# Sitcom gimmicks. ex: You never saw Vera **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 23, 2002, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sitcom-gimmicks-ex-you-never-saw-vera/125303 "2002-08-23T22:10:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Invisible\_Chimp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/f05b48/32.png) [@Invisible\_Chimp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Invisible_Chimp)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2002, 7:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sitcom-gimmicks-ex-you-never-saw-vera/125303/21 "2002-08-24T07:25:44Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by BabaBooey \* > \*\*Also, every episode of Fox Force Five had the knife thrower telling a joke. \*\* It was because the knife thrower grew up in a circus and she learned a bunch of vaudeville jokes. But there was only one episode. It never made it beyond the pilot. In the beginning of every episode of "Six Feet Under, " someone dies. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2002, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sitcom-gimmicks-ex-you-never-saw-vera/125303/22 "2002-08-24T15:54:40Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Zoggie \* > **"Seinfeld"- There’s a Superman action figure (or something representing Superman) in every episode. I think always in Jerry’s apartment.** I thought so too, but the folks at [EEggs](http://www.eeggs.com/items/1139.html) say that most episodes, but not all, have a reference to Superman. **My So-Called Life** - you never saw Tino, even though he was the _man_. If there was a cool party, you heard about it from Tino. If you needed a ride, you got it from Tino. If you need a fake ID, you could buy one from Tino. But he never actually appeared on the show. In the same vein, you never saw the Chase family cat, even though the Chases often bought cat food and kitty litter and such. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2002, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sitcom-gimmicks-ex-you-never-saw-vera/125303/23 "2002-08-24T16:00:08Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Zoggie \* > **"Seinfeld"- There’s a Superman action figure (or something representing Superman) in every episode. I think always in Jerry’s apartment.** I thought so too, but the folks at [EEggs](http://www.eeggs.com/items/1139.html) say that most episodes, but not all, have a reference to Superman. **My So-Called Life** - you never saw Tino, even though he was the _man_. If there was a cool party, you heard about it from Tino. If you needed a ride, you got it from Tino. If you need a fake ID, you could buy one from Tino. But he never actually appeared on the show. In the same vein, you never saw the Chase family cat, even though the Chases often bought cat food and kitty litter and such. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2002, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sitcom-gimmicks-ex-you-never-saw-vera/125303/24 "2002-08-24T17:00:01Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by RexDart \* > \*\*Does Mr. Kotter’s endless supply of eccentric uncle stories count? If so, then also add **The Cosby Show** ’s endless supply of jazz musician guest stars (hey, I ain’t complaining, I love jazz.) > > And speaking of wives you never see, **Frasier** took that gimmick and made some jokes out of it. You never saw Niles’ wife Maris. There was a scene when Niles talked to Maris in a bedroom, a one-sided conversation with only Niles talking, seen from the point of view of Frasier hiding in the bathroom. You thought you’d see her, and you were denied the payoff. They did a few subtle metahumour jokes about it when everyone would arrive at Niles’ place and Maris would always be off doing something out of town. \*\* There were tons of jokes about Maris’s weight (Fraiser: I’ll take Maris out to lunch. I’ll only be out a cup of broth and a cracker. Niles: No, she likes to eat her big meal in the evening). On the Simpsons with Cecil Terwilliger, when 10 year old lands on Cecil and says “Guess who?,” he responds “Maris?” A very subtle Maris weight joke. ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2002, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sitcom-gimmicks-ex-you-never-saw-vera/125303/25 "2002-08-24T17:11:17Z")
> [@](#): > > In “Rhoda”, starring the very wonderful Valerie Harper, every line Carlton the doorman had was always preceded by the entirely redundant “This is Carlton your doorman”, and we heard him but never saw him. There was a one-off animated “Carlton the Doorman” special, in which Carlton IIRC rather resembled Zonker Harris. Another body-part gimmick: I want to say the show was called “Richard Diamond” in which Mary Tyler Moore played a secretary and all that was ever shown of her was her legs. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2002, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sitcom-gimmicks-ex-you-never-saw-vera/125303/26 "2002-08-24T18:08:59Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Snooooopy \* > \*\*Another **Simpsons** one: Always (until the “Behind The Laughter” episode) dodging the issue of what state Springfield is in. I remember one time that Marge was on the phone, reading off the family’s address, and just as she’s about to get to the state, she is interrupted. \*\* Huh? I must have missed that. So, gimme a spoiler. What state are they in? Oh, and also, never seeing Robin Masters in _Magnum, P.I._, and only hearing John Forsythe’s voice as _Charlie’s Angels_. Even if they weren’t sitcoms, strictly speaking. ---
