# 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:** 13\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2008, 10:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-tv-shows-have-musical-episodes/470466/21 "2008-11-01T10:25:29Z")
There was an episode or two of **Northern Exposure** where Shelley Tambo (the smoking-hot blonde waitress) could only sing, not talk, as the result of some head trauma. I forget what season, but the show got gratuitously Felliniesque towards the end, and I think this was an early sign of it. **I Love Lucy, The Brady Bunch** and (of course) **The Partridge Family** incorporated musical bits. There was also that awful Partridge Family spinoff, **Getting Together,** starring Bobby Sherman and Davy Jones. Speaking of whom… **The Monkees**! ---
**Author:** ![jackdavinci](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackdavinci/32/3259_2.png) [@jackdavinci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackdavinci)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2008, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-tv-shows-have-musical-episodes/470466/22 "2008-11-01T19:35:57Z")
Skins and Nip/Tuck both had episodes where the characters all sing a song at the end of the season. Dr. Horrible is all singing. Viva La Laughlin is all singing. Voyager has had episode where a character sings as part of the plot (Doctor on math planet, Seven in WWII holo program), but in one particular episode the Doctor sings _about_ the plot (Tuvok getting pon far). 7th Heaven did one, but it was really really really really bad. Really. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2008, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-tv-shows-have-musical-episodes/470466/23 "2008-11-01T20:22:35Z")
> [@jackdavinci](#): > > 7th Heaven did one, but it was really really really really bad. Really. That’s implied by the fact that it was 7th Heaven, no? ---
**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:** [November 1, 2008, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-tv-shows-have-musical-episodes/470466/24 "2008-11-01T22:17:23Z")
Daria had one titled **Diara!** [http://www.outpost-daria.com/ep307.html](http://www.outpost-daria.com/ep307.html) ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2008, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-tv-shows-have-musical-episodes/470466/25 "2008-11-01T22:27:31Z")
Sooner or later every successful series that doesn’t take itself too seriously tries a musical episode. The Buffy episode was quite a bit better than average. It had good music and decent performances. It also advanced at least four major season plotlines, in clever and well-done ways. ---
**Author:** ![SpecialAgentJem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f6c823/32.png) [@SpecialAgentJem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpecialAgentJem)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2008, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-tv-shows-have-musical-episodes/470466/26 "2008-11-01T22:40:36Z")
Ally McBeal had a few episode which had a LOT of music in it but not a ‘musical’ episode as such. I think every episode must have had at least one song in it. ---
**Author:** ![TWDuke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e495f1/32.png) [@TWDuke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TWDuke)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2008, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-tv-shows-have-musical-episodes/470466/27 "2008-11-01T23:00:34Z")
> [@Krokodil](#): > > There was also that awful Partridge Family spinoff, **Getting Together,** starring Bobby Sherman and Davy Jones. If by Davy Jones you mean [Wes Stern](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0827880/)… ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2008, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-tv-shows-have-musical-episodes/470466/28 "2008-11-02T01:08:10Z")
> [@TWDuke](#): > > If by Davy Jones you mean [Wes Stern](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0827880/)… Wow! You’re right, of course, but I remember it being Davy Jones so _distinctly!_ ---
**Author:** ![jackdavinci](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackdavinci/32/3259_2.png) [@jackdavinci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackdavinci)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2008, 9:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-tv-shows-have-musical-episodes/470466/29 "2008-11-02T09:07:11Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > That’s implied by the fact that it was 7th Heaven, no? Well… 7th Heaven certainly wasn’t a great show. But it was, let’s say, the comfort food series of the WB. Something to watch when you don’t want reality creeping in, aren’t in the mood for an all out sitcom, but still want something predominantly positive. So certainly I wouldn’t expect the musical episode to be as brilliant as the Buffy one. But I thought maybe it would be a bland but mildly fun waste of time, with a small novelty factor. But no, it was painful and torturous. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2008, 11:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-tv-shows-have-musical-episodes/470466/30 "2008-11-02T11:02:59Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > Uh… all of them? **True** , if you have enough Magic Mushrooms beforehand.😃 ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2008, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-tv-shows-have-musical-episodes/470466/31 "2008-11-02T13:53:37Z")
Chicago Hope? I vaguely remember Adam Arkin singing “Luck Be a Lady.” And of course Mandy Patinkin. ---
**Author:** ![Bacon\_Salt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/65b543/32.png) [@Bacon\_Salt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bacon_Salt)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2008, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-tv-shows-have-musical-episodes/470466/32 "2008-11-02T21:22:38Z")
I seem to recall that the short-lived teen show _Popular_ had a musical season finale which specifically parodied the _Buffy_ musical and in general parodied what the writers considered to be season finale ratings whoring tactics. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2008, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-tv-shows-have-musical-episodes/470466/33 "2008-11-02T21:33:42Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > Chicago Hope? I vaguely remember Adam Arkin singing “Luck Be a Lady.” And of course Mandy Patinkin. Oddly, the great Patinkin does not sing in that episode, as he was no longer a regular by that point and appeared only once all the insanity was over. He sang in many others, though. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-tv-shows-have-musical-episodes/470466.md?page=1)