Best comedy TV questions of all time

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My Name Is Earl picture

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Question: TV Tropes says there's an episode where multiple tornadoes come down on Earl's hometown, one after another - anybody know what that episode was?

Answer: Sounds like s04e11, "Nature's Game Show."

Bishop73

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Answer: The group, including Carlene, were invited to attend Bill Clinton's inauguration in D.C. Julia was apparently bothered that Carlene is attending a Democratic victory event after she had voted against Clinton and for Perot, an Independent candidate. Julia probably considers it hypocritical and something of a betrayal.

raywest

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Answer: The comedic gimmick of both "The Munsters" and "The Addams Family" television shows in the 1960s was that both families were convinced they were normal and everyone else they encountered was odd. The Addams Family, for example, thought their "normal" visitors were mentally unbalanced because they always fled the Addams' weird home in panic. That was a running gag throughout the entire Addams Family series, so much so that easily half of nearly every episode was devoted to the predictably terrified reactions of their visitors (always accompanied by identical canned laughter). Meanwhile, in the Munsters' universe, the family thought "normal" people were physically deformed and even quite hideous. For example, the Munsters believed that their beautiful niece, Marilyn, was socially handicapped by her ugliness (the exact opposite of the truth); and, in the episode "Just Another Pretty Face" (S2E17), when Herman Munster was temporarily transformed into a "normal" person, his entire family found him utterly repulsive. The family's hidden revulsion to "normal" people was the running gag of The Munsters.

Charles Austin Miller

Answer: They do not see themselves as being the different ones.

raywest

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Answer: Luan is mad at him because he broke the unspoken rule of posting a video without the person's consent. Lily is a baby and is probably impersonating the older sisters she looks up to. They are mad so she is mad.

oddy knocky

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This Is Us picture

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Question: How is the couple, mother played by Mandy Moore, able to adopt the orphaned kid? Given they're a poor couple with two kids already, wouldn't the hospital hold off on this for awhile and try locating the child's parents?

Rob245

Answer: Where did you get that they were poor? they were middle class and had their own home.

Answer: Because that would not have made for an interesting TV series.

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My So-Called Life picture

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Question: At the time of filming this show, Jared Leto was 21 and Claire Danes was 14. How were they legally allowed to make out? I understand parental consent was undoubtedly required, but where exactly would the line be drawn regarding age, as I doubt they could have had them make out if Danes was only 12 for example.

Phaneron

Chosen answer: For one, these are professional actors on a film set for a major production so some leeway would be given. Additionally, in the United States at least, kissing is not generally considered sexual contact from a legal standpoint. Kissing does not involve any private parts. Even in cases where kissing is considered sexual contact, the intention of the accused party would be taken into account. A sexual violation requires the desire for gratification from the accused. A hired actor kissing another actor because it is in the script does not rise to the level of someone seeking sexual gratification. He's literally doing his job.

BaconIsMyBFF

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Wizards of Waverly Place picture

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Question: Where do the stairs in the substation lead? It has been said multiple times that they lead to the living room of their loft but they are never seen. There are stairs on the sides but the ones going down are to their basement.

Answer: Honestly I've been confused too. Thought the ones going down went to Justin's bedroom or to the station. Then the ones out the door went maybe to an elevator to those stairs I guess. Then the one to the side went to the lair But the freezer also leads to the lair or a secret spot sometimes too.

I think the ones in the sub shop go right up to a hallway in front of the loft, then the ones in the lair go to the bedrooms upstairs. Now there's a way to get to the lair from the loft and I believe it would be past the kitchen down to the hallway where we don't really see except in like one episode. Now what confuses me the most is the lair because when Harper finds out you see Alex using magic to open it into the lair but in every other episode you open it and it's the lair.

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And Just Like That... picture

Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered - S1-E8

Question: Che says to Miranda that she has been f**king her for 3 weeks yet in previous episodes, they had sex in Carrie's kitchen, and then we watch seasons pass as Carrie wrote her book, so how has it only been 3 weeks?

Answer: Che's referring to when they officially began their affair (right after the fund-raiser auction) and had declared their feelings for one another. The kitchen incident was a separate, one-time encounter with a long gap in-between, though with an open invitation for future meet-ups.

raywest

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Chosen answer: Women love shoes, which are often expensive, and they can get upset if something ruins them.

raywest

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Alfred Hitchcock Presents picture

The Morning After - S4-E14

Question: The plot gives the impression that Ben was just using Sharon, but how? If he was always planning to murder his wife, then having a girlfriend would only add suspicion.

Answer: I don't think Ben always planned to murder his wife. He wanted to "have it all": stay married and carry on a relationship with Sharon (or someone else - he may have done this before). He lied to Sharon about his wife refusing to grant him a divorce. As Sharon's mother discovers, his wife knew nothing about the affair. She believed that she and Ben were happily married. Ben decided to kill her later, after she heard about Sharon (from Sharon's mother). She pointed out that he would not receive much money if they divorced. Presumably, he thought he could inherit money if she died.

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Weeds picture

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Question: How is it that Stevie is so old when Nancy gets out of prison? He was an infant when she went in and she did 3 years.

Answer: It's not uncommon for TV shows to suddenly "age up" baby/toddler characters in order for them to have more narrative purpose. Other examples of shows I can think of that did this are "Step by Step," "Last Man Standing," "Boy Meets World," and possibly "Dexter."

