Line #49 Main/SitcomHomageEpisode


1	[[quoteright:350:[[WesternAnimation/OKKOLetsBeHeroes https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/912ddb06_300a_4c0a_a1fd_430f8ae564dd.jpeg]]]]
2	[[caption-width-right:350:EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: The Series.]]
3
4	->''"J.D.'s sitcom fantasy is filmed in front of a live StudioAudience."''
5	-->-- ''Series/{{Scrubs}}''
6
7	An episode of a show which is not normally in the {{Sitcom}} genre that is framed with the tropes and conventions of that genre. A LaughTrack is pretty much required, and probably a ThreeCameras format as well. The lighting scheme will often be much brighter and happier. It will also deal with usual sitcom plots such as having DinnerWithTheBoss or throwing in a mini-VerySpecialEpisode for laughs.
8
9	Note that many of these shows, in a broader sense, are ''also'' sitcoms, but the subject of parody is specifically the [[{{Retraux}} older]] [[PopculturalOsmosis archetype of one]]. Sometimes overlaps with ParodyEpisode in those cases where it's a WholePlotReference to a particular sitcom, and SubvertedSitcom when there's a darker or scarier reason for the show suddenly pivoting to a sitcom aesthetic.
10	----
11	!!Examples:
12	[[foldercontrol]]
13
14	[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
15	* In ''Film/ScottPilgrimVsTheWorld'', the scene after Scott hits on Ramona Flowers was on Wallace's house and references ''Series/{{Seinfeld}}'' (bass part and {{laugh track}}s included) as [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H5oZMz_FtRw seen here.]]
16	[[/folder]]
17
18	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
19	* The second season finale of ''Series/BlackIsh'' has Dre dreaming that he and his family are on an episode of ''Series/GoodTimes''. While the show is mainly a one-camera sitcom, the dream sequence had a four-camera setup and a live studio audience, to duplicate the feel of the original ''Good Times''.
20	* In the ''Series/EverybodyHatesChris'' episode "Everybody Hates Homecoming", there's one part where Creator/ChrisRock visits his homecoming date's house to meet her snobby affluent parents. This whole scene is a parody of older, more cliched {{black sitcom}}s such as ''Series/TheCosbyShow'', complete with a three-cameras format and a constant laugh track.
21	* Played with in the ''{{Series/Monk}}'' episode "Mr. Monk's Favorite Show". [[DefectiveDetective Adrian Monk]] himself was a big fan of a 70s/80s family sitcom titled ''[[ShowWithinAShow The Cooper Clan]]'' (a likely parody of ''Series/TheBradyBunch'') during his childhood. At one point he has a {{dream\| sequence}} where he's in the show itself and talks to the characters, [[TheSummation giving his usual explanation of the episode's murder mystery]]; [[ItMakesSenseInContext while also revealing some]] [[MoodDissonance very unpleasant truths about what happened to]] [[FormerChildStar the former cast members after the show ended]].
22	* The widely hated arc in ''Series/MyNameIsEarl'', in which Earl slipped in a coma and dreamed that he was the main character in a family sitcom where he was married to [[TheScrappy Billie]].
23	* ''Series/{{Scrubs}}'' is already a WorkCom {{Dramedy}}, but in the episode "My Life in Four Cameras" J.D. has an extended fantasy where he experiences his job at Sacred Heart Hospital in a much more typical sitcom style, including a laugh track, brighter colors, and every problem neatly resolved in the end.
24	* ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'': In the episode "Changing Channels", the Winchester brothers are [[TrappedInTVLand thrown into TV Land]] by the Trickster god. One of the shows in which they land is a ''Supernatural'' sitcom complete with alternate opening credits and a theme song, catch phrases, an obviously fake stage set, a voice-over telling us that ''Supernatural'' is filmed before a live audience, and built-in commercials. The live-studio audience is stereotypically interactive, applauding when characters enter, wolf whistling at sex jokes, and laughing uproariously even at things that aren't funny, like Sam wondering if they'll die in there.
25	* ''Series/WizardsOfWaverlyPlace'': In "Wizards vs. Vampires", the introduction of Juliet and her vampire family plays out like a cheesy 1960s fantasy sitcom à la ''Series/TheMunsters'', complete with jaunty music and lame puns.
