10 FAVORITES (57): There's No Cliché Like Old Clichés

You know when you're at a party, and you're telling a friend about a great Movie or TV program you just saw.  You're getting really into it and everyone can see by the look on your face how much you enjoyed this artistic endeavour you witnessed.  You finish telling the story and how much you loved seeing something so fresh and new...then there's that one person at the party who says: "I've heard that story before!"  Hello, I am that one person!  Or at least I often feel like that person.  We are in a day and age where no story is new and everything seems recycled.  Development departments at most studios and corporations now won't shell out big bucks to produce or publish a Movie, TV Show or Book where the plot elements aren't at least somewhat familiar (and proven to be familiar with a large audience!).  People like what they know.  Change is uncomfortable and too risky (especially where a lot of money is concerned!).  These plot elements that these execs love so much fall under a rather dubious nomenclature: Cliché.  A Cliché is a type of story that is done so often that its dramatic effect has waned to the point of nothing (or almost nothing).  It can be a character or a plot element or the entire plot itself or even the way in which the plot is presented.  It doesn't matter what it is, it's probably a Cliché.  Now, as a writer myself, I've never had a problem with utilizing clichés in my own work or seeing them in the work of others (unless they are poorly executed!).  The trap really is that most clichés are double-edged swords (and I'll explain that as we go along today!).  There really are too many to list here (you might want to try looking at tvtropes.org for a couple other examples!).  So for this weeks 10 FAVORITES, I've decided to run through some of the most common and/or the ones that always seem to attract my attention.  And its at this point that I'm going to stop putting an accent on the "E" in "Cliché " because it's annoying and comes off as really pretentious!

THE 10 MOST POPULAR CLICHES

CLICHE #10
Breaking the Routine
This one mostly applies to TV Shows, especially ones that decide to do something different for "Sweeps."  Sometimes the show decides to change its format for say one episode (The West Wing, 30 Rock and M*A*S*H all did it!).  Sometimes the writers want to bring a challenge to the actors like do a whole musical episode (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Scrubs and Grey's Anatomy!) or have their characters pull a Freaky Friday (watch next week's Glee, if you don't believe me!).  And then there are the shows that enter a whole "Alternate Timeline" or "Parallel Universe" for an episode or two (Bones, Friends, the entire third season of Fringe and any Treehouse of Horror episode of The Simpsons).  All of these examples are some form of what I call: Breaking the Routine.  By the way, NBC's Community has done every single one of these things (because it's awesome!).

CLICHE #9
The Never-Before-Seen Twist
Law & Order used this tagline more often than they used the "Ripped From the Headlines" tag.  This cliche is often used on TV proceedurals especially in the respective network's promos for the episode in which it is used.  They tout it like it is the most outrageous and surprising thing you've ever seen since the last time the show pulled this trope.  The so-called "Twist" comes out of nowhere within the story, though these days most people can see it coming from a mile away.  In fact since 1992's The Crying Game, no "Twist" is as surprising as that one!

CLICHE #8
Basic Stereotypes
In the old days, Movies and TV Shows utilized a lot of ethnic stereotypes (see Gone With the Wind or Speedy Gonzalez cartoons or any Western where the Native Americans were prominent characters!).  As the years went by and studios were under pressure to be more politically correct, shows like All In the Family, Barney Miller and Murphy Brown utilized those stereotypes cleverly and weaved them into their humor.  As we moved into the 21st Century, a whole new crop of stereotypes showed up: The gay guy, The nerd and (most recently) The sarcastic hipster.

CLICHE #7
The Call is Coming from Inside the House (aka You Trusted the Murderer!)
My name for this cliche is actually the name of the old urban legend (used in horror films like Black Christmas and When a Stranger Calls) that has the poor frightened girl in more danger than she realizes.  But in my definition of this cliche, I refer to "the House" as basically the hero's (or heroine's) life.  In most mysteries or horror movies now, the serial killer ends up being someone that the leading lady or the investigator has trusted the whole time. Remember the ending of Scream, the first one (SPOILER ALERT!!!).  The murderous "Ghostface" turned out to be trusting Neve Campbell's brooding and smoldering boyfriend (wickedly played by Skeet Ulrich) and his metero-goofus friend (played by perennial goofus Matthew Lillard) - the two friends were in it together to kill Drew Barrymore and just got off on the terror they struck in the town.  On TV: NCIS, CSI, Bones and Castle have all used it at some point or another.  In fact, FOX's Emmy-winning 24 thrived on this cliche.

CLICHE #6
Unseen Characters
Here, Google these names: Vera Petersen, Maris Crane, Stan Walker, Mrs. Wolowitz, Carlton the Doorman and Wilson Wilson.  All of these are examples of TV characters that we often hear about (and in some cases even hear their voices!), but we never fully see their faces.  Usually it is because an actor could not physically be cast in the role, because the description of the character went so over-the-top in some physical attritbute that no actor or actress could fit that part without disservicing the character.  Whatever the reason, these characters get used in sitcoms often.

CLICHE #5
The Beauty and the Schlub
Tale as old as time...and it goes right "to the moon!"  It's basically a variation of the Beauty and the Beast tale in which a beautiful wife is married to one of the schlubbiest guys you will ever meet.  Witness the classic sitcom The Honeymooners (and it's animated parody The Flintstones).  It has been used several times over the years (Marge Bouvier was apparently one of the prettiest girls in high school when she met Homer J. Simpson!), however in the late '90s there was a slight twist on it.  It started to seem that comedy writers decided to up the shall we say nagging quality of the wife and the ineptitude of the schlubby hubby (look at Everybody Loves Raymond or The King of Queens or even Family Guy and all of the couples on Modern Family!).  It almost could be called "The Shrew and the Schlub!"