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2002, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sitcom-gimmicks-ex-you-never-saw-vera/125303/27 "2002-08-24T18:48:26Z")
_The Drew Carey Show_: Mimi and Drew’s insults towards each other. I think this would count, as it’s done in every episode. One of the funniest parts of the show. _Futurama_: Prof. Farnsworth’s habit of addressing his employees by entering a room and saying “Good news, everyone!” ---
**Author:** ![Mehitabel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8797f3/32.png) [@Mehitabel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mehitabel)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2002, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sitcom-gimmicks-ex-you-never-saw-vera/125303/28 "2002-08-25T01:22:13Z")
MARRIED…WITH CHILDREN had a few. Al’s hand down his pants, the constant teasing about Marcy’s breasts and chicken-hood, Steve’s dry wit, Jefferson’s sleaziness, Bud’s haplessness. Peg’s outfits, and Kelly’s malapropisms were pretty consistent. But the joke which relates the most to the OP was that we never saw Peg’s mother. She was supposed to be really really fat, and we did see a huge quilt-covered mound in a bed in one episode, but although she spent half a season living upstairs, in an increasingly unfunny premise, we never saw her either. The only good thing is that her voice was supplied by the marvelous film and stage actress Kathleen Freeman, who died last year in the middle of her run in THE FULL MONTY. ---
**Author:** ![Reeder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Reeder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reeder)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2002, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sitcom-gimmicks-ex-you-never-saw-vera/125303/29 "2002-08-25T04:28:11Z")
Star Trek TOS…If some character you had never seen beforewent out with the stars…they either died or became Gods. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2002, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sitcom-gimmicks-ex-you-never-saw-vera/125303/30 "2002-08-25T05:50:17Z")
Oh. I was wrong about the Superman, huh? Oh well. Also, Maris’s love of plastic surgery. Can’t forget that. And similar to the Tino thing, on “Doug” (the original one), they always mentioned the kid Skunky Bolmont (sp?) but they never showed him. Not until “Brand Spanking New Doug” anyway… ---
**Author:** ![WV\_Woman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e95f7d/32.png) [@WV\_Woman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WV_Woman)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2002, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sitcom-gimmicks-ex-you-never-saw-vera/125303/31 "2002-08-25T14:43:26Z")
On **Murphy Brown** we never saw Eldon’s home and she had a new secretary almost every week. ---
**Author:** ![ski](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbe5ce/32.png) [@ski](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ski)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2002, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sitcom-gimmicks-ex-you-never-saw-vera/125303/32 "2002-08-25T14:57:46Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Max Torque \* > \*\* > > I thought so too, but the folks at [EEggs](http://www.eeggs.com/items/1139.html) say that most episodes, but not all, have a reference to Superman. The thing with the Superman is that there is a plastic figurine on his bookshelf, and sometimes a Superman sticker on his refrigerator. Well, if the episode shows his apartment (are there any that don’t?) then it most assuredly has a Superman in there. To me, this is almost like saying, “Did you know there is a couch in every Seinfeld episode?” Does anyone know if this is a deliberate attempt by the directors, or something constructed from nothing by viewers? ---
**Author:** ![TheOnlySaneOne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/67e7ee/32.png) [@TheOnlySaneOne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheOnlySaneOne)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2002, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sitcom-gimmicks-ex-you-never-saw-vera/125303/33 "2002-08-25T15:01:06Z")
Oh yeah! I nearly forgot, also on **Home Improvement** you never saw Al’s mom, despite the constant barrage of fat jokes from Tim. The one time that you almost saw her was when she died and they show her humongous coffin. ---
