Sitcom Showdown

Not Going Out gets nominated for the episode Escape Room from 2018. How will Lee Mack and his family & friends get out this one? However they end up, hilarity DOES ensue! Thanks to Kieran Scott for the suggestion (told you we'd get there eventually). There's also some Sitcom Showdown housekeeping, where we suggest everyone subscribes to us on YouTube, as that's where future episodes will be released.

Aussie sitcom Fat Pizza (aka Pizza) is brought to the table by Jeffers, serving up something Steve doesn't want to consume! Partying, fights, drugs, sexy time, fake IDs, tabloid photos, burnouts and more. We cover 'Road Trip' from Pizza's third season in 2003, discussing the Paulyverse and creator Paul Fenech's legacy in the history of Australian sitcoms. We also issue the first ever Sitcom Showdown trigger warning. Buckle up and settle in!  

Up Pompeii is brought along by Steve who introduces Jeffers to the delights of Frankie Howerd and his dinky donky doo-dahs! The episode in question is S01E08 'The Love Potion', from 1970, which also features Lynda Baron, John Ringham, Mollie Sugden and many more.  

The Absolutely Fabulous classic episode 'Poor' (s02e05) gets put under the microscope by Jeffers & Steve, who are impressed by AbFab's amazing cast, but will it win them around to the series as a whole? The show has a top-shelf group of regulars including Joanna Lumley, Jennifer Saunders, Julia Sawahla and the great June Whitfield, so what's not to like?

This episode is a visit the Hall of Shame as we check out the infamous British sitcom 'Heil Honey I'm Home' (1990) which was cancelled after only one episode! A big shout out to the Talking Bottom podcast, from whom we borrowed a clip of their amazing interview(s) with Paul Jackson.  

Community gets the Christmas nod from Steve in 2023 as we look at the musical episode 'Regional Holiday Music' and all it's gleeful satire! Community starred Joel McHale, Gillian Jacobs, Danny Pudi, Yvette Nicole Brown, Alison Brie, Donald Glover, Chevy Chase, Ken Jeong and Jim Rash. Merry Christmas y'all!

We hang with Mr Cooper in this episode of the Showdown, looking at the 1990s sitcom starring Mark Curry, Holly Robinson, Sandra Quarterman, Raven Symone, Nell Carter and Marquise Wilson. Thanks to listener Nick O for the suggestion! 

ALF is selected by Jeffers for an almost Halloweenish peek into an alien-on-Earth sitcom. 'Working My Way Back To You' is the opener to ALF season 2, broadcast in late 1987, where Alf tries to avoid exile to the garage by becoming the Tanner family's butler for a week! Steve & Jeffers also chat about Earth-based alien sitcoms in general, and this sitcom's challenges of filming around a puppet, which reportedly drove the cast to distraction.

Steve brings 'Barbara' to the showdown (a listener suggestion) so that he and Jeff can check out the turn-of-the-century UK sitcom starring Gwen Taylor and Sam Kelly. The ep in question is Series 3 episode 2, titled FLOOD, and it turns out to be packed with plenty of quality jokes.  Thanks to Jono for the suggestion!

Steve uses Blackadder's 'Ink & Incapability' as a springboard to go on a Grand Tour of Edmund: A Butler's Tale & Boswell's Life of Johnson. What were the links between Dr Johnson & Boswell, and the Prince Regent and Gertude Perkins and the great romantic poets (if any)? Or did Ben Elton and Richard Curtis simply fabricate them with hilarious results? We find out in this ep of Sitcom Showdown.

We Are Men was a swiftly-cancelled 2013 sitcom on CBS (only 2 episodes!) starring some great actors such as Tony Shalhoub, Jerry O'Connell and Kal Penn. The show looked great, plenty of well-shot location work, with experienced hands at the helm. So what went wrong? Jeffers and Steve review both eps of We Are Men and give you the low-down.

The USA's 1979 version of Are You Being Served? titled Beane's of Boston is under the microscope in this edition of Sitcom Showdown. The pilot starred sitcom veterans Charlotte Rae (Diff'rent Strokes) as Mrs Slocombe and John Hillerman (Magnum PI) as Mr Peacock. Steve and Jeffers compare the two series and - as always - enjoy looking at transplanted sitcom attempts!