CLICHE #4
Team So-and-So Vs. Team The Other Guy (aka The Basic Love Triangle)
The Love Triangle has been around for centuries, dating all the way back to Sir Walter Scott's Ivanhoe (are you Team Rebecca or Team Rowena?).  But it wasn't until recently that it has taken on a whole new dynamic, and all you fangirls out there know darn well what I am talking about.  It's like the fans of the book or movie have to join a "team" of other fans who root for the relationship that they want to see happen (even if both choices look like their the same pile of milquetoast, sorry Twihards!).  If you don't believe me about the influence that Stefenie Meyer's Twilight has had over the last couple years, just look at the latest book-to-movie phenomenon The Hunger Games.  Suzanne Collins' popular trilogy has taken on the same kind of fan base and therefore main character Katniss Everdeen must pull a Bella Swann and chose between her two leading men.

CLICHE #3
24 Hours Earlier... (aka How We Got Here...)
Remember Sunset Boulevard's format, with the story unfolding after you know that the narrator lies in a pool dead from a bullet in the back.  Writer-Director Billy Wilder was praised for his trailblazing technique.  Since then, it has been used so many times in so many different ways (usually with some kind of title card that says "24 Hours Earlier" or "2 Days Ago" or "Many Moons Prior").  Every crime proceedural since the '90s (from The X-Files to NCIS to Law & Order: SVU to Criminal Minds to this week's season finale of Castle!) has used this at least once.  Even sitcoms have taken a shot at it (a classic Wings episode parodied Mr. Wilder, while the short-lived FOX show Grounded For Life seemed to use it all the time!).  And dramas like LOST and The West Wing used it a couple of times, especially during Season Premiere or Season Finale time!

CLICHE #2
Will They? Won't They?
This can be referred to as the Maddie and David or the Sam and Diane or the Booth and Brennan or (my personal favorite recently) the Hermione and Ron.  Sexual tension between two characters can be quite palpable and can even make the audience really root for the relationship to move forward.  But, as I said above, cliches can be double-edged swords and none are more double-edged than this one.  It divides people more than the above Love Triangle fangirls do.  If they go forward and have the relationship, two camps pop up.  One saying they've "Jumped a Shark" (witness Who's the Boss?) and the other shouting "Hooray" and creating cute nicknames (Glee's Finchel).  If they don't get together, the same two camps pop up.  Audiences are disappointed that the writers are dragging it out and critics are often applauding the choice not to jump into bed.  It changes the dynamic of the series, and some shows survive it while most shows flounder in the change.

AND...
CLICHE #1
Ensign Red Shirt
Poor Ensign Red Shirt!  He's that guy that the show hired to basically be the other guy that is NOT the main character that goes into the dangerous situation with the rest of the crew and pretty much doesn't come out alive.  The name of the trope comes from the classic sci-fi series Star Trek in which almost every landing team consisted of Captain Kirk, Mr. Spock, Dr. McCoy and -well, you guessed it!- Ensign Red Shirt (he doesn't need a real name, because basically he's not important!).  Ensign Red Shirt has changed with the times though.  On Star Trek: The Next Generation, he became Ensign Yellow Shirt.  And on most crime proceedutals, he is often Officer Whats-his-name or Agent That Guy.  And most often we learn a little something about him just before he bites it.  It's like the writers feel guilty so they have the main character talk to him like they're old buddies.  And he always has something he has to be ready for by the weekend (like his daughter's piano recital or a family reunion he isn't looking forward to or an anniversary dinner with the wife!).  You know an Ensign/Officer/Agent Red Shirt is gonna kick the bucket when he mention's little Katie's piano recital!  Poor Officer Red Shirt!

IT'S THE LITTLE THINGS: The Silver FOX

When I was little and it came to Broadcast Television, there were ONLY 3 networks: The Alphabet (ABC), The Eye (CBS) and The Peacock (NBC).  By the mid-to-late 1980s, each of "the big three" had cornered their own niche audience.  ABC aired several family-friendly shows (like The Wonder Years and Full House) plus other more mature fare for their 10PM time slots (see Moonlighting or thirtysomething).  CBS seemed to have a wider audience but with special attention to both older demographics (especially with their Sunday schedule: 60 Minutes and Murder, She Wrote) and female audiences (with primetime soaps like Dallas and female-led sitcoms like Designing Women).  And then NBC, who also had a wide audience, aired shows that were especially popular with both the critics AND the Emmy Awards (sitcoms like Cheers, The Cosby Show or The Golden Girls and dramas like Hill Street Blues, St. Elsewhere or L.A. Law).

But there seemed to be one audience that was being ignored, at least as far as the powers-that-be at the 20th Century Fox studio were concerned.  Several people (who were around college-age), were looking for programs that catered to their humor, to their style or even to their subversive nature.  And so, a fledgling network was born.  And now 25 years later, "the big three" have expanded into "the big four" (technically "the big five" when you count The CW, but it's not their anniversary!).  In honor of FOX's 25th Anniversary, I would like to take you through their brief history by sharing with you what I believe are the 25 shows that have shaped FOX into what it is today.  Some of them you could probably name right off and others are more like afterthoughts, but all 25 of them made their mark in the network's landscape and helped to re-shape what modern Television is all about.

