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1[[quoteright:299:[[Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/once_more_with_feeling.png]]]]
2
3->'''Phineas:''' What do you say? We'll do all the same things, but we'll break into spontaneous singing and choreography with no discernible music source!\
4'''Ferb:''' Hmmm.... What assurance would we have that everyone else would also break into song and do the same thing?\
5'''Phineas:''' I don't know. I think they probably will.\
6'''Ferb:''' Fair enough. I'm in.
7-->-- ''WesternAnimation/PhineasAndFerb'', "[[Recap/PhineasAndFerbRollercoasterTheMusical Rollercoaster: The Musical!]]"
8
9Once in a while, a show will shake things up and [[FormulaBreakingEpisode break the formula]]. One way of doing that is by turning the show into TheMusical for an episode.
10
11A Musical Episode is structured around the cast breaking into song (and possibly dance) throughout the episode. It might use an in-universe [[JustifiedTrope justification]], such as a BattleOfTheBands, some sort of [[AppliedPhlebotinum weirdness]], or a new [[TheMusicMeister character causing]] [[Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer all this cheery singing]]. Alternately, it can play like a Broadway show where it's just taken for granted that some events will be [[MusicalWorldHypotheses dramatized through song and dance]].
12
13This trope is sometimes used to showcase the vocal, dance or other talents, other than acting, of members of the cast, which do not usually get revealed during the normal activities of the series. It really helps that the members of your cast who get singing parts for the episode really can sing. The next best option is to hire a singer who sounds reasonably close to the actor and teach the actor how to lip sync.
14
15Opinions on a Musical Episode can differ wildly. Many will enjoy the up-beat, unexpected change of pace, while many will dislike it for that very reason. Also, like any premise, the songs and choreography have to be good, or else you're doomed from the start. But if they are good, such episodes tend to be very memorable because songs tend to stick in people's heads.
16----
17!!Examples Subpages:
18[[index]]
19* MusicalEpisode/WesternAnimation
20[[/index]]
21!! Other Examples:
22
23[[foldercontrol]]
24
25[[folder:Anime]]
26* ''Manga/BoboboboBobobo'''s 48th episode had them defeat a foe by singing him into submission. Even by [[QuirkyWork Bo-BoBo's standards]], it's amazingly crazy.
27* The [[GagDub English dub]] of ''Anime/DuelMasters'' randomly has Shobu and Kokujo be forced to come up with an inspirational song before they can duel.
28* ''Anime/JewelpetSunshine'' had the characters performing ''Theatre/WestSideStory'' in one episode.
29* ''Manga/{{Kanamemo}}'''s fourth episode would be an amusing little story about the Fuhshin News employees attempting to get to the pool on its own, but the anime takes it a step further and adds song and dance numbers to the mix. No explanation is given for the singing.
30** If it helps, Kana is as confused as the rest of us.
31* One episode of ''Literature/{{Kurenai}}'' depicts the characters' attempts to rehearse a musical for a local festival, which eventually leads them to come up with their own material from scratch. It turns out that [[spoiler:it is a ploy by Benika to keep Murasaki entertained - which by and far succeeds]].
32* While ''Franchise/LoveLive'', being an IdolSinger show, naturally features a musical number OnceAnEpisode, TheMovie goes into full Broadway musical mode.
33* ''Anime/NadiaTheSecretOfBlueWater'' had a [[ImageSong Character Song]] episode at the end of its infamous [[{{Filler}} Island/Africa]] arc.
34* ''Manga/OnePiece'': The short movie Dance Carnival could be considered a dance episode (Dance special?). It starts on the aptly called Mirrorball Island. While trying to escape the Marines, Jango hypnotizes everyone to dance 'till they drop. Including the Straw Hats. HilarityEnsues.
35* ''Anime/PokemonTheSeries'' doesn't have a musical episode in the main series despite having loads of Pokémon associated with singing (most notably Jigglypuff). But a "Pikachu short" titled "[[{{Recap/PokemonPK12GottaDance}} Gotta Dance!]]" fits the spirit of the trope to a tee, as the premise of the short is about the main Pokémon cast [[InvoluntaryDance involuntarily dancing]] to the "Polka O Dolka" song thanks to Meowth's [[TheMusicMeister Dancing PokéBaton]] going out of control.
36* Episode 17 of ''Anime/SpaceDandy''. Baberly Hills High School ranks students based on musical ability, so naturally this resulted.
