Some standard storylines are used by sitcoms as a go-to for ideas. How many can you think of?

Two (or more) characters get trapped in a room and have to put up with each other for the episode's duration.

Someone gets bumped on the head and gets amnesia.

The husband can't remember when/how long he and his wife have been married.

Two unlikely characters get handcuffed together.

Some character's birthday is coming up, and the other characters try to throw a surprise party without him/her knowing.

A character injures their foot or whatever and has to stay at someone's house for days as an overbearing houseguest.

A guy accidentally invites two girls to the same dance.

Two good male (or female) friends will be attracted to the same person and jealousy and fighting over said person will happen. That's also done with 2 brothers or 2 sisters.

Ed.

Over hearing conversations and getting information very wrong ! Two that commonly happen are thinking somebody is very gravely ill when they are not, or thinking a woman is pregnant when she's not !

I can't seem to think of any! :(

Someone's pet dies and then someone tries to replace it without the pet's owner noticing.

Someone's pet dies and then someone tries to replace it without the pet's owner noticing.

Yeah! Or kids bringing an animal/pet in the house and trying to hide it from parents. Or people that rent apartments trying to keep a pet from the landlord knowing! ;)

dont forget the clip shows they was everywhere

Automobile driving lessons: oftentimes it's the husband becoming frustrated trying to teach the wife, and lots of bad feelings result, or a son or daughter learning (Father Knows Best, My Three Sons, Bewitched, Green Acres, I Dream of Jeannie...) -- even older adult learners (Aunt Bee on TAGS).

How about being mad at someone and dumping food or drinks over that person's head ? That happens a lot in Sitcom land!!:lol:

When an actor/actress leaves the show or they die...their character gets killed-off.

Someone has a doppelgänger.

One of the children destroys something of value (and usually there's a cover-up attempt):

LITB: Beaver & Larry and Ward's baseball signed by Babe Ruth
TAGS: Opie and friend and Bee's prize rose
Family Affair: Buffy & Jody and a pre-Columbian statuette
Brady Bunch: Carol's lamp, earrings

Something valuable is lost and one or more characters try to rescue it before the owner realize it's lost.

Surprise party, the room is dark and supposedly empty and the celebrated one talks bad about the hidden guests. (I hate this one)

Pet must be send to the vet to be castrated, the father doesn't want to.

Characters trying to be someone they're not

Mistaken identity

Man dates a woman, then the woman's ex comes to confront the "new" boyfriend

Hiding from bill collectors

Having the use of a friend's cabin unseen! Looking forward to a vacation at a nice, cozy cabin, arriving there and seeing it is an old, run down dump of a place!:D

Major events (weddings, giving birth, etc.) never go smoothly till the end.

Women showing up to events wearing the same dress and being very upset over it!

http://content9.flixster.com/question/55/26/22/5526227_std.jpg

The characters' house or apartment being used for a police stakeout

Celebrities dropping by for an appearance

"Dream" episodes

Someone threatens to run away; another character lets them in a vain attempt at reverse psychology

A macho old buddy returns with a sex change operation

A domineering parent guest star just needs to be told off ("Why, you never talked to me that way before!")

Hey, let's put on a show!

Exiting characters are replaced with very similar "new" characters

An attic or garage apartment mysteriously appears for growing teen characters entering college and/or young adulthood, allowing them to stay near home....or, a major college, never mentioned before, suddenly exists in or near character's home town, again allowing them to stay near home

Wife will have a late in life additional child, aged to wise-cracking age within two seasons at most

Characters, convinced of fast and easy money, start a home business, usually involving food, that quickly goes awry

2 hour TV movies based on sitcoms will feature a visit to another country, where one character will find the love of his or her life, though it will be an ill-fated relationship; and the other characters will unlikely find themselves mixed up with jewel smugglers, art forgers, counterfeiters, spies, etc.

Two characters sharing a living space will get fed up with each other and divide said living space in two with a long piece of tape. The bathroom will be on one side, the kitchen on the other, hilarity will ensue, etc.

New furniture is often the result of the old furniture being stolen

Christmas episodes featuring one or more characters dressing as Santa...except, they show up late, so who was just here? OMG, that must have been the real Santa!

If characters visit a bank, the bank will be held up, and the characters will be taken hostage. Tip to sitcom characters: do ALL of your banking online!

