# Shows that have one WTF? Episode **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** tv-shows-scripted\ **Created:** [April 10, 2021, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-that-have-one-wtf-episode/939754 "2021-04-10T15:31:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 8
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2021, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-that-have-one-wtf-episode/939754/141 "2021-04-19T16:15:06Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > I was wondering what the fuck these people did for a living? They were Sitcom Dads. They went to an office and sat at a desk, and carried important papers into an important meeting, where they’d get interrupted because Cute Kid #2 got into trouble at school. Come to think of it, only a couple of Sitcom Dads had a life outside the nuclear family. I remember watching Darrin on Bewitched get yelled at by his boss and thinking “You never see this happen to the dads on Dennis the Menace or Ozzie ‘n’ Harriet or Father Knows Best or My Three Sons…” Because, like Ward Cleaver, most TV dads just left the house and no one, not even June, knew where they went. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2021, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-that-have-one-wtf-episode/939754/142 "2021-04-19T16:15:27Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Buffy the Vampire Slayer had both the amazing musical episode (Once More, With Feeling) but also the very, very divisive WTF? episode (Normal Again) where the entire Buffyverse was a figment of an insane Buffy’s mind. Well, the entire _Newhart_ show was literally a dream. (Btw, this is my most hated plot device. I’ve ranted about this here before, but omg do I hate this. I would have been _pissed_ if I were a Newhart fan, just livid. And I hated, _hated_, HATED this Buffy episode.) ---
**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:** [April 19, 2021, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-that-have-one-wtf-episode/939754/143 "2021-04-19T16:36:05Z")
> [@digs](#): > > They were Sitcom Dads. They went to an office and sat at a desk, and carried important papers into an important meeting, where they’d get interrupted because Cute Kid #2 got into trouble at school. Right up until the day I retired, my wife asked me, “what exactly do you DO for a living?” This included times when I worked from home and she could actually see me doing it. ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2021, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-that-have-one-wtf-episode/939754/144 "2021-04-19T16:41:14Z")
Howard had a hardware store, Dobie’s dad had a grocery store, Rob Petrie was funny, for money, Riley worked at an airplane factory, Gomez lived of investments and didn’t have to leave home, Herman did something bluecollarish, Ricky played the drums (even when the script made more sense when George worked at a bank). Vision added up numbers. Mike architected Fred Savage’s Dad got yelled at… ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2021, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-that-have-one-wtf-episode/939754/145 "2021-04-19T16:41:42Z")
> [@Ward Cleaver's Occupation?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ward-cleavers-occupation/69241): > > Yes, folks, its been one of those days at the office… Jim Anderson - Insurance Executive Mike Brady - Architect Darren Stevens - Advertising Executive Wilbur Post - Architect Fred Flintstone - Dinosaur Operator for Slate Sand & Gravel Ralph Kramden - Bus Driver So, what did Ward Cleaver do for a living beside read the paper, look swell in a cardigan, and bang the hell out of Barbara Billingsley? ---
**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:** [April 19, 2021, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-that-have-one-wtf-episode/939754/146 "2021-04-19T16:44:58Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > Well, the entire _Newhart_ show was literally a dream. Or was it? [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/2zp7Nt7ZQOU/maxresdefault.jpg "Larry Daryl & Daryl on "The Bob Newhart Show Reunion"") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zp7Nt7ZQOU) ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2021, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-that-have-one-wtf-episode/939754/147 "2021-04-19T16:59:30Z")
And later in the thread is this… > [@Ward Cleaver's Occupation?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ward-cleavers-occupation/69241/34): > > I seem to recall an episode of LitB where some old man was being forceably retired from Ward’s office. Hijinks ensued, with the plot being resolved with the old man and Wally teaming up to open their own “office.” While I was watching this episode, I don’t recall a single mention of what type of work occurred at the office (other than it being white-collar work). ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUBv.2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanubv.2/32/3260_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUBv.2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUBv.2)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2021, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-that-have-one-wtf-episode/939754/148 "2021-04-19T17:02:17Z")
Herman worked at the funeral home. Gateman, Goodbury and Graves ---