Phaneron

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One Piece picture

The Pirates Are Coming - S1-E4

Question: Luffy says to the crew, "From now on, it's all gonna be smooth sailing," and then an explosion is heard outside. Nami says to Luffy, "You had to open your mouth." What does she mean by this? I'm a non-native English speaker who studies English by watching shows. Shouldn't she have said, "You shouldn't have opened your mouth"? (00:57:00)

Bunch Son

Chosen answer: "You had to" or "you just had to" is a sarcastic way of saying "you shouldn't have".

BaconIsMyBFF

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Answer: She was born in 1984 so would have been 24 when the 1st episode was recorded/aired.

Ssiscool

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Will & Grace picture

Fanilow - S6-E10

Question: Will and the others are in line to buy Barry Manilow tickets when the box office opens at 6:00 a.m. the next morning (it is established that the episode takes place before midnight) and at one point Rudy states that the show is "tomorrow night." My question: is it common in New York for a fairly popular performer to sell tickets only on the day of the show? I live in Southern California and I can't think of a single time I've heard of a concert headliner selling tickets less than a month before the show.

JustJudy

Chosen answer: I'm not from New York so I can't speak for them, but in Chicago it has happened before. not very often though but I do recall it happening. I have also seen no tickets sold prior to the show at all, it was just first come first served the night of the show. That is very uncommon though.

princesskelli

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The Honeymooners picture

Dial J for Janitor - S1-E38

Question: When Ralph promises he'll fix Norton's pipes tomorrow morning, Norton says, "This is the last night I take a bath in Fred's Gasoline Station." Why wouldn't he have been taking his baths in his best friend Ralph's tub? He had already used their water to "Stretch the Soup." Why not to bathe?

DrLoomis1978

Answer: It is because Fred's gasoline station was a real place that really existed in the town of Tuckahoe New York. This was where Norton, Art Carney, was living at the time. It was a plug for his friend.

kenykop

Answer: Art Carney lived in Tuckahoe NY at this time and Fred's gasoline station really did exist. It was a plug for his friend at home.

Answer: Because going to the gas station for a bath is funnier. This is comedy, funnier trumps making sense.

Noman

It's still a mistake.

DrLoomis1978

Answer: There's no answer. He was probably joking or exaggerating, and, unlike getting water for the soup, bathing in someone else's bathroom is an inconvenience, and it might make Norton self-conscious and it would annoy Ralph. Going to a gas station does sound like something Norton would do.

raywest

Norton self-conscious? No way.

DrLoomis1978

You're overthinking it. It was a silly sitcom from a bygone era.

raywest

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The League of Gentlemen picture

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Question: What is the "Spcial Meat" that is sold in the butchers? Most people believe it to be human flesh, but it's never specified.

Scrappy

Chosen answer: The members of the League refuse to admit what it's actually supposed to be, but have stated that it's possible to work it out from clues in the series. Human flesh seems like the most likely candidate, probably supplied by Edward and Tubbs from their general butchery of any non-local who sets foot in the place. Another theory is that cocaine is involved in some way as its effects seem to match most of the things that the special stuff is supposed to cause. So, combining the two, and why not, the "special stuff" is non-local human meat sausages impregnated with cocaine.

Tailkinker

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Brooklyn Nine-Nine picture

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Question: Over several episodes we see Captain Holt in competition with other Captains for the position of Commissioner. However, we have seen several Deputy Commissioners on the show. Is Commissioner a position that only Captains are eligible for? Are Deputy Commissioners ineligible? How realistic is this?

Answer: In reality, the Commissioner is a civilian administrator, appointed by the mayor of New York City. He (as of this writing, the role has always been filled by a man; the show gets that part right) is usually someone who has risen through the ranks of the NYPD, but upon becoming Commissioner, is no longer a sworn member of the force (the highest sworn rank is that of Chief). Since Commissioners are appointed, technically anyone can serve in the position, including Deputy Commissioners (who are appointed, in turn, by the Commissioner himself).

Update: On 1 January 2022, Keechant Sewell became the first ever female commissioner of the NYPD.

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Three's Company picture

The New Landlord - S4-E3

Question: How can Jack, Janet and Chrissy confuse Ralph Furley's furniture with Mr. Roper's? They have been to Mr. Roper's apartment so many times that they should have known that furniture was not Mr. Roper's.

Answer: In addition to the other answer submitted, don't forget - the trio hadn't met Furley yet at that point nor did they know The New Landlord had moved in yet so it would make sense if they thought it was Roper's furniture (even if it was unfamiliar to them).

Answer: As the Ropers were the landlords, it's possible they kept unused furniture in the building storeroom or an unrented apartment (or so Jack might have assumed).

Brian Katcher

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Answer: It's reckless and irresponsible and it's not something that he does normally. But, it is something that Marcus would do.

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Who's the Boss? picture

Roomies - S7-E8

Question: In this episode, Samantha moves out of her too noisy dorm room and into a professor's empty house along with an engaged couple, Beth and Benjamin. Benjamin is played by Matthew Perry, who played Chandler Bing on Friends. My question is whether this is the role used to create the Chandler character, because they are so similar.

stormy602

Chosen answer: Most likely this is a type of character he excels at playing and when Friends was being cast he fit the part.

raywest

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