**Author:** ![betenoir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/258eb7/32.png) [@betenoir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/betenoir)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2002, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sitcom-gimmicks-ex-you-never-saw-vera/125303/34 "2002-08-25T15:15:12Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by ianzin \* > \*\*In **“Rhoda”** , starring the very wonderful Valerie Harper, every line Carlton the doorman had was always preceded by the entirely redundant “This is Carlton your doorman”, and we heard him but never saw him. > > \*\* No doubt because he was actually a large orange cat. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2002, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sitcom-gimmicks-ex-you-never-saw-vera/125303/35 "2002-08-25T15:16:01Z")
re: _Married With Children_ > [@](#): > > But the joke which relates the most to the OP was that we never saw Peg’s mother. Peg’s mother was going to make an appearance, but Divine, the actor who was going to play her, died. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2002, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sitcom-gimmicks-ex-you-never-saw-vera/125303/36 "2002-08-25T17:16:23Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by ski \* > \*\*he thing with the Superman is that there is a plastic figurine on his bookshelf, and sometimes a Superman sticker on his refrigerator. Well, if the episode shows his apartment (are there any that don’t?) then it most assuredly has a Superman in there. To me, this is almost like saying, “Did you know there is a couch in every Seinfeld episode?” Does anyone know if this is a deliberate attempt by the directors, or something constructed from nothing by viewers? \*\* They say on the EEggs site that “the refrigerator magnet does not appear until the 56th episode and the figurine doesn’t show up until the 81st episode,”, so earlier episodes that don’t contain other Superman references don’t have those to fall back on. As for whether it’s something incidental or deliberate: well, Jerry Seinfeld is a big fan of Superman, and I have to believe that it’s deliberate. Just look at how often Superman is mentioned in dialogue on the show! Still, even though they didn’t manage to sneak Supes into _every_ episode, it’s still a perfectly valid gimmick. So, another one…well, continuing with the “you never saw” theme, you never saw the Gooch, the bully who terrorizes Arnold sometimes on _Diff’rent Strokes_, but he was mentioned quite a lot. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2002, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sitcom-gimmicks-ex-you-never-saw-vera/125303/37 "2002-08-25T19:34:13Z")
We never got to see Morgo the Friendly Drelb, or at least I never did. ---
**Author:** ![Icerigger](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icerigger/32/432_2.png) [@Icerigger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icerigger)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2002, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sitcom-gimmicks-ex-you-never-saw-vera/125303/38 "2002-08-25T20:56:45Z")
On **Barney Miller** , they were always calling downstairs for more backup, but you never did see any other room at the 12th precinct but the squad room. ---
**Author:** ![Ms2001](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ms2001/32/18463_2.png) [@Ms2001](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ms2001)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2002, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sitcom-gimmicks-ex-you-never-saw-vera/125303/39 "2002-08-25T21:23:01Z")
At the end of (nearly) every _Sealab 2021_, Sealab explodes. ---
**Author:** ![Swede\_Hollow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3bc359/32.png) [@Swede\_Hollow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swede_Hollow)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2002, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sitcom-gimmicks-ex-you-never-saw-vera/125303/40 "2002-08-25T21:41:19Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by kaylasdad99 \* > \*\* > > Huh? > > I must have missed that. > > So, gimme a spoiler. What state are they in?\*\* The “Behind the Laughter” special pretended that **The Simpsons** was a standard sitcom with actors playing the parts. The special only gave the state the actors came from and had nothing to do with the series itself. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sitcom-gimmicks-ex-you-never-saw-vera/125303.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sitcom-gimmicks-ex-you-never-saw-vera/125303.md?page=3)