# Which TV shows have "musical" episodes? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 31, 2008, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-tv-shows-have-musical-episodes/470466 "2008-10-31T17:46:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2008, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-tv-shows-have-musical-episodes/470466/1 "2008-10-31T17:46:34Z")
Specifically, of course, musical as a genre - the two I’ve seen are on _Buffy_ and _Scrubs_, where a story excuse is given to run the whole episode as an old fashioned musical, with torch songs, dance numbers, etc. (I kept waiting for the patter song in Buffy, but unfortunately Giles didn’t get to do one.) So, are there others? Was _Buffy_ the first? (That’s the first one of this specific pastiche kind of format I can think of.) Are they all good? The funny thing to me is that those two examples are both in later seasons that kind of suck, but the musical episodes are awesome - character driven, etc. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2008, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-tv-shows-have-musical-episodes/470466/2 "2008-10-31T17:49:33Z")
The **Dick Van Dyke Show** had a Christmas episode in which the cast did a number of musical numbers, the nominal excuse being that this was a Very Special Episode of the Alan Brady Show (although that didn’t explain why Laura Petrie was up there performing with the writers). I;m not sure that’s what you’re looking for. Of course, every single episode of the 1960s series **That’s Life** was a musical, as was every episode of **Cop Rock**. but I suspect you’re looking for musical episodes of normally non-musical shows. > **[That's Life (TV Series 1968–1969) ⭐ 8.3 | Comedy, Musical](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0062606/)** > > 1h > **[Cop Rock (TV Series 1990) ⭐ 4.5 | Comedy, Drama, Musical](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0098772/)** > > 1h ---
**Author:** ![TWDuke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e495f1/32.png) [@TWDuke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TWDuke)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2008, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-tv-shows-have-musical-episodes/470466/3 "2008-10-31T18:06:06Z")
An episode of **I Love Lucy** consisted almost entirely of a musical dream sequence set in Scotland, with Fred and Ethel as a two-headed dragon. Several episodes of **The Drew Carey Show** had musical production numbers. I don’t think they had more than one per episode though. ---
**Author:** ![Smitty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e274bd/32.png) [@Smitty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smitty)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2008, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-tv-shows-have-musical-episodes/470466/4 "2008-10-31T18:18:13Z")
Is **The Simpsons** too obvious to note? And of course, **My Name is Earl** had one. ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2008, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-tv-shows-have-musical-episodes/470466/5 "2008-10-31T18:24:54Z")
Moonlighting. ---
**Author:** ![Antinor01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecae2f/32.png) [@Antinor01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antinor01)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2008, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-tv-shows-have-musical-episodes/470466/6 "2008-10-31T18:35:20Z")
Xena, episode was The Bitter Suite. ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2008, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-tv-shows-have-musical-episodes/470466/7 "2008-10-31T18:35:21Z")
> [@Smitty](#): > > Is **The Simpsons** too obvious to note? Not at all. Especially The President wore Pearls and My Fair Laddy. If there are any Xena fans around, the was the episode The Bitter Suite. There was also a musical episode of Gilligans Island. ---
**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:** [October 31, 2008, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-tv-shows-have-musical-episodes/470466/8 "2008-10-31T18:37:03Z")
Head of the Class did Little Shop of Horrors. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2008, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-tv-shows-have-musical-episodes/470466/9 "2008-10-31T18:41:23Z")
_Eli Stone_ breaks into music and dancing in pretty much every episode, but I don’t think that’s what the OP is looking for. The eps aren’t all musical. Thought I’d plug the show, though. 🙂 ---
**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:** [October 31, 2008, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-tv-shows-have-musical-episodes/470466/10 "2008-10-31T19:31:49Z")
There was a Scrubs musical episode called “My Musical”. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2008, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-tv-shows-have-musical-episodes/470466/11 "2008-10-31T19:41:13Z")
> [@](#): > > There was a Scrubs musical episode called “My Musical”. Mentioned in the OP as an example of this type. ---
**Author:** ![Avast](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Avast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Avast)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2008, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-tv-shows-have-musical-episodes/470466/12 "2008-10-31T21:20:31Z")
There was an Even Stevens musical episode. Pretty entertaining when I was younger. ---
**Author:** ![Garfield226](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Garfield226](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Garfield226)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2008, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-tv-shows-have-musical-episodes/470466/13 "2008-10-31T21:57:30Z")
There was a musical episode of Roseanne in the second season. Several songs, advancing the story, blah blah. Not one of my favorites. ---
**Author:** ![Critical1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@Critical1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Critical1)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2008, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-tv-shows-have-musical-episodes/470466/14 "2008-10-31T22:03:05Z")
South Park? That 70’s Show? I think they did one. ---
**Author:** ![Cliffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/59ef9b/32.png) [@Cliffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cliffy)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2008, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-tv-shows-have-musical-episodes/470466/15 "2008-10-31T22:29:40Z")
That 70’s Show definitely did a musical. I knew they existed pre-Buffy, but I’m surprised there were so many. That said, I think that show led to something of a prime-time musical renaissance. –Cliffy ---
**Author:** ![Saltire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saltire/32/553_2.png) [@Saltire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saltire)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2008, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-tv-shows-have-musical-episodes/470466/16 "2008-10-31T23:30:33Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > Moonlighting. Came in to mention this. I loved the prison-work-gang Gilbert & Sullivan number. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2008, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-tv-shows-have-musical-episodes/470466/17 "2008-10-31T23:48:44Z")
_The Love Boat_. Ugh. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2008, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-tv-shows-have-musical-episodes/470466/18 "2008-10-31T23:58:00Z")
Uh… all of them? ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2008, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-tv-shows-have-musical-episodes/470466/19 "2008-11-01T00:59:41Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > Uh… all of them? Heeheeheeheehee GREAT Sarah Palin impersonation! ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2008, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-tv-shows-have-musical-episodes/470466/20 "2008-11-01T01:07:17Z")
Lexx did it in 1999. You can see some of it here. [Lexx’s Brigadoom](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BMO7_EEMVPs) It’s pretty good, actually. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-tv-shows-have-musical-episodes/470466.md?page=2)