Sitcom Showdown

Nominating the best sitcom episodes of all time, for the Sitcom Showdown hall of fame. Sibling team Steve and Jeffers take turns selecting a classic sitcom ep to put the case for its inclusion, having to convince each other along the way. Let the showdown begin!

SS112 - Not Going Out 12/24/2024

SS112 - Not Going Out 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. /episode/index/show/sitcomshowdown/id/34598205

SS111 - Fat Pizza 07/28/2024

SS111 - Fat Pizza 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! /episode/index/show/sitcomshowdown/id/32318277

SS110 - Up Pompeii 06/16/2024

SS110 - Up Pompeii 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. /episode/index/show/sitcomshowdown/id/31759613

SS109 - Absolutely Fabulous 05/10/2024

SS109 - Absolutely Fabulous 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? /episode/index/show/sitcomshowdown/id/31229342

SS108 - Heil Honey I'm Home 03/28/2024

SS108 - Heil Honey I'm Home 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 , from whom we borrowed a clip of their amazing interview(s) with Paul Jackson. /episode/index/show/sitcomshowdown/id/30577858

SS107 - Community 12/24/2023

SS107 - Community 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! /episode/index/show/sitcomshowdown/id/29217778

SS106 - Hangin With Mr Cooper 11/22/2023

SS106 - Hangin With Mr Cooper 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! /episode/index/show/sitcomshowdown/id/28757658

SS105 - ALF 10/30/2023

SS105 - ALF 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. /episode/index/show/sitcomshowdown/id/28458188

SS104 - Barbara 09/12/2023

SS104 - Barbara 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! /episode/index/show/sitcomshowdown/id/28009443

SS103 - A Grand Tour of Edmund: A Butler's Tale & Boswell's Life of Johnson 08/27/2023

SS103 - A Grand Tour of Edmund: A Butler's Tale & Boswell's Life of Johnson 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. /episode/index/show/sitcomshowdown/id/27858831

SS102 - We Are Men 07/21/2023

SS102 - We Are Men 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. /episode/index/show/sitcomshowdown/id/27528912

SS101 - Beanes of Boston 05/27/2023

SS101 - Beanes of Boston 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! /episode/index/show/sitcomshowdown/id/26967102

SS100 - Are You Being Served 04/07/2023

SS100 - Are You Being Served 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: /episode/index/show/sitcomshowdown/id/26476287

SS099 - Night Court 2023 03/05/2023

SS099 - Night Court 2023 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! /episode/index/show/sitcomshowdown/id/26129940

SS098 - Parks and Recreation 02/04/2023

SS098 - Parks and Recreation 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. /episode/index/show/sitcomshowdown/id/25828146

SS097 - Friday Night Dinner 12/17/2022

SS097 - Friday Night Dinner 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. /episode/index/show/sitcomshowdown/id/25357416

SS096 - 15 Storeys High 11/17/2022

SS096 - 15 Storeys High 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. /episode/index/show/sitcomshowdown/id/25048812

SS095 - Count Arthur Strong [Halloween Special] 10/22/2022

SS095 - Count Arthur Strong [Halloween Special] 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. /episode/index/show/sitcomshowdown/id/24765891

SS094 - Taxi 08/27/2022

SS094 - Taxi 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. /episode/index/show/sitcomshowdown/id/24181230

SS093 - My Hero 07/09/2022

SS093 - My Hero 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. /episode/index/show/sitcomshowdown/id/23691704

SS092 - Eric Chappell writer special 06/05/2022

SS092 - Eric Chappell writer special 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. /episode/index/show/sitcomshowdown/id/23328926

SS091 - Black Books 04/25/2022

SS091 - Black Books 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. /episode/index/show/sitcomshowdown/id/22897148

SS090 - The Secret Diary of Desmond Pfieffer 03/20/2022

SS090 - The Secret Diary of Desmond Pfieffer 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? /episode/index/show/sitcomshowdown/id/22504139

SS089 - The Goodies 02/20/2022

SS089 - The Goodies 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? Theme tune 'Billy Blues' by texasradiofish (c) copyright 2015. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial (3.0) license. /episode/index/show/sitcomshowdown/id/22192130

SS088 - Blackadder 3 12/10/2021

SS088 - Blackadder 3 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! /episode/index/show/sitcomshowdown/id/21442379

SS087 - The Young Ones 10/31/2021

SS087 - The Young Ones The Young Ones 1984 episode 'Nasty' is the Halloween special for 2021 in the Sitcom Showdown Hall. We enjoy some scares with Rik, Vyvyan, Neil and Mike, but hold a grudge against Alexei Sayle for crimes against live comedy! /episode/index/show/sitcomshowdown/id/20995577

SS086 - AP Bio 10/10/2021

SS086 - AP Bio AP Bio is nominated by Steve for the Sitcom Showdown Hall of Fame. Will this modern school-based sitcom graduate into the big leagues? It all depends on the quality of the teaching! /episode/index/show/sitcomshowdown/id/20765339

SS085 - Ted McGinley 06/23/2021

SS085 - Ted McGinley 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! /episode/index/show/sitcomshowdown/id/19577570

SS084 - Geoffrey Palmer 05/29/2021

SS084 - Geoffrey Palmer 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. /episode/index/show/sitcomshowdown/id/19284026

SS083 - Trial and Error 05/06/2021

SS083 - Trial and Error 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? /episode/index/show/sitcomshowdown/id/19011257

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