37-->'''Meow:''' The [[Series/{{Glee}} glee]] [Dandy] must be feeling right now...
38* ''Anime/ValvraveTheLiberator'' delivered a rather cheesy musical moment in the end of episode 5, in hopes to get more supporters from both factions.
39[[/folder]]
40
41[[folder:Asian Animation]]
42* ''Animation/{{Lamput}}'' has an episode that is a non-dialogue variant (the characters do not speak in proper dialogue) and rather neatly packs the concept into 15 seconds. Fat Doc and Slim Doc chase Lamput into some trash cans and accidentally create a drum solo with said trash cans that takes up most of the episode trying to catch him. Once they're done playing, a crowd of people who heard their performance and loved it carry them away.
43[[/folder]]
44
45[[folder:Comic Books]]
46* The ninth issue of ''ComicBook/TomorrowStories'' features a ''Greyshirt'' musical, as in a literal stage production; ''Greyshirt: Indigo Sunset'' later established that the man himself took the title role at one showing. Critics were astounded at Greyshirt's singing and dancing, claiming that he could've been another Creator/GeneKelly.
47* This became something of a signature of Creator/AlanMoore in the latter part of his career; the sixth issue of ''ComicBook/CinemaPurgatorio'' centered around a musical retelling of the life of actress Elizabeth Short and the media circus around her death, the famous unsolved “Black Dahlia” murder.
48* The story ''Deadbeats!'' from ''[[ComicBook/HackSlash Hack/Slash Trailers: Part 2]]''. It involves zombies invading Broadway.
49* In ''ComicBook/TwoThousandAD'', ''Robo-Hunter'' appeared in a story called "Play It Again, Sam." Set during National Song Year, it saw characters in the strip regularly break in to song-and-dance routines as Sam Slade set about defeating the anti-robot Human League.
50* One issue of the first DC run of ''Franchise/ScoobyDoo'' comics had a story that was written in a way that made it clear it was supposed to be a musical episode of sorts; characters sometimes spoke in rhyme, with [[PaintingTheMedium blue musical notes]] surrounding their speech bubbles when they did so. The plot was about Mystery Inc. investigating reports of a ghoul terrorizing the production of a punk rock musical.
51[[/folder]]
52
53[[folder:Comic Strips]]
54* ''ComicStrip/{{Nodwick}}'' had one of these, courtesy of Arthax and a "Scroll of Thespia".
55* The ''Magazine/DoctorWhoMagazine'' strip "Planet Bollywood" has the [[Series/DoctorWho Eleventh Doctor]] and Amy land on a planet where everyone breaks into song and dance routines.
56[[/folder]]
57
58[[folder:Fan Works]]
59* Several of the ''FanFic/CalvinAtCamp'' episodes, notably the movie parodies, are musicals.
60* The 6th ''WebAnimation/TouhouM1GrandPrix'' had a [[RuleofFunny constantly interrupted]] duet as part of a BokeAndTsukkomiRoutine.
61* ''Fanfic/TotalDramaEquestria'' is a musical, be they songs from ''My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic'' or parodied songs from other sources.
62* One chapter of ''FanFic/TheStoryToEndAllStories'' includes a song called "We're Going Out in Style."
63* ''Fanfic/SkyholdAcademyYearbook'' is implied to have several of these, since the [[VideoGame/DragonAgeInquisition main cast]] all have mild {{drama queen}} tendencies and enjoy doing things like putting on concerts, but the lyrics aren't fully shown.
64* ''If Non Can Learn to Do It'' is this for the ''Fanfic/TwiceUponAnAge'' series. In it, [[VideoGame/DragonAgeInquisition Josephine and Leliana]] try to prepare the Lord Inquisitor for the upcoming ball - by singing a FilkSong based on "Learn To Do It" from the Broadway version of ''Theatre/{{Anastasia}}.''
65* ''Fanfic/FarceOfTheThreeKingdoms'': Chapter 37 is "In which the story randomly turns into a musical." The characters all find this quite irritating.
66* ''Fanfic/ChaosEffect'': The prologue to Battle City is a musical episode, much to [[SelfInsert Edwin's]] annoyance, as his position of being someone from outside the ''Yu-Gi-Oh'' universe means that he's the only one [[MusicalWorldHypotheses totally aware of the sudden music and singing when no one else is]].