In our 100th episode of Sitcom Showdown, Steve nominates a classic episode of Are You Being Served from 1976. Captain Peacock is in a spot of bother after some suspicious overnight behavior with a store colleague makes him late to work. Mrs Peacock is on the rampage and Messrs Humphries and Lucas are enjoying the show. Meanwhile, Mrs Slocombe is interviewing for a buyers job in Mr Rumbold's office! Come and join us for a good old chat about AYBS and help us celebrate 100 eps! Sitcom Showdown on Twitter:  @SitcomShowdown

Night Court's 2023 revival is examined at the behest of Jeffers who is caught bringing it to the table purely on the Basil Brush connection of a new Night Court star. John Larroquette returns to play his character Dan Fielding from the classic original Night Court (which we covered in ep 60 of the podcast) joining Melissa Rauch as Judge Abby Stone, and India de Beaufort as Olivia the prosecutor. We look at the first two episodes and reveal our thoughts on the revival!

Steve nominates the highly-regarded Parks and Recreation episode 'Flu Season' for the Hall of Fame. Is it a fully-sick classic? According to fans, this is some of the best work that Amy Poehler, Nick Offerman, Chris Pratt and the team have done.

Friday Night Dinner gets a run on the Showdown thanks to a listener recommendation, so Jeffers and Steve check out 'Christmas' from 2012. Friday Night Dinner was a Channe; 4 sitcom starring Tamsin Grieg, Paul Ritter, Simon Bird, Tom Rosenthal and Mark Heap. Written by Mr Popper.

15 Storeys High is selected from listener recommendations, focusing on the episode Blue Rat. With the show's recent-ish resurgence following Sean Lock's untimely death, does this tower block sitcom deserve all the belated praise that came its way? And does Perry Benson steal the episode from Benedict Wong and Sean? Tune in to find out.

Count Arthur Strong returns to the Showdown for a Halloween Special in which Jeffers nominates Stuck in the Middle (series 2, episode 4) in which Arthur appears to be a mad killer, having kidnapped a scamster plumber. This ep of Count Arthur might be horror at its most hilarious, with Steve Delaney in top form, delivering a great script.  

Taxi is nominated by Steve for the episode 'Reverend Jim a Space Odyssey'. This highly decorated sitcom is sure to impress Jeffers, with a killer cast including Judd Hirsch, Marilu Henner, Tony Danza, Andy Kaufman, Danny DeVito and of course Christopher Lloyd.  

My Hero is nominated by Jeffers who thinks that Thermoman's series 4 episode 'The Living Dead' can impress Steve. Thermoman's secret identity hits a hitch when George Sunday 'dies' publicly, while Mrs Raven becomes the world's finest (and most evil) hypnotherapist. Both of these events are causing major problems for Janet. And then George gets cremated! How will they get out of this one? My Hero ran from 2000 to 2006, starring Ardal O'Hanlon as George, with Emily Joyce as Janet, and Geraldine McNulty as Mrs Raven.  

Eric Chappell is the subject of our first 'writer special' in which we talk about his methods and the many sitcoms he penned including Rising Damp, Home to Roost and others. Steve selects an episode of 'Fiddlers Three' to investigate.  

Black Books gets a second nomination from Jeffers for the series 2 epsiode 'Blood', where Bernard's new bookshop restaurant, Manny's high-street ambition and Fran's relatives all go into the cooking pot to make Sitcom Luxury Pie. But will Steve find it tasty enough for the Hall of Fame? Black Books stars Dylan Moran, Bill Bailey and Tamsin Greig. Bllood was written by Andy Riley and Kevin Cecil, with Dylan Moran.

The short-lived 'Secret Diary of Desmond Pfeiffer' is brought in by Steve, to compare this USA-made historical comedy to its earlier UK rival Blackadder. Did Desmond's adventures deserve to be cancelled?  It sure didn't harm the actors' careers much, as Jeffers and Steve find out when they investigate.  Does Niblett hold a candle to Baldrick? Is Desmond as quick-thinking and cunning and vindictive as Edmund? And how good is Booger as a guest star?

The Goodies' classic 1977 Christmas episode 'Earthanasia' is nominated by Jeffers for a Hall of Fame spot. Will the doomsday-scenario adventures of Bill Oddie, Graeme Garden and Tim Brooke-Taylor be hilarious enough to convince Steve? And in any case, will the Muppets suffer? Twitter: @SitcomShowdown Theme tune 'Billy Blues' by texasradiofish (c) copyright 2015. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial (3.0) license.

Blackadder the Third gets its inevitable nomination from Steve, who claims that the episode 'Amy and Amiability' is the greatest sitcom episode of all time! It's hard to argue against that when you look at the talents of Rowan Atkinson, Ben Elton, Richard Curtis, Miranda Richardson, Tony Robinson and Hugh Laurie all combining to create a classic masterwork.