IN THE BEGINNING...

Married...With Children

21 Jump Street

The Simpsons

These are the shows that birthed FOX.  Married...With Children first aired on April 5, 1987 and 21 Jump Street aired a week later.  The Simpsons first aired as animated shorts between the sketches on Tracey Ullman's comedy-variety show (which aired after Married...With Children) before gaining their very own animated sitcom two years later (a show that is still running today, by the way!).  Married... was especially different as its humor was extremely controversial and graphic showing the complete dysfunction of the Bundy clan.  21 Jump Street, which is now more famous for launching the career of a man named Johnny Depp, was compared in its gritty style to NBC's Hill Street Blues but had a younger appeal.  And as mentioned earlier, the history of The Simpsons is in some way the history of FOX itself.

LEGAL REALITIES
America's Most Wanted
COPS
With a subversive sitcoms (both live and animated) and gritty cop dramas, FOX wanted to jump-the-gun (no pun intended!) before the reality show blitzkrieg.  With both the FBI-led America's Most Wanted and the police docu-series COPS, FOX really was a forerunner before the other networks decided to produce cheaper (and more popular) reality shows.

STEAMY SPELLING SOAPS

Beverly Hills, 90210

Melrose Place

When Johnny Depp left 21 Jump Street to have a film career, FOX needed some shows that had the same youth/teen appeal.  Enter Aaron Spelling (who had massive hits with ABC like Charlie's Angels, Dynasty and The Love Boat).  He was also looking to market programs to a teen audience (and one that could feature is young daughter in the cast!). With the original 90210 in 1990 and Melrose Place two years later, Spelling seemed to define teen viewing in the 1990s.

SKETCH-Y DIVERSITY

In Living Color

MADtv

By the early 1990s, NBC had cornered the market in comedy-variety with Saturday Night Live (which by then had been running over 15 years!).  FOX began with a variety show starring Tracey Ullman, but when that show's animated shorts eclipsed it in popularity, Ullman found herself without a job.  But a few years later, comedian Keenan Ivory Wayans and his pals (including his brother Damon and sister Kim) created a sketch comedy series that appealed to a different audience...a multicultural audience.  With its brash style and SNL-like sketches, the young cast of In Living Color became comedy superstars (especially Jim Carrey, then known as "James Carrey").  They even had hip-hop dancers known as the Fly Girls that personified their show's style (one of them was a young Jennifer Lopez!).  In Living Color's popularity inspired FOX to try their hand at late night variety (to compete with SNL) and thence MADtv was born.

BRING IN 'DA FUNNY

Martin

Living Single

Fresh off the success of In Living Color, FOX wanted to have more comedy shows that appealed to African-American audiences.  Comedian Martin Lawrence, with his many different personalities, had a very successful sitcom that centered around his in-your-face style.  To follow that, Living Single focused on the lives of 4 single African-American women (which included rap star Queen Latifah, former Facts of Life star Kim Fields and In Living Color regular Kim Coles).  Both shows are still quite popular in syndication on various cable networks and are fondly remembered by those of us who grew up with these shows that helped change the face of sitcoms in the '90s.

RE-DEFINING THE GENRES (AND THE EMMYS!)

The X-Files

Ally McBeal

As I said above, NBC seemed to have the Emmy market covered with shows like Cheers, L.A. Law, Seinfeld and E.R. throughout my growth into adulthood.  But FOX was fearless in trying to gain support from audiences and critics when it came to getting awards.  With the sci-fi drama The X-Files, FOX had a major contender.  Audiences took to it with rabid fascination and soon the awards followed.  Emmys finally recognized it with a Best Drama Series nomination in its third season (1995) and two years later star Gillian Anderson won Best Actress in a Drama (making it the first major Emmy for FOX to win!).  To follow that, David E. Kelley's romantic-dramedy Ally McBeal caused a pop culture fervor with its short skirts and dancing babies.  The show became the first FOX series to win the top prize in 1999 when its second season received Best Comedy Series over the likes of Friends, Frasier and Everybody Loves Raymond.

THE SIMPSONS HAVE SOME COMPANY

King of the Hill

Family Guy

The Simpsons opened so many doors for FOX and they knew it.  In the late 1990s, the network started to build around the flagship series by creating an entire night of animated shows.  Of the many animated sitcoms that have popped in and out around The Simpsons' popularity, two of them seemed to stick with audiences (and even some critics!).  King of the Hill,  from Beavis and Butt-head creator Mike Judge, had a homespun humor and was more sitcom-oriented than even The Simpsons (with lessons learned at the end of every episode for both conservative propane dealer Hank Hill and his march-to-his-own-drummer son Bobby).  Then there is Family Guy, Seth MacFarlane's raunchy and even-more subversive sitcom with its cutaway gags and ten-times the dysfunction of anyone in The Simpsons' hometown of Springfield.  Both shows seemed to strengthen The Simpsons' popularity (and quality!) and therefore made themselves more prominent in the minds of those wanting a break from typical live-action fare.

