Speaking of “Happy Days”, I recently caught the end of an episode featuring Dr. Joyce Brothers. She walks in and the whole thing turns into a silly whodunit with Dr. Brothers acting as detective.
Or a cheesy take on “It’s A wonderful Life” where one character wishes he was never born but finds everyone is better that he is alive.
Except for the Beavis & Butthead version where everyone would be better off if both Beavis and Butthead were never born but they are too dumb to realize any lesson from their experience.
It’s not an episode of a regular show, but I have to suggest that the Blackadder Christmas Carol is a wonderful subversion of both A Christmas Carol and all the treacly Christmas Carol-like episodes from TV shows. It’s sort of the anti-Christmas Carol.
A Bit of Fry & Laurie did a terrific one of these, with Hugh Laurie as Rupert Murdoch.
So did Married…with Children. Except Al discovers that his family is rich, successful and happy without him, so he vows to live if only for the sake of seeing them miserable.
In general, A Christmas Carol knockoffs are awful, but Quantum Leap and Doctor Who did pretty good ones.
The same for It’s a Wonderful Life – usually awful, but Married with Children managed with with Sam Kinison as the Angel. It showed everyone better off if Al hadn’t been born.
One episode of The Middle was a very thinly veiled VW commercial; besides that it was a pleasant sitcom. That was odd.
That reminds of a WTF moment more than an episode:
Not just product placement but a commercial for Subway in an episode of Hawaii 5-0
I’ve been seeing more and more of this sort of product placement lately.
Given the number of younger people who just skip commercials at every opportunity I expect to see more product placements of this kind in the future. A few years back there was an awful Chex Mix (I think) ad in one of the soap operas that people were poking fun at.
The old Lost In Space was basically one long WTF episode, but most people seem to agree, “The Great Vegetable Rebellion,” was the ne plus ultra of LiS WTF. Mark Goddard, June Lockhart and Guy Williams could not stop laughing at the carrot man (Stanley Adams, God love him) and Major West had to turn away from the camera several times.
“Moisture! I need moisture!”
Cougar Town had a similar Subway scene, although this also included the character Abed from Community as the world’s worst background extra:
Stanley Adams! Cyrano Jones the Tribble hawker, and many other roles (he was on the Andy Griffith show as Otis’ brother).
Abed is drinking from a Starbucks cup. Is this a product placement within a product placement within an episode?
I just finished watching the “Whacking Day!” episode of The Simpsons. Either the writers were stoned, or I was. I can’t be sure.
The best line came from Miss Springfield: “Gentlemen, start your whacking!” 
Haha thanks for that. This photo of the big bad made my day.
And Dr. Smith is slowly turning into a stalk of celery, being nibbled on by Tybo’s henchman. 
The show is on Hulu as we speak. If you do watch it, use caution – you don’t want to fall off your chair, laughing hysterically. It’s bad.
Google the episode, and there are multiple videos of the cast critiquing it (even Adult Bill Mumy). Moreso than any other episode… really made an impact.
Something made me think of an Andy Griffith episode fits.
If the Twilight Zone can have a WTF? episode, season 1 episode 36 would be it. Best to watch “A World of His Own” in its entirety if you can, but here are some of the relevant bits.