The Young Ones 1984 episode 'Nasty' is the Halloween special for 2021 in the Sitcom Showdown Hall of Fame. We enjoy some scares with Rik, Vyvyan, Neil and Mike, but hold a grudge against Alexei Sayle for crimes against live comedy! Twitter: @SitcomShowdown Theme tune 'Billy Blues' by texasradiofish (c) copyright 2015. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial (3.0) license.

AP Bio is nominated by Steve for the Hall of Fame. Will this modern school-based sitcom graduate into the big leagues? It all depends on the quality of the teaching! Twitter: @SitcomShowdown Theme tune 'Billy Blues' by texasradiofish (c) copyright 2015. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial (3.0) license.

Ted McGinley is nominated for the Sitcom Showdown Hall of Fame, giving us a chance to chat about his work in Happy Days, Married With Children, Hope & Faith, The Love Boat and more!

Geoffrey Palmer is inducted into the Sitcom Showdown Hall of Fame in this 'actor spotlight' special! The star of Butterflies and Executive Stress also had a terrific role in The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin, which Steve investigates.

Trial and Error, the 2017 sitcom and murder mystery mockumentary, is nominated by Jeffers for the Hall of Fame. Will Judge Steve rule favourably on the case? Any sitcom with John Lithgow and Sherri Shepherd (plus Jayma Mays and Steven Boyer) should be just fine, surely? Twitter: @SitcomShowdown Theme tune 'Billy Blues' by texasradiofish (c) copyright 2015. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial (3.0) license.

Yes Minister gets its second selection, as the listener-nominated episode 'Whisky Priest' is the subject of a Sitcom Showdown inquiry. Thanks to Mrs Natural. Twitter: @SitcomShowdown Theme tune 'Billy Blues' by texasradiofish (c) copyright 2015. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial (3.0) license.

Seinfeld's classic Festivus episode 'The Strike' gets the Christmas nomination from Steve in 2020 for the Sitcom Showdown Hall of Fame. It's a tightly-woven tale of bagels, two-faced dates, Festivus poles and Elaine's Atomic Subs. Pull up a spot at the table with Jerry, Kramer, Elaine and George to see if they get to deck the Hall! Twitter: @SitcomShowdown Theme tune 'Billy Blues' by texasradiofish (c) copyright 2015. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial (3.0) license.

Hogan's Heroes gets a nomination by Jeffers for the 1965 episode 'German Bridge is Falling Down'. Will he need an elaborate scheme to smuggle Hogan, Klink, Schulz and the boys into the Hall of Fame? Or will Steve let Hogan's Heroes stroll right in? Twitter: @SitcomShowdown Theme tune 'Billy Blues' by texasradiofish (c) copyright 2015. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial (3.0) license.

Wellington Paranormal's spooky second-season opener is nominated by Steve for Halloween month 2020 and his job is to convince Jeffers that the New Zealand comedy cops can save the day. This fresh mockumentary sitcom from the minds of Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi has officers Minogue and O'Leary (led by Sgt Maaka) trying to solve some coastal disappearances, and finding the mighty Taniwha ... the 'not Ness monster!'

Dad's Army is nominated by Jeffers for the 1973 classic 'The Deadly Attachment' featuring Philip Madoc in a great guest-star role. Will Steve agree that this much-loved WW2 comedy should enter the Hall of Fame?

Stephanie Cole is the fourth actor to feature in a Sitcom Showdown special, earning a spot in the Hall of Fame for her superb work in Waiting for God (featured), Open All Hours, Keeping Mum and much more!

David Haig becomes the third actor to be chosen for tribute in Sitcom Showdown's Hall of Fame. He is lauded for his all-time hilarious performance as Detective Inspector Grimm in The Thin Blue Line (1995) but in this podcast episode we look into 'Keeping Mum' where David co-starred with Stephanie Cole. Twitter: @SitcomShowdown Theme tune 'Billy Blues' by texasradiofish (c) copyright 2015. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial (3.0) license.

Space Force gets a nomination from Steve who appreciates this brand-new sitcom's quality cast, sumptuous visuals and crafted scripts. But is it funny? And can its ninth episode 'It's Good to be Back on the Moon' get into the Hall of Fame? Let's see if Malkovitch, Carrell and crew have the right stuff. Twitter: @SitcomShowdown Theme tune 'Billy Blues' by texasradiofish (c) copyright 2015. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial (3.0) license.