STAR-MAKING COMEDIES

That 70s Show

Malcolm In the Middle

Not to be completely dominated by animated sitcoms, FOX wanted to branch out with ensemble-heavy live-action comedies.  With a nostalgic throwback (like its inspiration Happy Days), That 70s Show made stars out of its young ensemble which included Topher Grace, Laura Prepon, Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis.  The show, which ended its run in 2006, is still extremely popular in syndicated airings.  It is one of FOX's most popular shows in syndication (third only to The Simpsons and Family Guy).  FOX's other popular live-action sitcom was Malcolm In the Middle.  Similar to Married...With Children by showing the chaos of a semi-dysfunctional family, the show was very popular with audiences and garnered several Emmy nods for the two actors playing the parents Jane Kaczmarek and Bryan Cranston.  Both actors have since shown their character-actor mettle on various projects from sitcoms to dramatic series to films (with Cranston winning 3 Emmys - so far! - for his dramatic work on AMC's critical hit Breaking Bad).

THE NEW CENTURY BRINGS MORE EMMYS

24

Arrested Development

In the 2000s, bolstered by the major Emmy wins The X-Files and Ally McBeal garnered in the previous decade, FOX was not going to let it lie at just those two.  With the action-packed spy-thriller series 24, FOX had a series that grabbed the critics' attention with its fascinating hook.  The entire season of the show (24 episodes) was one hour of one day, constituting the series to basically flow in "real time."  Season 5, known as "Day 5" in show's lexicon, was the highest rated season and won Best Drama Series (over major contenders like NBC's The West Wing and HBO's The Sopranos) as well as Best Actor in a Drama for star Kiefer Sutherland.  As for Arrested Development, the short-lived but critically-beloved sitcom, the show put FOX back on Emmys radar after Ally McBeal ended.  In 2003, Arrested Development's first season beat out Frasier and Everybody Loves Raymond to the Best Comedy Series prize.

FOX'S NEWER YOUTH APPEAL

The O.C.

American Idol

In the 2000s, the youth culture that FOX first appealed to back when it first began was now what you would call middle-aged.  To grab that younger market that has since become an all-important demographic in the ratings race, FOX went back to "square one" with an Aaron Spelling-style teen drama.  For four years in the middle of the decade, The O.C. became a pop culture phenomenon especially with teen audiences as the show centered around rich teens in Orange County and their bitter rivalries.  But FOX's major hit with younger audiences was a little show that was basically a singing competition.  American Idol, which was the U.S. version of the European hit Pop Idol, has dominated FOX Broadcasting over the past decade.  With its crazy judges (Simon Cowell and Paula Abdul!) and star-making eliminations (from Kelly Clarkson to Carrie Underwood!), the show's power cannot be denied.  Even with new judges (including former Fly Girl Jennifer Lopez!), the show still manages to garner the attention of a massive audience that craves reality competitions.  Idol even has its copycats from NBC's The Voice to FOX's new Simon Cowell-import The X-Factor.

FOX'S PROCEDURAL STAPLES

House M.D.

Bones

Who said CBS could be the masters of procedural Television?  FOX, thanks to both The X-Files and 24, have built part of their current reputation around shows that solve the case within the hour, the procedural.  And they went beyond the typical police procedural that CBS was so good at (see CSI or NCIS).  They branched it out into medical science and forensic anthropology.  Led by a more dramatic Hugh Laurie, House M.D. was about a grouchy and people-repellent diagnostician who could solve any case put before him no matter how strange.  After 8 years, Laurie is hanging up his cane and stethoscope as Dr. House after garnering 6 Emmy nominations (with a possible 7th to come!).  Bones, House's sometime partner, centered on the genius-like mind of forensic anthropologist Dr. Temperence "Bones" Brennan and her knack for solving crimes with her FBI partner Sealy Booth.  The character was loosely based on a lead character from the books by noted anthropologist Kathy Reichs (Brennan being a character she loosely based on herself!).

RE-DEFINING THE GENRES (YET AGAIN!)

Fringe

Glee

Like The X-Files did in the 1990s, Fringe is once again re-defining what a sci-fi drama can be about.  Part procedural (like Bones) but also part soap-opera drama (with its romantic entanglements and familial estrangements), Fringe is a complete original with its exploration of parallel universes and Roswell-ian creatures.  The show has a large and vocal fanbase that has kept this "bubble show" going for four years and may very well get it a fifth season renewal.  And like they did with Ally McBeal in the late '90s, FOX is once again re-defining the modern dramedy.  Let us not forget Glee!  Ryan Murphy's uber-popular (at least in its first season!) mega-musical comedy-drama has garnered so much attention that people have gotten sick of it fairly quickly (teen suicide storylines don't help either!).  But the series has made its impression and will probably stick around for a fourth and maybe even fifth season (that teen market has money to burn people!).  It also has pioneered (or at least co-pioneered) the use of other media when it comes to promoting the show (particularly iTunes and YouTube!).

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY FOX!

You have made TV life very interesting for the past 25 years!

Top 60 Sitcoms...In 30 Days! - Part V(c)

We're getting closer to the #1 spot.  Yesterday, I started taking you all through the Top 10 and now were making our way into the Top 5.  So let's get going!

THE 60 BEST SITCOMS - PART V(c)

Click here for Part I: #'s 60-49.

Click here for Part II: #'s 48-37.

Click here for Part III: #'s 36-26.

Click here for Part IV: #'s 25-16.