67[[/folder]]
68
69[[folder:Films]]
70* ''WesternAnimation/TheLegoMovie2TheSecondPart'': While the previous LEGO theatrical films had a few original songs, this film features several full-blown musical numbers involving most of the cast. In the Systar System, where most of the film takes place, bursting into song is apparently the norm. (Justified, since it's now taking place partially in a little girl's imagination instead of a boy's.)
71* ''Film/SlumberPartyMassacreII'', where the main characters are an all-girl rock group and the main villain is a spectral rock star whose main weapon is an electric guitar outfitted with a drill. [[BizarroEpisode It's a very weird and random sequel]].
72[[/folder]]
73
74[[folder:Let's Play]]
75* LetsPlay/NintendoCapriSun did this in his ''VideoGame/PlantsVsZombies'' series, for [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0KPvl9jFTJk the ninth episode]] which was aptly titled [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin "The All Singing Episode"]]. From around the one minute mark up to the end of the second level of the episode at 16 minutes, his commentary is delivered (save for a couple of brief lines) entirely through song in time with the music of the game. This accomplishment didn't go unrecognized, as the episode has over ''6 million'' views, several times that of the episodes released next to it. Even more impressively, eight years later during his revisit of the game for the [[SelfImposedChallenge No Sunflower challenge]] series, he did a sequel in the form of [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HHWNe2qp9kA episode 10, "The All-Singing Episode 2!"]] in which he delivers commentary in song with the game's music as he did in the original... over the course of all ''23'' minutes of the episode, from start to finish, only speaking in whisper for the final 15 or so seconds of the episode.
76[[/folder]]
77
78[[folder:Literature]]
79* ''Spellsinger'', the fifth book of ''Literature/AvalonWebOfMagic''. A benefit concert and singing contest insert about three songs into the book... through just printing the lyrics in the text. Some of the songs were {{Defictionalized}} and released on CD to promote the book.
80* ''Literature/HowMuchForJustThePlanet'' by Creator/JohnMFord is a Franchise/StarTrekExpandedUniverse novel in the form of a Musical Episode. All (almost all) of the songs are {{pastiche}}s of pre-existing songs so they'll be recognizable in text. Unfortunately this also means that filming it would probably be a massive copyright violation.
81* Of ''Literature/TheFourGospels'', Luke is the one that has people bursting into song.
82* ''Literature/AStormOfSwords'' features several songs written in-page, as part of ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire''. "The Rains of Castamere" has gone on to be a BreakawayPopHit from page to life, and plays a key role in the books as {{Leitmotif}}.
83* ''Sex and Drugs and Sausage Rolls'', the sixth book in the Brentford Trilogy by Creator/RobertRankin is about Poole and Omalley putting on a musical adaptation of ''Armageddon: The Musical'', also by Rankin. Several songs based on the earlier book are included in the text.
84[[/folder]]
85
86[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
87* The ''Series/TwoTwoSeven'' Season 3 episode "Blues", after Brenda accidentally scratches her grandfather's prized blues record and later accidentally breaks the replacement, has various characters breaking into song over the various "bluesy" situations they're in.
88* ''Series/TheAfterparty'' is a comedic murder mystery that uses its RashomonStyle set up to shift genres with each narrator. Episode three is a musical episode from the perspective of Yasper (Creator/BenSchwartz).
89* ''Series/AllyMcBeal'' had one at the end of season 3. Randy Newman wrote part of the music for this.
90* "[[Recap/BuffyTheVampireSlayerS6E7OnceMoreWithFeeling Once More, With Feeling]]" from the sixth season of ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer''. The episode bizarrely sends up the musical genre (and its respective subgenres) as a whole, musical and dance genres from rock to ballet, and (in typical Creator/JossWhedon fashion) the series itself with wicked glee, yet also manages to fit plot and CharacterDevelopment in as well ''and'' come up with a plausible (for ''Buffy'') explanation for why everyone's singing.
91** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_fcXR6t14k&feature=related THEY GOT THE MUSTARD OUT!]]
92** It was so well-known it made it into Creator/Channel4's top 100 musicals at number 13, above such notables as ''Theatre/LesMiserables'' and ''Theatre/ThePhantomOfTheOpera''...