Married With Children gets its second nomination for 'Married With Aliens' from its fifth season. Can Al Bundy, Peg, Kelly and Bud (plus aliens) get into the Hall of Fame once again? Jeffers thinks so, but he may be high on the powerful emanations from Al's socks... Twitter: @SitcomShowdown Theme tune 'Billy Blues' by texasradiofish (c) copyright 2015. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial (3.0) license.

Mad About You is the second sitcom to have the dubious honour of being nominated for the Hall of Shame, for the episode 'Bing Bang Boom'. Steve suggests that this really does qualify as an example of a one-star episode from an otherwise much-loved sitcom. Is it possible that Paul Reiser and Helen Hunt laid an egg? Twitter: @SitcomShowdown Theme tune 'Billy Blues' by texasradiofish (c) copyright 2015. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial (3.0) license.

In this first-ever 'Hall of Shame' version of the podcast, Jeff nominates an episode of Still Open All Hours to show that even a classic David Jason & Roy Clarke sitcom can produce one-star clunkers. 

What We Do in the Shadows is the sitcom nominated this time, with Steve suggesting this vampire comedy has Hall of Fame potential.  Let's see if the powers of producers Taika Waititi, Jemaine Clement and Paul Simms, along with a cast including Matt Berry and Natasia Demetriou, can rise to the occasion! Twitter: @SitcomShowdown Theme tune 'Billy Blues' by texasradiofish (c) copyright 2015. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial (3.0) license.

The Mighty Boosh is nominated for the Hall of Fame by Jeffers for their series one episode 'Electro' (2004). Will the adventures of Vince Noir and Howard Moon slip into the hallowed hall like a warm kitten? That's up to Steve, the spirit of sitcom. Twitter: @SitcomShowdown Theme tune 'Billy Blues' by texasradiofish (c) copyright 2015. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial (3.0) license.

Loved By You - the UK version of Mad About You - is selected by Steve to be inspected as part of the cross-Atlantic sitcom swap month of March 2020. Is this transplanted remake as bad as you's expect? It can't be any worse than the partially dodgy audio quality from our hosts as they try a spot of remote recording forced by lockdown... Twitter: @SitcomShowdown Theme tune 'Billy Blues' by texasradiofish (c) copyright 2015. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial (3.0) license.

Payne, the USA version of Fawlty Towers, is Jeffers' choice this episode. In March 2020 we're looking at sitcom reworkings in other continents, and this 1999 imitation of Fawlty Towers is a notorious one, even with John Larroquette and JoBeth Williams doing the best they can. Let's find out how payne-ful it is! Twitter: @SitcomShowdown Theme tune 'Billy Blues' by texasradiofish (c) copyright 2015. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial (3.0) license. Thanks texasradiofish!

A look back at THE GOOD PLACE.

The Nordic sitcom 'Norsemen' is nominated for the Hall of Fame by Steve, who goes to bat for the 'village & pillage' adventures of vikings in the 8th Century. Twitter: @SitcomShowdown Theme tune 'Billy Blues' by texasradiofish (c) copyright 2015. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial (3.0) license. Thanks texasradiofish!

Fawlty Towers gets its second nomination for the Hall of Fame, for the episode 'Communication Problems', starring the formidable Mrs Richards. Surely any example of this all-time classic sitcom from John Cleese and Connie Booth is a dead cert winner, just like Dragonfly ... (or is that Nitwit?) Twitter: @SitcomShowdown Theme tune 'Billy Blues' by texasradiofish (c) copyright 2015. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial (3.0) license. Thanks texasradiofish!

Rising Damp's 1975 Christmas episode 'For the Man Who Has Everything' is nominated for the Hall of Fame by Steve, who is impressed by the fast-talking Leonard Rossiter and his castmates.

NewsRadio gets its second nomination for the Hall of Fame, thanks to Jeffers putting up the festive episode 'Xmas Story' from season 2. Steve gets to decide whether the Christmas adventures of Dave Nelson, Lisa Miller, Jimmy James, Matthew and the crew of WNYX will be able to deck the Hall with bouts of funny. Twitter: @SitcomShowdown Theme tune 'Billy Blues' by texasradiofish (c) copyright 2015. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial (3.0) license. Thanks texasradiofish!

Arrested Development is nominated for the Hall of Fame by Steve, trying to get Jeffers on the Bluth family hype train about a decade later than most.  Twitter: @SitcomShowdown Theme tune 'Billy Blues' by texasradiofish (c) copyright 2015. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial (3.0) license. Thanks texasradiofish!