Characters suing other characters, ending in a courtroom battle that usually involves a tired, sarcastic judge

Characters appearing on game shows

Wardrobe and hair malfunctions


(Sorry for the long list; most of my life has been misspent watching sitcoms)

Some earthshaking event that would threaten the stability of the entire show suddenly pops up yet it is resolved in the same episode, saving the show as is, such as one of the main characters having to move to another city.

Middle aged men who fancy themselves as such a ladies man! Flirting and coming onto almost every attractive woman they meet , and making complete fools of themselves most of the time! :lol:

Examples are Schneider from One day at a time, Mel from Alice and Mr. Furley from Three's company!:D

Middle aged men who fancy themselves as such a ladies man! Flirting and coming onto almost every attractive woman they meet , and making complete fools of themselves most of the time! :lol:

Examples are Schneider from One day at a time, Mel from Alice and Mr. Furley from Three's company!:D


That's just part of Hollywood's general policy of trying to make men look bad all the time.

That's just part of Hollywood's general policy of trying to make men look bad all the time.
And we laugh at it.

That's just part of Hollywood's general policy of trying to make men look bad all the time.

But than on the other side of the coin , the homely/plain Spinster/Old maid who goes out of her way to try to attract a man a lot of the time with the help of a prettier, more confident , or already married friend showing her how to act, what to say, giving her a makeover, lending her a pretty dress etc.! :D

Example: On Green Acres Ralph Monroe always trying to attract Hank Kimball and Mrs. Douglas tried to help her, and a LOT of times like in this case the man STILL isn't interested And SHE makes a fool of herself !! :( :D

https://i.pinimg.com/736x/a9/1e/ae/a91eaec582f12c03fd145f5547c19994--acre-february-.jpg

But than on the other side of the coin , the homely/plain Spinster/Old maid who goes out of her way to try to attract a man a lot of the time with the help of a prettier, more confident , or already married friend showing her how to act, what to say, giving her a makeover, lending her a pretty dress etc.! :D

Example: On Green Acres Ralph Monroe always trying to attract Hank Kimball and Mrs. Douglas tried to help her, and a LOT of times like in this case the man STILL isn't interested And SHE makes a fool of herself !! :( :D

https://i.pinimg.com/736x/a9/1e/ae/a91eaec582f12c03fd145f5547c19994--acre-february-.jpg

Good one! We all know all a woman wants/needs to be fulfilled in life is a hubby...or so Hollywood tells us.


Of course, Mr. Kimball was actually quite attracted to Ralph...well, not quite attracted, maybe a bit attracted...well, not quite that, maybe a teeny, tiny bit attracted...well, come to think of it, no, he was repulsed by her!

Good one! We all know all a woman wants/needs to be fulfilled in life is a hubby...or so Hollywood tells us.


Of course, Mr. Kimball was actually quite attracted to Ralph...well, not quite attracted, maybe a bit attracted...well, not quite that, maybe a teeny, tiny bit attracted...well, come to think of it, no, he was repulsed by her!


:lol: :D :wave:

Ralph really was kind of pretty after her makeover though!;) Except she really couldn't get used to the false eyelashes too well! :lol:

https://i0.wp.com/jacksonupperco.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/screen-shot-2013-12-11-at-1-20-57-pm.png

:lol: :D :wave:

Ralph really was kind of pretty after her makeover though!;) Except she really couldn't get used to the false eyelashes too well! :lol:

https://i0.wp.com/jacksonupperco.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/screen-shot-2013-12-11-at-1-20-57-pm.png

I'd do her!:) :wave: :lol:

I'd do her!:) :wave: :lol:

See that is what I think she needed! If you had been around and showing an interest in Ralph, maybe Mr. Kimball would have gotten a little jealous and would have realized that Ralph was quite a gal ! ;) :wave:

Characters getting stuck in enclosed spaces
It’s A Wonderful Life copy-cat plot
Misunderstandings

I'd do her!:) :wave: :lol:

I wouldn't.

For whatever reason, one character has to pretend to be themselves and somebody else. Usually involves changing clothes or hair in the kitchen.
Getting big name bands to play your high school dance. Always involves running into their dressing rooms, because big name acts never have security worth a darn.
(During the "very special episode" era) Having a dear friend, who's never been seen before, killed in a car crash/get AIDS/be a victim of bigotry. And the character is never seen or mentioned again.