2 from Seinfeld
1- George is daydreaming about kissing Marisa Tomei and he starts simulating the encounter with a couch pillow. He opens his eyes and Susan is watching him looking quite disgusted.
2- George is using the bathroom at his girlfriend’s mother’s party. Like at home, he takes his shirt off while he proceeds. One of those magic-eye pictures steals his attention. He forgets to put his shirt back on and walks out topless in front of the staring crowd.
Joey figuring out that Monica and Chandler were together on Friends…
Similar scene, when they figured out Ross was the one who got Rachel pregnant. They knew whoever it was had left behind a certain sweater, and when Ross picked it up (“Hey, my sweater!”) and walked out, Monica and Phoebe both said, “Oh, my God!” and it took Joey a couple of seconds and his reaction was just like the one when he found out about Monica and Chandler.
So many good ones, but the book reading definitely stands out. I’d forgotten about that until I read it here and it all comes back. His delivery reading it was perfect.
Another favorite is the on-air drinking test on WKRP, with Johnny and Venus. Each one takes a drink then their reaction time is tested. Venus gets drunker and drunker until he goes and gets a fishing hat from Mr. Carlson and Johnny’s reactions get faster with each drink rather than slower.
Absolutely Fabulous…
Eddy threatens to adopt a Romanian baby if Saffy doesn’t do what she says. Then the babies start to show up.
Saffy lays down the law: “This can’t go on, do you understand? THis behavior stops now?” Cut to twenty years later…
And no one has mentioned Yes, Minister!
Sir Humphrey describes the Ministry of Administrative Affairs.
(approximately) “I am the permanent secretary. Four undersecretaries report to me. Sixteen sub-undersecretaries report to them. Bernard is, of course, your personal secretary, and three assistant personal secretaries report to him. You also have three parliamentary secretaires.”
Hacker: Do you all type?
Humphrey: Oh, very droll, Minister. No, Mrs. Mackay types. She’s the secretary.
Hacker’s daughter is furious because of a govt project that will destroy the homes of badgers. “If they could vote you woudn;t be doing this! You’d be downt here shaking paws and kissing cubs!”
Sir H tells Hacker about a building that was designed for HQ after a nuclear attack, or as he says “when the chips are down and the balloon goes up.”
“We have to have a government after a nuclear attack.”
Hacker: “Why?”
Sir H: Because otherwise there would be ANARCHY!
Hacker: Yes, can’t have a lot of rebellious cinders.
But the funniest is the scene in which Sir H loses his access to 10 Downing Street and, simply, loses his mind.
Fifteen Iguana
Not from a sitcom but still set up scene. the above reminded me of the whole bit in the movie ‘rat race’ (very funny for a cheap-laughs lame movie) where the jewish family end up driving hitler’s car and the dad ends up [unwittingly] doing a hitler impression to a ww2 veterans convention.
Alan Partridge! The new series! The whole foot impailed on a fence ‘scene’!
I am sure every single person who’s seen that episode will agree it’s the funniest (and slightly shocking at first) bit of a sitcom.
My absoloute favourite bit was Alan’s immediate facial and verbal reaction to the injury.
That is one of my favorite episodes; my husband’s as well.
The other day my daughter (7 years old) went into the bathroom. She was in there for a while, so I knew she was going "#2.) When she finally came out, her shirt was off and she was carrying a book under her arm.
It was all I could do not to laugh in front of my daughter. I went downstairs to tell my husband what had just happened, and we both laughed so hard we almost wet our pants.
I haven’t seen this scene but just reading your description made me laugh more than at any point reading this thread so far.
I’m flattered!
One of my favorites was a scene from Night Court a few years back. It was one of those short scenes that begin a program before the opening credits.
The characters are sitting around a table in the cafeteria. Harry is reading the paper, and says something like: “Here’s an item about a rancher that paid $50,000 for bull semen.”
Simultaneously, the everyone’s head swivels to look at Richard Moll in his character as Nostradamas “Bull” Shannon.
Pause…He replies “Hey, I only give at the Red Cross.”
cue theme music.
Great timing, great fun
Has anyone mentioned Only Fools and Horses?