93* ''Blancanieves y los siete churín churin chunfláis'' which is a three-part episode of ''Series/ElChapulinColorado'' retelling the ''WesternAnimation/SnowWhiteAndTheSevenDwarfs'' story (or more exactly Creator/WaltDisney's version, the episode is even dedicated to him) naturally has also a lot of musical numbers. As it is also a crossover with ''Series/ElChavoDelOcho'' may also count as a musical episode for the latter.
94* ''Series/ChicagoHope'' had the fourth-season episode "Brain Salad Surgery", intended as an homage to Creator/DennisPotter. Dr. Aaron Shutt suffered a brain aneurysm that caused him to hallucinate the rest of the hospital staff singing and dancing.
95* ''Series/CodeBlack'' had a patient in "Better Angels" perceive the activity in the ER as scenes from a stage musical.
96* ''Series/ColdCase'' had "Creatures Of The Night" (a murder during a screening of ''Film/TheRockyHorrorPictureShow''), "Triple Threat" (about a young Russian ballerina who defected and became a pop singer) and "Wilkommen" (about a guy who got cast on a production of ''Theatre/{{Cabaret}}).
97* The second season of ''Series/{{Community}}'' had [[Recap/CommunityS2E11AbedsUncontrollableChristmas "Abed's Uncontrollable Christmas"]] which, since it was also their homage to the Rankin Bass stop motion Christmas specials, had several short songs, and the third season ChristmasEpisode [[Recap/CommunityS3E10RegionalHolidayMusic "Regional Holiday Music"]] was a blatant ''Series/{{Glee}}'' parody.
98* ''Series/{{Doom Patrol|2019}}'' has "[[Recap/DoomPatrol2019S4E9ImmortimasPatrol Immortimas Patrol]]", in which the narcissistic god Immortus traps all of humanity in a holiday-themed musical celebrating her incarnation. Highlights include a full-cast musical number vaguely explaining the holiday, a jazzy chemistry-themed love duet, a power ballad about being a superhero, and... a song about masturbating to holiday videos.
99* ''Series/EvenStevens'' did an episode titled "Influenza: The Musical" in which Ren has a [[FeverDreamEpisode fever induced dream]] in which the whole school would randomly burst into song, and Ren herself had to sing a song in the climax.
100--> "We went to the moon in 1969..."
101--> "I've got chicken soup, delicious chicken soup soup ..." *cue Ren screaming in terror*
102* ''Series/{{The Flash|2014}}'' had a musical crossover with ''Series/{{Supergirl|2015}}'', featuring many actors from the Series/{{Arrowverse}} who have had experience in the music business, especially the two shows' respective leads, who were both on ''Series/{{Glee}}''. And the villain? Who other than the [[WesternAnimation/BatmanTheBraveAndTheBold Music Meister]], played by fellow ''Glee'' alum Darren Criss!
103* On the heels of the success of ''Series/{{Glee}}'', FOX had a musical week including ''{{Series/Fringe}}''. Which turned out to be a NoirEpisode as well -- a ''double'' case of FormulaBreakingEpisode. The noir musical was simply the fictional story within a FramingDevice.
104* ''Series/GoodTimes'' had two. One doubled as a ChristmasEpisode while the plot of the other was a talent show to raise money for a daycare center in their building.
105* ''Series/GreysAnatomy'' had one. Similarly to the ''Series/{{Scrubs}}'' example, it was from the point of view of a patient; though the patient was one of the doctors in the main cast. She is played by Creator/SaraRamirez, an actress/singer who was in Monty Python's ''Theatre/{{Spamalot}}''.
106* The episode "Bedtime Stories" of ''Series/HowIMetYourMother'' is a spoken-word equivalent of this in which Marshall attempts to calm down Marvin on a crowded bus by telling him bedtime stories; the trope applies because the entire episode is spoken in rhyme (as are the stories). Creator/LinManuelMiranda guest stars as Gus, the guy sitting on the bus next to Marshall and Marvin, and supplies an entire free-style rap verse when Marshall is unable to rhyme the word "Canada" (Gus eventually uses the slant rhyme "janitor").
107** Then there's the episode "Girls vs. Suits", which ends with an extravagant musical number in which Barney declares his love for suits.
108* ''Series/ItsAlwaysSunnyInPhiladelphia'':
109** The fourth season had its musical episode where Charlie actually wrote and then directed a musical, not that his friends would let it be that simple.
