# Television series with themed episode titles **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 6, 2010, 6:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/television-series-with-themed-episode-titles/535120 "2010-04-06T06:41:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![notfrommensa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f14d63/32.png) [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2010, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/television-series-with-themed-episode-titles/535120/21 "2010-04-06T14:05:27Z")
I think all \*Seinfeld \*episodes are “The \_\_\_\_\_\_” Most of _The Waltons_ episodes also were “The \_\_\_\_\_\_” ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2010, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/television-series-with-themed-episode-titles/535120/22 "2010-04-06T14:10:24Z")
_Wild Wild West_-“Night Of The …” ---
**Author:** ![It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/it_s_not_rocket_surgery/32/312_2.png) [@It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/It_s_Not_Rocket_Surgery)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2010, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/television-series-with-themed-episode-titles/535120/23 "2010-04-06T14:35:22Z")
Most \*Futurama \*episodes, likes _Simpsons_ episodes, are takeoffs on movie, book, etc. titles: “Fear Of A Bot Planet” “Why Must I Be A Crustacean In Love?” “Roswell That Ends Well” “The Cyber House Rules” “Jurassic Bark” “Parasites Lost” ---
**Author:** ![h.sapiens](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e0b2c6/32.png) [@h.sapiens](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/h.sapiens)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2010, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/television-series-with-themed-episode-titles/535120/24 "2010-04-06T14:46:41Z")
> [@Krokodil](#): > > Weren’t all Mike Hammer mysteries tagged “The case of the…”? I don’t know about Mike Hammer, but all “Perry Mason” episodes started that way. Episodes of “Bones” are all structured similarly; "The (or a) [something] in (or on) [something]. e.g. “The Soldier on the Grave”, “The Gamer in the Grease” ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2010, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/television-series-with-themed-episode-titles/535120/25 "2010-04-06T14:50:54Z")
> [@It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](#): > > Most \*Futurama \*episodes, likes _Simpsons_ episodes, are takeoffs on movie, book, etc. titles: > > “Fear Of A Bot Planet” > “Why Must I Be A Crustacean In Love?” > “Roswell That Ends Well” > “The Cyber House Rules” > “Jurassic Bark” > “Parasites Lost” “Where No Fan has Gone Before” “The Devil’s Hands are Idle Playthings” “Amazon Women in the Mood” “I, Roommate” “A Bicyclopes Built for Two” “Bendin’ in the Wind” “Hell is Other Robots” “The Cyronic Woman” “A Fishful of Dollars” “My Three Suns” “I Second That Emotion” “Fry and the Slurm Factory” “How Hermes Requisitioned His Groove Back” “A Tale of Two Santas” “A Pharoh to Remember” "A Leela of Her Own “30% Iron Chef” “Teenage Mutant Leela’s Hurdles” “Obsoletely Fabulous” “Spainish Fry” (Woooo!) All from memory, natch. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim_r.mortiss/32/142_2.png) [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_R.Mortiss)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2010, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/television-series-with-themed-episode-titles/535120/26 "2010-04-06T14:54:04Z")
Every episode of _Two and a Half Men_ has as a title a random (hopefully funny) quote from the dialog. Example: “She’ll Still Be Dead at Halftime.” ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2010, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/television-series-with-themed-episode-titles/535120/27 "2010-04-06T15:00:05Z")
The UK series [Bottom](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bottom_%28TV_series%29#Episodes_list) tried to name their episodes to sound funny prepended with the word “Bottom” but I don’t think they were that great. The most obvious title like that was “'S Out”. [Scrubs](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Scrubs_episodes) all started with “My…” except for a few that were “His Story,” “Her Story” and “Their Story.” This new season all starts with “Our…” ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2010, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/television-series-with-themed-episode-titles/535120/28 "2010-04-06T15:00:38Z")
[Episodes of Remington Steele](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0083470/episodes) all used the word “Steele” in the titles. Sometimes to better effect than others. Personal fave: “Steele Crazy After All These Years.” ---
**Author:** ![gonzoron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a6a055/32.png) [@gonzoron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzoron)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2010, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/television-series-with-themed-episode-titles/535120/29 "2010-04-06T15:02:16Z")
Family Guy titles started out with a “Death” theme, but the writers quickly lost interest in it. the first four episodes are: “Death Has a Shadow” “I Never Met the Dead Man” “Chitty Chitty Death Bang” “Mind Over Murder” ---
