These Are the Best Running Jokes in Sitcom History
The key to maintaining a long-running sitcom is to have ample, original and endlessly repeatable running jokes that keep audiences coming back for more — so we’re still trying to figure out how the hell Arrested Development went bust.
Compared to the rest of television, sitcoms are a special art form that follow specific rules unique to the genre. For instance, fans of epic fantasy drama shows like House of the Dragon would probably be pissed off and eventually lose interest in the series if the main cast of characters stayed pretty much exactly the same and did pretty much exactly the same thing over and over all season, as was the case in House of the Dragon Season Two. But in a sitcom world, repetition is the central pillar of the show’s success, and creating the right characters, chemistry and setting in which near-endless story iterations can occur is the secret to creating a classic series.
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As such, every sitcom needs at least one killer running joke that its fans can quote on the internet for decades after the show itself ends. Recently, the popular TV Twitter poster “no context sitcoms” asked fellow experts of the genre to respond with their favorite running joke from their favorite series, and we could rewatch the results over and over and over…
Honorable mentions include Michael Scott’s “That’s what she said!” on The Office, everyone in Pawnee calling Jerry/Gary/Larry Gurgich by a new name arbitrarily on Parks and Recreation and Dennis Reynolds’ ongoing serial killer tendencies and feelings toward skin luggage on It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, though he’ll probably never get over the smell.
There’s also an absolute treasure trove of running jokes on The Simpsons that didn’t get quite as much attention in the viral thread as it deserved — between the random, unnecessary explosions, Mr. Burns never remembering Homer’s name, Bart’s prank calls on poor Moe and the various gags in the iconic intro sequence, you could make an entire long-running and widely beloved show just out of The Simpsons’ callbacks and in-jokes.
Ultimately, however, Arrested Development has clearly made the strongest impression on running-joke-lovers due to the sheer number of options — to which Fox would reply, “Them?”
