TV shows that used the commercial break to enhance the episode

Cafe Society
21

Sports Night, an early Aaron Sorkin show, was about the behind-the-scenes workings of a cable sports show: episodes often started with a segment of the show-within-a-show, and their first commercial break was also the viewer’s first commercial break.

I can’t remember if the same conceit was ever used on Studio 60 On The Sunset Strip or The Newsroom, but they used a similar one on the former for the opening title/credits: sometimes episodes would start with the cold open of the show-within-a-show, and when the director would yell “roll VTR!” (i.e., start the video tape recording of the title/credits) the actual show’s opening VTR would run.

22

[QUOTE=Morbo]
True, but I liked the way the did it after the first few commercial breaks in the episode, not just pre-credits.
[/QUOTE]

I remember seeing that episode “live” in its first run and we were all “:eek: AHHHH!! :eek: :eek:” and wondering what was going to happen after the opening credits. Making each act a self-contained time loop was nicely done.

23

On an episode of Futurama (the one where Fry, Leela, and Bender go to a planet where humans are killed on sight), Leela has to make a decision, and says, right before the commercial, “It’s not an easy decision! If only I had two or three minutes to think about it…”