15. The Mary Tyler Moore Show
14. Barney Miller
13. Murphy Brown
12. Frasier
11. I Love Lucy
10. Everybody Loves Raymond
9. Night Court
8. Seinfeld
7. Friends

6. The Golden Girls, NBC (1985-1992)
Remember when TV Networks used to have original programming on Saturday night.  It seems that once this show ended its run in 1992, Saturday has become the Dead Zone it has become as far as original programming goes.  Well back in the 1970s and 1980s, Saturday was a coveted spot when it came to hit Sitcoms.  And in 1985, NBC entertained us with the hilarious and witty lives of four older women as they went through their "Golden Years."  Now, a show about four ladies of a more mature age is not something you might see nowadays.  But in the 1980s, NBC executives (led by the late Brandon Tartikoff) took a chance.  Former Maude co-stars Beatrice Arthur and Rue McClanahan were cast alongside former Mary Tyler Moore Show co-star Betty White as three different women who live together in a suburban Miami home.  And each of them were perfect for their roles.  Bea Arthur played Dorothy, a divorced substitute teacher from New York, with the same great timing and perfect attitude she had brought to Maude.  Rue McClanahan was divine as Blanche Devereaux, a rather slutty art museum worker who owned the house the "girls" shared.  And Betty White charmed all as the terminally naive Rose Nylund, a grief counselor from the oddball Minnesota town of St. Olaf (which seemed to have more stories than Scheherezade!)  Rounding out the cast of four was the delightful character actress Estelle Getty as Dorothy's outspoken and sarcastic mother, Sophia Petrillo.  The four women each won Emmy Awards for their work and gained huge followings.  The show, in its syndicated runs, has become one of the most popular Sitcoms in the last 15 years.  As we have lost Bea Arthur, Rue McClanahan and Estelle Getty, many audiences cling to the reruns they see and have adored the career resurgence of the brilliant Betty White (We're going to love her while we still can!).


5. The Simpsons, FOX (1989-present)
This series has a couple feats to brag about on this list.  First, it is the highest ranking Animated Series on the list (you saw both Family Guy and South Park earlier!).  Next, it happens to be the longest running series featured in this genre (It is in Season 23 and still counting, after headline-making negotiations!).  And, it is the highest ranking Sitcom (and I know some people don't consider it a Sitcom, but they're wrong!) that is still currently airing new episodes (the show returns with their annual Halloween episode on Sunday after a hiatus due to the World Series!).  That is a lot to say about a show that initially was just about a "typical American family."  Over the last 20 years, FOX's favorite family have become icons of popular culture.  Homer's famous catchphrase has made it into the Oxford English Dictionary.  Bart has sold more Butterfingers than any other spokesperson in the candy's history.  Marge became the first Animated character to be featured on the cover of Playboy.  The list could go on forever.  I've already covered (twice this year!) how much I love and respect this show.  The show certainly changed the way we think about Primetime Animated Shows and changed the Family dynamic on Television in general.  It is one of the shows that made FOX a major player in the TV politics rather than just a fledgling Network.  After almost 25 years (and a very successful movie!), Matt Groening and his several Springfield denizens will forever be a hilarious part of the Television landscape.  In honor of the upcoming holiday of Halloween, the video clip below is from one of the show's famed Treehouse of Horror episodes.


4. All In the Family, CBS (1971-1979)
One of the most influential TV shows of all-time was destined to earn a high spot on this list.  Norman Lear truly broke ground with this controversial yet extremely popular Sitcom.  It turned the typical Family Sitcom on its ear.  Jean Stapleton and the late Carroll O'Connor wailed their iconic theme song and we were introduced to the Bunkers.  Archie (played to comedic perfection by O'Connor) was a loudmouthed, bigoted blue-collar worker and Edith (charmingly played by the sweet Stapleton) was his scatterbrained and endearing wife.  With their grown daughter Gloria (played by Sally Struthers) and her extremely liberal husband Mike Stivic (Rob Reiner) living with them, Archie was constantly at odds with the changing times and spewing his prejudicial statements left and right (no pun intended!).  With such a character like Archie Bunker, the show covered several issues that were never talked about before on Television: like racism, women's liberation, miscarriage, breast cancer, menopause, impotence, homosexuality, the Vietnam War and even rape.  It changed the way Sitcoms dealt with serious issues (more honestly and with a lot of humor!) and it changed precisely what Sitcoms could be about.  The show was a huge success throughout the 1970s with both audiences and with critics.  Norman Lear went on to develop 6 other successful series (4 of them spin-offs from the All In the Family universe!).  It won multiple (upon multiple!) Emmy Awards for its cast and its writing and it won the top Comedy honor 4 times (a record tied by Cheers and only passed by Frasier!).


The Bunkers may have beaten the Simpsons but there is one more TV Family that edged ahead of them on this list.  And that is just one of the three shows still to come as we get closer to the #1 spot on the Top 60 Sitcoms of All-Time.

10 FAVORITES (21) - The Simpsons Best Episodes PART II

Now we are in Part II of our 10 FAVORITES tribute to the greatest of The Simpsons episodes. I hope you enjoyed reading Part I of our Top 20 countdown, #'s 20-11, AND I hope that some of your favorites were listed there (and that many more of your favorites are listed below!). One more note about this list before I get into the Top 10. Some people have asked me if there are any of the Treehouse of Horror episodes listed in Part I since there were none in Part II. And to answer that: No they are not. And here is why: Now that The Simpsons have been on for over 20 years and they have been airing their annual Halloween episode since Season 2, there are enough of these episodes that they can exist as a whole 10 FAVORITES list unto itself. Also, because they technically fall under the TV trope of a "Holiday special" episode, the characters and their continuity (what little there is!) doesn't apply to those episodes. So, look forward to possibly another Simpsons-themed list when Halloween rolls around! With that said, on with our Top 10!

The photos used below are the copyright of the FOX Broadcasting Company and are reproduced on this blog for informational and identification purposes only.