26	* ''Series/MrRobot'' did an episode where half of it was a parody of '80s sitcoms such as ''Series/FullHouse'' or ''Series/{{ALF}}'' (complete with the actual ALF). However, as the episode went on it got darker and more in the vein of ''Film/TooManyCooks''.
27	* ''Series/{{Scorpion}}'' did an episode where Cabe, feeling old, is drugged and hallucinates he's a sitcom 'bumbling dad'. Not played for laughs.
28	* In the ''Series/ItsAlwaysSunnyInPhiladelphia'' episode "Old Lady House: A Situational Comedy", Dennis sets up hidden cameras in the house of Charlie's mother after Charlie is worried about her living situation with Mac's mom. The Gang, being sadistic creeps, end up turning their dysfunctional relationship into a personal sitcom by adding in laugh tracks whenever something they find funny happens. Later on, other characters show up and Dee herself tries to participate as a DropInCharacter with abysmal results.
29	* ''Series/WandaVision'' could be considered this to the Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse as a whole. Each episode parodies a sitcom from a different decade, with the titular characters in starring roles. [[spoiler:It's eventually revealed that this is all due to Wanda using her powers to create the life with Vision she never got, and she's trapped a whole town with her powers to play out various side characters.]]
30	[[/folder]]
31
32	[[folder:Video Games]]
33	* One mission of ''VideoGame/SaintsRowIV'' re-envisions the Boss' life as a 1950s-style sitcom with a laugh track, inoffensive themes, and simple humor. After a while, the Boss [[AGlitchInTheMatrix notices something is off]] and realizes they've been put into a simulation by Zinyak.
34	[[/folder]]
35
36	[[folder:Web Animation]]
37	* ''WebAnimation/DorklyOriginals'': A few ''Franchise/MortalKombat'' videos has the cast in a sitcom called "Get Over Here!" with the occasional audience track.
38	* The first season finale of ''WebAnimation/RWBYChibi'' was a sitcom homage complete with obligatory laugh track, a school dance plot, Ruby spouting catch phrases and thanking the studio audience at the end. Borrowing from ''Series/{{Friends}}''' convention for naming episodes, the episode was titled "The One With the Laugh Track".
39	[[/folder]]
40
41	[[folder:Web Videos]]
42	* ''WebVideo/TheAnnoyingOrange'' sometimes features "Sitcom" versions of existing episodes, where a LaughTrack gets added in, but otherwise the plot and dialogue remain unchanged.
43	* Episode 15 of ''WebVideo/FiftyPercentOff'' has a LaughTrack as a RunningGag.
44	-->50% OFF ''is filmed in front of a live StudioAudience.''
45	[[/folder]]
46
47	[[folder:Western Animation]]
48	* ''WesternAnimation/Animaniacs2020'': "The Flawed Couple" pays homage to [[Series/TheBradyBunch The Brady Bunch]], [[Series/TheFreshPrinceOfBelAir The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air]] and ''Series/{{Cheers}}''.
49	* ''WesternAnimation/TheAmazingWorldOfGumball'':
50	** "The Test" has [[MetaGuy Sarah]] pointing out the show already is a sitcom ("the sitcom of our lives"), but Gumball rejects his role in the story. So Tobias takes his place as the main character and the show becomes like an older (live-action) sitcom--a '''very''' [[StylisticSuck bad]] one. The writing is an [[RandomEventsPlot amalgam of]] [[ClicheStorm random cliches]], the direction is so nonsensical that [[RevealingContinuityLapse sets switch around between shots of individual scenes]], and production quality is barely above a home movie. All of this sends the show into a death spiral headed toward cancellation until Gumball [[StatusQuoIsGod reclaims his role of main character]] by [[ItMakesSenseInContext spitting acid]] that [[TorsoWithAView melts a hole]] [[BloodyHilarious through Tobias's head]].
51	** "The Lady" features [[spoiler:[[FlockOfWolves what seems to be]]]] a group of old women who don't only look and act like ''Series/TheGoldenGirls'', the scenes they're in have a LaughTrack, [[DeliberateVHSQuality washed out colors, and artificial video tape artifacts]].
52	* ''WesternAnimation/AvengersAssemble'': In the first half of the episode "Avengers: Impossible", the Impossible man summons a lot of enemies of the Avengers, and somehow turns it into a sitcom episode, with laugh tracks, TheDoorSlamsYou, couches and similar stuff.