110** Season 12 has "The Gang Turns Black" where the gang are watching ''Theatre/TheWiz'' on TV during a thunderstorm, and a jolt of lightning causes them to not only appear black to everyone else, but also be trapped in a musical as well. [[spoiler:It turns out to [[AllJustADream be a dream]] that their neighbor, Old Black Man, is having about them.]]
111* The ''Series/KamenRider555'' Hyper Battle Video, where the characters suddenly break out into song and dance for no apparent reason as part of Smart Brain's latest plot. They {{lampshade|Hanging}} the fact that they're singing, and in the end, Takumi ends up defeating the Orphenocs with a sonic blast from a radio which was causing the whole thing. [[ItWasAllJustADream Then Takumi wakes up]].
112* ''Series/{{Lexx}}'' had its musical episode in "Brigadoom". In it, the crew of Lexx encounters a mysterious theater floating in space and ends up performing Kai's backstory on stage. Of particular interest is the use of theater-grade special effects, so that a fleet of spaceships is represented by people waving miniatures on poles instead of the show's usual computer-generated effects.
113* The "Land of the Luvvies" episode in ''Series/TheLegendOfDickAndDom'' features a much-feared tribe of {{Luvvies}} who [[TheMusicMeister spread song and dance]] through the neighbourhood.
114* ''Series/LittleHowardsBigQuestion'' has an episode called "Can We Sing For A Whole Episode?".
115* ''Series/Lucifer2016'' often includes scenes of the cast singing but season five's [[Recap/Lucifer2016S05E10BloodyCelestialKaraokeJam "Bloody Celestial Karaoke Jam"]] is actually structured as a musical. [[AWizardDidIt God visiting his sons on Earth leads to the people around them breaking into musical numbers which they forget as soon as they're done singing]].
116* ''Series/MalcolmInTheMiddle'' had an episode in which Dewey turns his parents' fight into an ''opera''. The episode is appropriately entitled "Dewey's Opera".
117* Once in a while, in TheSeventies, ''Series/MisterRogersNeighborhood'' would invite an opera singer friend of Mr. Rogers named John Reardon, and the episode, entirely set in the Land of Make-Believe and featuring a lofty plot line, would resemble a musical or light opera, with all of the characters singing their lines. One example tells the story of the Wicked Knife and Fork (a man with a [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin giant knife and fork on his tunic]]) kidnapping Purple Twirling Kitty atop Spoon Mountain, prompting Prince Extraordinary (son of King Kittypuss and Queen Mumsiebelle) and Park Services Director [[AerithAndBob Betty Green]] to mount a rescue mission. It manages to be quite {{Troperiffic}}.
118** The spin-off ''Series/DonkeyHodie'', while it does have songs OncePerEpisode, had some episodes where songs were a major part of the episode:
119*** "Chili Jamboree" centered on Donkey Hodie, Purple Panda and Bob Dog singing while waiting for Grampy Hodie's slow-cook chili to cook.
120*** Half of "Panda Hodie" is Donkey Hodie singing about what she is doing as she pretends to be Purple Panda.
121*** Surpisingly averted for "The Cow And Potato Bug Opera", which is an InNameOnly version of the ''Mister Rogers'' opera. The only singing that happens is at the end of the episode, and most of the lines in said "opera" are spoken, not sung.
122* ''Series/NickyRickyDickyAndDawn'': Happens in the dream episode "The Wonderful Wizard of Quads". Lamp shaded as each time there is a song, the characters make it known they know there will be a song coming. Dawn/Dorothy even stops Ricky/Tin Man when he tries to start singing.
123* ''{{Series/Northern Exposure}}'': "Old Tree" is like this, but only for Shelly. It's apparently a side effect of [[spoiler: her pregnancy]]. Holling joins her for a duet near the end of the episode.
124* ''Series/OddSquad'': In "The Cherry-on-Top-inator", Oona is pleased when Olympia and Otis start telling their story about the eponymous device, as she thinks it is going to be a normal story. Instead, it turns out to be a musical about them going undercover in a diner to spy on Puppy Master and Evil Knight.
125* ''Series/{{One Day at a Time|1975}}'' occasionally did episodes where the cast would perform at a charity gig. The most memorable performance was probably Valerie Bertinelli as Music/EltonJohn and Mackenzie Phillips as Kiki Dee performing [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TRAfBkqtGUQ "Don't Go Breaking My Heart."]]