THE TWENTY BEST SIMPSONS EPISODES (PART II)

EPISODE #10

Krusty Gets Kancelled

Season 4, Original Airdate: May 13, 1993

A new Kids' TV star, Gabbo (a Charlie McCarthy-like puppet), becomes a sensation forcing Krusty the Klown out at the network. To help his career, Bart and Lisa endeavor to get the likes of Bette Midler, Luke Perry and the Red Hot Chili Peppers (but NOT Elizabeth Taylor!) to perform with him in a magnificent television special. This was a landmark episode, especially in FOX's advertising and handling of the series. It was a loving parody of the seminal 1992 episode of The Tonight Show in which Johnny Carson bid a fond farewell to his audience. Carson himself made a brilliant cameo appearance as one of the celebrities willing to help his old pal Krusty.

EPISODE #9

Cape Feare

Season 5, Original Airdate: October 7, 1993

Sideshow Bob (voiced by Kelsey Grammer), the former sidekick of Krusty who was jailed for framing Krusty in a crime, is being released and has vowed vengeance on Bart Simpson, the boy who helped put him away. Therefore, the Simpson family must be entered into the FBI's Witness Protection Program to keep them safe from Bob's murderous clutches. There are so many good things about this episode: the fact it is a parody of Cape Fear (both versions), the whole Witness Protection thing (watch the FBI with Homer, classic!) and Sideshow Bob's rendition of the full score of Gilbert and Sullivan's H.M.S. Pinafore (he even plays Buttercup!).

EPISODE #8

Two Bad Neighbors

Season 7, Original Airdate: January 14, 1996

Evergreen Terrace is a-buzz as the home across the street is sold to a very famous couple: Former President and First Lady, George and Barbara Bush. Bush Sr. hits it off with everyone in the neighborhood except for two people: Homer and Bart Simpson (of course!). And a not-so-neighborly feud ensues. Homer and Bart are truly kindred spirits in addition to being father and son. The fact that these two people can annoy anyone is not that far-fetched and the fact that the person they annoy is Former President George H. W. Bush (who in The Simpsons world is just like Ned Flanders!) is an added bonus.

EPISODE #7

Bart the General

Season 1, Original Airdate: February 4, 1990

Bart is growing tired of being terrorized by the school bully, Nelson Muntz. With the help of Grandpa (and a surly gun shop owner) he begins to gather others to stand up to the brutish boy. This is the earliest episode to appear on this list (it was the 5th episode aired) and it was really where the fledgling show had really come into its own. Each character serves their purpose within this brilliantly written parody of the 1970 classic film Patton.

EPISODE #6

Hurricane Neddy

Season 8, Original Airdate: December 29, 1996

A hurricane approaches Springfield and, despite all the idiotic antics of the townspeople, everyone survives and nothing is destroyed, except for Ned Flanders' house. When the town gets together to rebuild his house, their shoddy work sends him over the edge and he throws an uber-tantrum/tirade. His anger disturbs him to the point where he checks himself in to a mental health clinic (apparently for the second time!). The idea that Ned Flanders is slightly insane has always tickled me. In this episode, we learn about Ned's childhood and we get to hear (through Ned's tirade aimed at the town) what people were thinking about the oafish behavior of many of the characters. Plus, this episode features Homer at his moronic best!

EPISODE #5

Homer Badman

Season 6, Original Airdate: November 27, 1994

After a full (and adventurous) day at the Candy Convention, Homer takes the kids' babysitter home. But a misunderstanding (due to Homer's gluttonous behavior) leads to the babysitter accusing Homer of sexual harassment and a media firestorm is enacted. In the early 1990's, sexual harassment was one of the major phrases seen almost everywhere in the news media (e.g. The Clarence Thomas-Anita Hill scandal, the William Kennedy Smith trial, etc.) and therefore it trickled into television. This episode played with that type of media coverage and lampooned it Simpsons-style (maybe a little too well!). But the most memorable part of this episode is when Homer (at the Candy Convention) steals the rare Gummi Venus de Milo and (in the style of an action movie) gets away from his pursuers. If you can find the clip online (possibly!), watch it because it IS a classic!

EPISODE #4

Bart Sells His Soul

Season 7, Original Airdate: October 8, 1995

The plot is in the title: Bart sells his soul to Millhouse because he does not believe souls exist. He regrets his action as he begins to feel isolated and freakish by just the idea of not having a soul. The story of this episode seems very simple and the subject matter seems a little too serious for the writers to handle, but it is one of the best written episodes in the show's history (especially some of Lisa's speeches which are witty and philosophical). The best moment in the episode comes at the beginning where Bart plays a prank on the entire Church and makes them sing the Iron Maiden rock anthem "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida," one of the longest songs (17 minutes in length!) in music history.

EPISODE #3

Marge Vs. the Monorail

Season 4, Original Airdate: January 14, 1993

The town of Springfield is enthralled when a salesman comes to town and convinces them to spend newly earned money on a Monorail system. The one person against the idea, Marge, is suspicious of the salesman's antics and the system's bad business practices (Homer gets a job as the Monorail driver, 'nuff said!). Springfield may win the prize as one of the dumbest towns in pop culture history (Homer brings the town average down already!). It was inevitable that a sheister-salesman would take the town by storm and force them to forget about real problems. The salesman is so darn charming (voiced by the late Phil Hartman) and his Monorail song is so catchy (pure parody of the Broadway hit The Music Man!), it was just fate. This episode also features a great voice cameo by Star Trek alum Leonard Nimoy (but it's not the only time he made a guest appearance!).

