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Everybody loves a good running gag in a sitcom, and they often work well as a humorous callback and breed familiarity among the audience.
This literary device is used in classic and contemporary sitcoms alike and appears repeatedly in the show, which audiences often like and appreciate. Verbal and visual, depending on the sitcom and the situation, modern television has some amazing and humorous running gags.
And while it was challenging to round off, we have ranked the Top 5 running gags from sitcoms.
*Disclaimer: This article is based on the author's opinion. Reader discretion is advised.*
Top 5 running gags from sitcoms
5) Sheldon's "three time knocking rule' from The Big Bang Theory
A running gag from sitcoms that can easily be mimicked/performed is Sheldon's three-time knocking rule in The Big Bang Theory. While it was first thought of as a compulsive habit of the character, complementing his nature, he finally revealed its tragic origin story in Season 10.
Albeit the origin story, it became a humourous running gag on the show where Sheldon would knock three times before entering anybody's room/house. His encounters with Penny, his next-door neighbour, where he would say, ''Penny, Penny, Penny', before entering her house, makes for some good humour on the show.
4) Douchebag Jar from New Girl
While most of the running gags on sitcoms were character actions, phrases or habits, New Girl introduced a physical running gag on sitcoms, Schmidt's douchebag jar, which sat proudly in their living room.
Since Schmidt started as a ladies-man, and sometimes a douche, his friends set up this glass jar in the living room. Whenever Schmidt acted out of line or douche-y, he had to put a dollar in the jar, which even went to $50 once.
While the douchebag jar created some hilarious laughs on the show, it became a symbol of the character's transformation, from a douche to a devoted husband. He smashed the glass jar on his wedding day with Cece as part of a Jewish wedding tradition, making it a full circle moment.
3) Clive Bixby and Juliana from Modern Family
Next up on the list is Phil and Claire Dunphy's alter ego in Modern Family, who appeared in many Valentine's Day episodes throughout the seasons. Phil's Clive Bixby and Claire's Juliana first appeared in Season 1's My Funky Valentine, where the couple wanted to experiment and thus engaged in some role-playing to spice things up. While Clive was a successful businessman, Juliana was a bored housewife.
The concept became a hit, and Clive and Juliana reappeared in many Valentine's Day episodes, making a humorous running gag. One of the most memorable is when 'Juliana' comes out naked in just an overcoat to surprise 'Clive', and they have an awkward encounter with Jay and Gloria.
2) 'That's what she said' from The Office
Another hilarious running gag that deserves a spot on this list is Michael Scott's 'That's what she said' from The Office. The goofy regional manager of a paper company set unconventional standards for a boss (one we wish to have), and this was one of his favorite pranks to play.
Michael would drop the phrase at inappropriate times, making the normal context of things s*xual, which made for some great laugh-out-moments on the sitcom.
Some memorable 'That's what she said' from The Office are:
- I Want You To Think About This Long And Hard
- Push It In As Deep As You Can!
- Does The Skin Look Red Or Swollen?
- I need two men on this
- And you were directly under her the whole time?
1) 'Title of your s*x tape' from Brooklyn 99
The first spot in sitcom running gags is secured by Jake Peralta's humorous phrase 'Title of your s*x tape', delivered to perfection by Andy Samberg in the NBC sitcom.
The phrase started all the way back in Season 1 when Jake and Amy engaged in fun workplace banter. Jake would take a normal sentence mid-conversation and make it into a Title of 'Amy's' s*x tape. Over the seasons, this gag has been used by multiple other characters on the show, and even Amy, who has used it a few times. Jake's classic phrase made for some humorous moments on the show, aptly securing the No. 1 spot in our list.
Some memorable 'Title of your s*x tapes' from Brooklyn 99 are:
- This Decision Has Been Quite Hard Upon Me.
- I hope it wasn't a mistake
- Kind, Sober, And Fully Dressed
- I Can’t Find Anything, And I Don’t Know What To Do
While this was our humble list, there are other multiple running gags on sitcoms that did not make it to the list but are worth mentioning. For example, the broken staircase from Modern Family, Slap Bet and Ducky tie from How I Met Your Mother, and Monica's 'I Know' from Friends.
Also Read: 10 best behind-the-scenes Brooklyn Nine-Nine facts that make the show legendary
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