53	* Played with in ''WesternAnimation/BojackHorseman''; the titular protagonist is a washed-up old TV actor, whose most famous role in his career was starring in the popular 80s/90s family sitcom ''JustForFun/HorsinAround''. Throughout the series, Bojack (out of severely unhealthy nostalgia) frequently rewatches clips from various episodes of this {{show\| within a show}}; though it's only in the episode "{{Recap/Bojack Horseman Christmas Special\|SabrinasChristmasWish}}" do we actually see an entire episode of ''Horsin' Around'' (in this case, it's a {{Christmas episode}} titled "Sabrina's Christmas Wish"). As expected, it's full of all the saccharine {{cliche\| storm}}s you've probably seen from other sitcoms such as ''Series/FullHouse''.
54	* The ''WesternAnimation/DuckTales2017'' episode "[[Recap/DuckTales2017S3E2QuackPack Quack Pack!]]" has Scrooge's family acting as if they were in early 90s sitcom, complete with a very domestic plot, stage-style sets, and studio audience. [[spoiler:The characters eventually start [[AGlitchInTheMatrix noticing the changes to reality]], and it turns out to be the result of a genie granting Donald's wish for a normal family. Said genie had been stuck in his lamp since 1990, hence the sitcom trappings. For bonus points, the genie is voiced by Jaleel White of ''Series/FamilyMatters'' fame.]]
55	* ''WesternAnimation/HaileysOnIt'': In the episode "Full House (of Bugs)", the Denogas stay with the Banks while their house is being fumigated. The result is a parody of a typical 1980s family sitcom, punctuated by a LaughTrack from Beta, whose newest update comes with a selection of "standard sitcom noises" that activate automatically much to his annoyance as he {{Head Desk}}s multiple times to shut it off.
56	* Creator/ButchHartman's cartoons have at least one episode that approaches the idea:
57	** ''WesternAnimation/TheFairlyOddParents'' had "Timmy TV", which starts out as Timmy figuring out he's a reality TV star in Fairy World, but with executive push completely changes the hidden camera nature of the original show into a cheesy sitcom.
58	** ''WesternAnimation/TUFFPuppy'' has the agents of TUFF and their mortal enemies at DOOM end up sharing an apartment when both of their offices get blown to smithereens. They even have a special opening sequence referencing ''The Brady Bunch''.
59	* ''WesternAnimation/OKKOLetsBeHeroes'': [[Recap/OKKOLetsBeHeroesS2E22AllInTheVillainy "All in the Villainy"]] revolves around Boxman and Venomous trying to get Darrell and Fink to get along, and is loaded with parodies of sitcom tropes. We even get a double-whammy of sitcom title riffs- the episode's 'actual' title is a parody of ''Series/AllInTheFamily'', while the in-show title "The Voxy Bunch" is a parody of ''Series/TheBradyBunch''.
60	* ''WesternAnimation/ReBoot'': The episode "My Two Bobs" opens with a sitcom-inspired scene, complete with canned laughter. The sequence ends with an homage to the ''Series/TheBradyBunch'''s title with various characters in boxes. The scene is then reveled to be a dream of Dot's.
61	* In the ''WesternAnimation/RockosModernLife'' episode "Dirty Dog", the parasites living on Spunky act out a typical sitcom scenario, an OddCouple planning DinnerWithTheBoss.
62	* ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'': "Chille Tid" has a sequence where Steven dreams that his life is an old black-and-white sitcom. Here, his RubberForeheadAlien caretakers are normal humans and his struggles revolving around trying to take his crush, Connie, to The Big Dance instead of protecting the world. It ends up being [[MoodWhiplash suddenly cut off]] by [[spoiler:Steven's [[NewSuperpower newly manifested]] DreamWalker powers bringing in Lapis Lazuli, [[SurrealHorror whose face pours out water until the room floods]]]].
63	* The ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitansGo'' episode "Dog Hand" opens up with a sitcom theme. [[{{Satan}} Trigon's]] visit is accompanied by a laugh track and he's portrayed as a BumblingDad who makes terrible {{pun}}s.
64	* There was an episode of ''WesternAnimation/YinYangYo'' where Carl the Evil Cockroach Wizard turns the main characters' life into a sitcom reminescent of ''Series/TheSuiteLifeOfZackAndCody''.
65	[[/folder]]

Context Main / SitcomHomageEpisode