EPISODE #2

Who Shot Mr. Burns? (Parts I & II)

Seasons 6 & 7, Original Airdates: Part I - May 21, 1995 & Part II - September 17, 1995

Mr. Burns has made an enemy of EVERYONE in the town from Springfield Elementary to the Retirement Home to Moe's Bar to his trusted assistant, Waylon Smithers (whom he fires!). At the end of Part I of this seasonal cliffhanger, Mr. Burns his shot by an unseen assailant in the dark...hence the title. I think I have made it very clear that The Simpsons are great at parody and this whole cliffhanger (Season Finale & Season Premiere) is a grandiose parody of the most watched television show in MY childhood, Dallas and their notorious "Who Shot J.R.?" episode. I won't spoil the ending for those who have not seen it but suffice it to say the writers magnificently used every TV trope you will EVER find in a Primetime Soap Opera (tropes that are STILL used today, I might add!).

AND...

EPISODE #1

The Springfield Files

Season 8, Original Airdate: January 12, 1997

A drunken Homer is stumbling home one night and happens upon what he believes is an alien lifeform. As his story gets around, two FBI agents (Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny voice their characters from the FOX hit The X-Files) come to Springfield to verify the man's tale. As I said above, parody is The Simpsons strong suit. FOX was thrilled to have their two most popular shows cross paths and Groening's writers DID NOT disappoint in their delivery. From Anderson and Duchovny poking fun at their TV personas to Homer's behavior with them to the hilarious twist ending to Leonard Nimoy's brilliant cameo, everything in this episode is perfect. It is well-deserving of the #1 spot in my countdown!

It is interesting that a lot of my favorite episodes of the show come from Seasons 6 through 9 which aired from the Fall of 1994 to the Summer of 1998. Those years just also happen to be the years when I was in high school, which at that time seemed to be Groening and Company's target demographic. Despite that fact, these (Parts I & II) are THE TWENTY BEST EPISODES OF THE SIMPSONS. Next week, I begin AWARDS MONTH (in honor of the Academy Awards which announced nominations earlier this week) with a tribute to a surprise subject!

10 FAVORITES (20) - The Simpsons Best Episodes PART I

The Simpsons is one of the most influential Television shows of the last 25 years (if not of all-time). The show debuted on the (at the time) fledgling network known as FOX back in December of 1989. It was a spin-off based on the animated shorts creator Matt Groening produced in between sketches on the short-lived and underrated The Tracey Ullman Show, which was also on FOX. It has now been over 20 years and the show is the pre-eminent Primetime Animated series. It influenced everything from King of the Hill to South Park to Family Guy and many many more. It certainly is one of my favorite shows of all-time having grown up with the entire series (whose characters DO NOT age!!!). So, this week AND next week's 10 FAVORITES, in honor of over 20 years of The Simpsons (AND this being my 20th 10 FAVORITES!), I am listing my 20 FAVORITE episodes of all-time. This week, I am doing Part I: Numbers 20-11.

One special note about this (and next week's) post: Due to FOX's strict copyright rules regarding their TV shows, it was too difficult to get a hold of video clips of my favorite episodes. Therefore, I decided to use pictures from my favorite episodes. And to not anger the FOX legal gods further: All photos are the property of the FOX Broadcasting Company and are reproduced for informational purposes only.

With that said, here are:

THE TWENTY BEST SIMPSONS EPISODES (PART I)

EPISODE #20

The Principal and The Pauper

Season 9, Original Airdate: September 28, 1997

Principal Skinner is being celebrated by the Springfield Elementary school for his years of service until the party is interrupted by a man who is the REAL Seymour Skinner (voiced by Martin Sheen). It turns out that the real Skinner was the fake Skinner's commander in Vietnam and was thought to be M.I.A., so fake Skinner took his identity to spare Mrs. Skinner the pain of a dead son. It is a convoluted story and it makes no sense but it is absolutely hilarious especially when the rest of Springfield (including Mrs. Skinner!) are not pleased with the REAL Principal Skinner and want THEIR Principal Skinner back (he had left to live in Capital City under is real identity, Armin Tamzarian). The episode also features my late mother's favorite line from the entire series. When Superintendent Chalmers is sneaking around Springfield Elementary to plan the surprise party for Skinner (that's the FAKE Skinner people), he says: "Man, the rod up that man's butt must have a rod up its butt!"

EPISODE #19

I Love Lisa

Season 4, Original Airdate: February 11, 1993

It is Valentine's Day and the Second grade is enjoying passing out Valentines to everyone, that is until Lisa notices that poor Ralph Wiggum is not receiving ANY Valentines. To be nice, Lisa gives one of her spare ones to Ralph and, of course, Ralph being Ralph believes it means more than it does. It is a very sweet episode where Ralph develops his little crush on Lisa (not Fatal Attraction-type crush, just cute little impish crush). The best part of the episode is the school's President's Day pageant where Ralph gives a dynamic performance as George Washington to Lisa's Martha.