**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:** [April 19, 2021, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-that-have-one-wtf-episode/939754/149 "2021-04-19T17:06:21Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > I would have been _pissed_ if I were a Newhart fan, just livid. I was a _Newhart_ fan, and the last episode was fucking awesome. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2021, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-that-have-one-wtf-episode/939754/150 "2021-04-19T17:13:59Z")
I agree completely! ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2021, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-that-have-one-wtf-episode/939754/151 "2021-04-19T17:22:23Z")
I didn’t say how _others_ would react! 😆 ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2021, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-that-have-one-wtf-episode/939754/152 "2021-04-19T17:35:00Z")
Thanks. I didn’t remember that. ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2021, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-that-have-one-wtf-episode/939754/153 "2021-04-19T22:45:12Z")
In that instance it wasn’t used as a plot device, just a good joke. Normally it does make me eye-roll, much like the related Owl Creek Bridge trope. ---
**Author:** ![ianzin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/ed655f/32.png) [@ianzin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ianzin)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2021, 12:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-that-have-one-wtf-episode/939754/154 "2021-04-20T12:08:37Z")
Let’s not forget ‘The Deadly Dolls’, an episode of ‘Voyage to the bottom of the sea’ in which the villain of the week, played by Vincent Price, threatens to take over the sub with the help of some evil, supernatural dolls or puppets that have somehow come to life. I can never understand why anyone wrote this episode or why the production team gave it the greenlight. It doesn’t make sense on any level and doesn’t fit with the rest of the series in any way. And you can watch it all online: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/m9c8FW2fxbE/hqdefault.jpg "Voyage to the bottom of the sea:The Deadly Dolls") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9c8FW2fxbE) ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2021, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-that-have-one-wtf-episode/939754/155 "2021-04-20T12:28:46Z")
> [@digs](#): > > Because, like Ward Cleaver, most TV dads just left the house and no one, not even June, knew where they went. It was during the Cold War. the TV dads with the mysterious office jobs probably all worked for the CIA. ---
**Author:** ![MrAtoz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MrAtoz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrAtoz)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2021, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-that-have-one-wtf-episode/939754/156 "2021-04-20T13:01:32Z")
I’m pretty sure that Barbara Billingsley once suggested that Ward worked in insurance, although nothing within the show itself ever established that. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2021, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-that-have-one-wtf-episode/939754/157 "2021-04-20T13:04:38Z")
I actually buy the ‘stockbroker’ explanation as it does explain my episode- a licensed sales agent and his office assistant, even a teen, can be relatively ‘realistic’ for the period. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2021, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-that-have-one-wtf-episode/939754/158 "2021-04-20T16:41:43Z")
The later episodes of _ **Due South** _ had some real WTF? moments. Benton would do things like reappear on a moving train long after having been thrown off. When asked “How did you…?” he’d reply “That’s not important!” and get on with the show. I think the most bizarre moments came in the final episode. He stripped some wires on a radio and stuck them in his ears to receive messages, and then persuaded his partner to jump with him out of an airplane without parachutes (“Don’t worry, this is Canada. The snow will cushion our landing.”) ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2021, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-that-have-one-wtf-episode/939754/159 "2021-04-20T16:46:43Z")
In one episode, the Abominable Snowman was obviously just a guy in a furry body suit, and he didn’t even have a butt crack. The WTF? moment I remember best is when _Seaview_ fired its “underwater laser”. 🥺 ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2021, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-that-have-one-wtf-episode/939754/160 "2021-04-20T17:28:55Z")
> [@ianzin](#): > > Let’s not forget ‘The Deadly Dolls’, an episode of ‘Voyage to the bottom of the sea’ in which the villain of the week, played by Vincent Price, threatens to take over the sub with the help of some evil, supernatural dolls or puppets that have somehow come to life. I can never understand why anyone wrote this episode or why the production team gave it the greenlight. This episode aired in 1967. The producers must have been aware of 1965’s [Dr. Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dr._Goldfoot_and_the_Bikini_Machine) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-that-have-one-wtf-episode/939754.md?page=7) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-that-have-one-wtf-episode/939754.md?page=9)