It’s from **The Flintstones** from the early 1960s. Before I even scrolled past the last “Anniversary” I knew it was from the Flintstones. I think I tried to sing it to someone once when I heard it was their annivesary. They looked at me like I had two heads. It was then I realized that this wasn’t actually “The Anniversary Song”. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2005, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-sitcom-good-joke/319260/60 "2005-08-31T21:58:44Z")
> [@Draelin](#): > > When that joke was first used in an SNL “Celebrity Jeopardy” bit, I remember saying “Hey, that’s a _Three’s Company_ joke!” > > Everyone in the room looked at me blankly. I remember the same joke of the Benny Hill Show. Some old dude was installing a sign that had movable letters. He had the letters THE RAPIST in the sign holder and Benny slid the letters together. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-sitcom-good-joke/319260.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-sitcom-good-joke/319260.md?page=4)