**Author:** ![Unauthorized\_Cinnamon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/bc8723/32.png) [@Unauthorized\_Cinnamon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unauthorized_Cinnamon)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2010, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/television-series-with-themed-episode-titles/535120/30 "2010-04-06T15:02:56Z")
We just watched the final \*Wonderfalls \*- all of them are animal-themed, such as “Lovesick Ass,” “Lying Pig,” and “Caged Bird.” At least so far in our viewing, every \*Leverage \*is “The \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ Job.” ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2010, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/television-series-with-themed-episode-titles/535120/31 "2010-04-06T15:09:22Z")
Everybody Hates Chris episodes all took the format “Everybody Hates X” ---
**Author:** ![Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/intergalactic_gladiator/32/112_2.png) [@Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Intergalactic_Gladiator)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2010, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/television-series-with-themed-episode-titles/535120/32 "2010-04-06T15:18:11Z")
Aside from the pilot, all of the episodes of [the L Word](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L_word_episodes) begin with an L. Most of the eps from NYPD Blue are clever puns. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2010, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/television-series-with-themed-episode-titles/535120/33 "2010-04-06T16:23:26Z")
Many **Dragnet** episodes (both on TV and on the radio) followed the pattern “The Big \_\_\_\_\_\_\_.” ---
**Author:** ![Abby\_Emma\_Sasha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e68b1a/32.png) [@Abby\_Emma\_Sasha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Abby_Emma_Sasha)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2010, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/television-series-with-themed-episode-titles/535120/34 "2010-04-06T16:39:36Z")
> [@Tangent](#): > > Oh, and _The Amazing Race_ usually uses some oddball out-of-context quote uttered by one of the racers during that leg as the episode title. It’s fun to listen for the quote during the episode. > > Examples include: > “I’m Sorry I’m Wearing A Bathing Suit; It Is Very Weird, I Know” > “If They’re Screwing the Helmet to My Head, It Can’t Be Good!” > “Donkeys Have Souls, Too” _Damages_ does this too. The titles are inconsequential lines spoken by various characters. Examples: “The dog is happier without you” “All that crap about your family” “I look like Frankenstein” ---
**Author:** ![Carl\_Corey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Carl\_Corey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carl_Corey)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2010, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/television-series-with-themed-episode-titles/535120/35 "2010-04-06T16:57:15Z")
Before Chuck, the animated version of The Tick used the versus titles for a while. “Tick vs. the Idea Men” “Tick vs. Chairface Chippendale” “Tick vs. The Common Cold” My favorite is still the titles for the old “Police Squad!” episodes. The title would come up on screen, and narrator would read out a completely different title. If the title read “Ring of Fear,” the narrator would say “A Dangerous Assignment!” ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2010, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/television-series-with-themed-episode-titles/535120/36 "2010-04-06T16:59:28Z")
> [@jackdavinci](#): > > …I also recall Friends episode titles always starting with "The One With… **Joey** episodes were all in the form of “Joey and the \_\_\_\_\_” or “Joey does \_\_\_\_\_”. The earlier episode titles in **Family Guy** all involved death, but that was quickly abandoned because it got hard to keep track of the scripts. ---
**Author:** ![chrisk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@chrisk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chrisk)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2010, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/television-series-with-themed-episode-titles/535120/37 "2010-04-06T17:03:40Z")
Smallville generally goes with fancy one-word titles, often a reference to the villain of the episode. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2010, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/television-series-with-themed-episode-titles/535120/38 "2010-04-06T17:58:04Z")
In the first two seasons of the Batman TV series from 1966, when two episodes were shown per week, the names of the episodes were rhyming pairs. For example: Hi Diddle Riddle/Smack in the Middle Fine Feathered Finks/The Penguin’s a Jinx The Penguin Goes Straight/Not Yet, He Ain’t The Puzzles Are Coming/The Duo is Slumming ---
**Author:** ![Engineer\_Dude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9fc29f/32.png) [@Engineer\_Dude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Engineer_Dude)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2010, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/television-series-with-themed-episode-titles/535120/39 "2010-04-06T18:11:22Z")
All _Are You Afraid of the Dark?_ episode titles began with “The Tale of…” ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2010, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/television-series-with-themed-episode-titles/535120/40 "2010-04-06T18:49:06Z")
> [@Rilchiam](#): > > On _That '70s Show_, all the episodes in season 5 were titled after Led Zeppelin songs. Season 6 was Who songs, season 7 was Rolling Stones songs, and season 8 was Queen songs. For a while at least, all the _Cougartown_ episodes were named after Tom Petty songs. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/television-series-with-themed-episode-titles/535120.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/television-series-with-themed-episode-titles/535120.md?page=3)