EPISODE #18

Homer's Enemy

Season 8, Original Airdate: May 4, 1997

After seeing a TV report on him and his self-reliant strength, Mr. Burns hires "self-made hero" Frank Grimes at the Nuclear Power Plant. Immediately, the humorless Grimes' strong work ethic clashes with Homer's, well, let's just say idiocy and Grimes declares Homer his enemy. The hilarity just builds and builds as the more Homer tries to impress and befriend him, the more Grimes can't stand him and (especially) the way everyone just tolerates Homer's buffoonery. I always saw the character of Grimes as a representation of the critics who complained about Homer and his idiotic behavior being too much for audiences to believe. HELLO, it's a cartoon AND the character is surrounded by nut-jobs who can be just as stupid as the writers want!

EPISODE #17

Grade School Confidential

Season 8, Original Airdate: April 6, 1997

At nerdy Martin's birthday party (to which he invited his teacher and his principal!), both Skinner and Krabappel secretly begin a romance. When Bart discovers this and they begin to use him to hide their romantic meetings, he reveals to the entire school the torrid affair. Both Skinner and Krabappel have some of their best lines in this episode and the reveal of their romance is quite funny. The episode also has one of my favorite lines but it is really too hard to describe without a video clip. Let's just say: Watch the episode and wait for the part where Helen Lovejoy confronts Skinner and Krabappel about their affair. It is priceless!

EPISODE #16

Homer and Apu

Season 5, Original Airdate: February 10, 1994

Homer is asked by a Hard Copy-like TV program to help reveal the tainted food practices at the local Kwik-E-Mart. When all is revealed, Apu is fired and forced to live with the Simpson family (in true sitcom fashion!) until he gets back on his feet. The episode features Homer at his idiotic best, a great cameo by James Woods (who applies as Apu's Kwik-E-Mart replacement) and a catchy musical number Apu sings with the Simpsons ("Who Needs the Kwik-E-Mart?"). It also features a Lawrence of Arabia-style quest for Homer and Apu (hence the title) to India to visit a famed guru who will help Apu get his life back on track. Of course, with Homer in tow, things don't quite work out that way.

EPISODE #15

The City of New York vs. Homer Simpson

Season 9, Original Airdate: September 21, 1997

Local drunk Barney is unfortunately (for him) chosen to be the designated driver at Moe's one night and, in anger, steals Homer's car and goes on a bender. Homer receives a fine from the City of New York stating that his car is illegally parked in Downtown Manhattan. Homer HATES New York City but the rest of the family is enthralled to go to the Big Apple. This episode has some of the best parodies (the Broadway show Marge and Lisa attend is Kickin' It: A Musical Romp Through the Betty Ford Clinic!) and Homer being constantly frustrated by the everyday life of New Yorkers (the Klau Kalash vendor!). This episode aired in September 1997, almost exactly four years before the horrors of 9/11 and it features (heavily) the twin towers of the World Trade Center. Since 9/11, this episode has been RARELY shown in reruns for obvious reasons.

EPISODE #14

Team Homer

Season 7, Original Airdate: January 7, 1996

Homer, Moe, Apu and Otto begin their own bowling team, but to get their winning team into a tournament, they need money so they con the money out of Mr. Burns. Burns, instead of crushing them, decides to join their bowling team: The Pin Pals. But there is one problem, Old Man Burns can't bowl. Burns is always funny when he tries to be a part of Homer's life, tries to be his buddy. And Homer, instead of being the complete moron he usually is, seems more like a typical sitcom father who is beleaguered by a frustrating boss (who apparently has leprosy and whose fingers are so flimsy they flap like paper when over an air conditioner!).

EPISODE #13

Bart vs. Australia

Season 6, Original Airdate: February 19, 1995

Bart places a crank call to a little boy in Australia and, it being a cartoon's version of Australia, this sends the ENTIRE country into an uproar. To smooth U.S. relations with the country Down Under, Bart (and the entire Simpson family) are sent to Australia so Bart can apologize for his wrongdoing. This episode is an irreverent and hilarious parody of Australian stereotypes (Knifey, Spoony!; A Prime Minister who lounges naked in a lake; etc.). Also, the Simpsons seem to work best when they travel. They've been to Australia, New York, D.C., London, Brazil, Peru, Japan, Canada, India, China, Amsterdam, France, Italy, Ireland (just to name a few!).

EPISODE #12

The Two Mrs. Nahasapeemapetilons

Season 9, Original Airdate: November 16, 1997

Apu, who is enjoying his full single life, is horrified when his mother arrives to force him to marry the girl he was promised to back in India, Manjula. To help him fend his mother off, Homer convinces him to pretend Marge is Apu's wife and hilarity ensues! It's a great episode because it uses a lot of the typical sitcom standards when there's a misunderstanding or a disapproving parent/in-law or a character has to lie about his or her life to someone (see Three's Company for all these tropes). It also established the character of Manjula, who, in end of the episode, becomes Apu's wife and they are now the parents of octuplet toddlers (they had them long before that Nadya Suleman did, but that's another episode!).

EPISODE #11

Bart After Dark

Season 8, Original Airdate: November 24, 1996

Bart accidentally destroys some property and Marge makes him work for the lady owner to make up for it. It turns out the lady uses her large Victorian manor as a House of Burlesque and Marge (along with Ned Flanders and Reverend Lovejoy) are none too pleased when they find out. Among this episodes best parts are the ways we discover the men of Springfield enjoying the house's many pleasures (several hilarious character bits) and an impromptu moment that became one the best musical numbers the series had to offer. When Marge and company want to destroy the house, Homer, Bart and the Madame (named Belle) lead a song titled "The Spring in Springfield" and it becomes a splashy, brassy Vaudeville-style musical sequence (this is where I wish I could have found a clip of the song on YouTube!).

Next week...PART II.