I had forgotten about that sit-com when I first posted to this thread. Now that I have remembered it I must say it ranks right up at the top for comic-brilliance on my list.
Rodney, Del-boy, and Denzel have just found a middle-eastern looking guy in Denzel’s van …
Denzel : “He could be from al-quaeda!”
DelBoy: “Don’t be silly Denzel! … Does he look like a furniture salesman?”
There was an episode from a BBC series called The Doctors (IIRC), in which one of the doctors was going on and on about how this or that nurse had “big bazookas.” Finally, one of the other doctors gets fed up, turns to the bazooka obsessed doctor and says, “That’s all you ever think about: Big Bazookas!” To which the the bazooka obsessed doctor replies, hurtfully, “That’s not true at all! I like little bazookas too!”
Another WKRP one. Johnny’s caught someone with coke, and while discussion the dangers of cocaine with them, Mr. Carlson walks in. It looks like bad news, of course, but Johnny manages to fool Carlson into thinking that the coke’s foot powder. Johnny and the person he’s talking with leave, the guy asks Johnny what he thinks Carlson will do with the cocaine. “Oh, Carlson’s no dummy,” Johnny says. “He’ll put it on his feet.” Cut to Mr. Carlson whacking his foot with his shoe, saying distressedly, “There’s a monkey on my foot!”
Lots of favorites have been mentioned: The last Newhart episode, the “Danny Thomas/Walnuts” episode of Dick Van Dyke, The WKRP “Turkey” episode, “Chuckles the Clown”, etc.
However, two of the funniest bits come from Mork and Mindy: The first one is part of the first episode. Mindy has gone to work and Mork, his first time alone in the apartment toddles over to the fridge to get breakfast. (Remember, Mork’s space-ship looks like a giant egg). He sees the eggs in Mindy’s fridge and says (something like) “Hmmmm…it’s against the Code of the Spaceways to capture space travellers.” He takes the eggs out of the freezer and tries to talk to him. They don’t answer. “Don’t worry, little friends! I’ll rescue you!” Standing over the sink, he throws one up in the air “Fly! Be free!” he cries. The egg plummets into the sink and crashes. “How can I help you if you won’t help yourselves?” Mork says sadly. “Oh well. Burial at sea”. He turns on the garbage disposal and the water. He salutes with one had while sweeping the egg into the drain with a sponge with the other. Then he concludes “Ah-ha! Mindy’s cold-box has put you into suspended animation.” and hides the eggs in warm places (like under sofa-cushions) all over the house. Much hilarity ensues especially when Mindy’s dad gets the Sherriff to try to get Mork to leave.
Another episode has all Mork’s long-repressed emotions breaking free. And each tries to have a coversation with Mindy. At the same time. May be Robin William’s best acting job.
Fenris
You’re right, Fenris, that’s FLY BE FREE bit is hilarious. I’m pretty certain that was in the pilot. Man, what a killer.
Heck, as long as we’re talking about “Mork & Mindy” I’ve got to mention the scene where Mork is in jail with Exodor, who explains that he belongs to a religion that worshipped O.J. Simpson.
Of course, that scene was a lot funnier back in the late 1970s when the show was produced.
“No Soup for you!”
“Come back one year!”
Friends, when Ross buys some leather pants to impress a date. He goes to the bathroom and can’t get them pulled up because of sweaty legs. He then uses a variety of lotion, powder, other bathroom stuff to try to slide them back on. He even calls Joey for advice. I think that’s probably the funniest Friends scene ever.
Taxi- Latka gives the gang cookies containing cocaine. Famous Amos or something like that.
AbFab- The France episode when Pats and Eddie are in the winery. Classic.
The TV show was The Goodies.
Here’s the imdb listing.
I remember watching the show on PBS when I was a kid. One bit that still stands out in my mind is the three guys moving into a lighthouse and this bit of dialogue.
“You said the ad was for light housekeeping, not lighthouse keeping.”
I have to agree with Max Carnage, but my favorite line from that News Radio episode was from Jimmy James still reading:
“…but Jimmy has fancy plans…and pants to match”.
I still grin when I hear that