126* ''Series/OnceUponATime'' has "The Song In Your Heart", the last episode before the two-part Season 6 finale. The episode's flashbacks tell how Snow White and Prince Charming cast a spell that caused the whole Enchanted Forest to keep bursting into song, the joy of this giving them the strength to fight against the Evil Queen. [[spoiler: The climax reveals that the magic of that spell still lives in Emma's heart, giving her the power to fight back against the Black Fairy.]]
127* ''Series/{{Oz}}'' has one of sorts. Series 5, episode 3 'Variety' has a central theme about variety shows and each of the narrator segments, usually occupied by Hill's musings about the theme is instead one of the characters singing in various different musical styles.
128* ''Series/Playhouse90'', normally a straight dramatic GenreAnthology, once broadcast a production of ''Theatre/TheNutcracker'' ballet.
129* ''Series/PowerRangersBeastMorphers'' episode 16: The Silva Switch. The song: ''It's Great to be Human''. No kidding. It's absolute hilarity.
130* ''Series/{{Psych}}'' "The Musical", which is ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin. The entire episode is a pitch Shawn is giving to a playwright for a musical, so everything's in his CloudCuckoolander head.
131%%* ''Series/RaisingHope''. The episode about Burt turning out to be Jewish.
132* ''Series/RoyalPains'' features a musical episode as the penultimate of the series. Turns out to be because [[spoiler: it’s from the point of view of the hallucinating patient-of-the-week]]
133* ''Series/{{Sanctuary}}'' had a musical episode. The reason they were singing was to communicate with Will's girlfriend, who had been [[spoiler:infected with a musical parasite]].
134** But that doesn't cover all the singing, such as Magnus's spoken word piece.
135* ''Series/SchittsCreek'' has an episode featuring a community theatre production of ''Theatre/{{Cabaret}}'', with the ShowWithinAShow providing the framework. Patrick performs "Wilkommen" as the Emcee and Stevie gives a triumphant rendition of "Maybe This Time" as Sally Bowels. An earlier episode featured the rehearsal for "The Money Song" as David and Moira watched Stevie and Patrick's secret rehearsal.
136* ''Series/{{Scrubs}}'' did a musical episode ("My Musical") with the musicians of ''Theatre/AvenueQ'', on the premise that a patient had an aneurysm which was making her hear singing when people talked. All the musical sequences were from her point of view, and after she goes into surgery, the music stops.
137** The patient in question is played by Stephanie D'Abruzzo, who was the original Kate Monster in said show.
138* Many episodes of ''Series/SesameStreet'' featuring a number of original songs. One notable example is "Music Magic" from 2010, where the story is told mostly through song as a result of a magic spell gone wrong by Elmo.
139* The final episode of season 1 of ''Series/ASeriesOfUnfortunateEvents'' ends with the Baudelaires, Lemony Snicket, Mr. Poe, and ''Count Olaf'' of all people singing a song about how you'd think that life would be good for the Baudelaires, but as the past season has shown, it is not. It's kind of a BigLippedAlligatorMoment.
140* ''Series/SeventhHeaven'' had a Valentine's Day episode that was also a musical, called [[http://www.televisionwithoutpity.com/show/7th_heaven/red_socks.php Red Socks]].
141* ''Series/StarTrekStrangeNewWorlds'' had "[[Recap/StarTrekStrangeNewWorldsS2E09SubspaceRhapsody Subspace Rhapsody]]", where a NegativeSpaceWedgie causes the crew of the ''Enterprise'' to burst into song. Despite being GenreSavvy in realizing what's going on, there's still problems that the singing causes.
142* The ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'' episode "[[Recap/SupernaturalS10E05FanFiction Fan Fiction]]" is an episode ''about'' a musical -- specifically, a all-girl high school musical based on the ''Supernatural'' novels, an in-universe text written about the show's protagonists by an author who turned out to be the next prophet. The songs, sung by teenage girls playing the TV show characters in the musical, include Castiel's "I'll Just Wait Here", Dean's "Manly Tear", and a Broadway-esque rendition of "Carry On, Wayward Son".
143* ''Series/SwitchedAtBirth'' had "Dance Me to the End of love". Which had several characters dancing in elaborate imagine spots.
144* ''Series/That70sShow'''s 100th episode was a musical called, quite predictably, ''That '70s Musical'', only instead of singing songs written specially for the show, the characters sang some of the [[JukeboxMusical most famous seventies' songs]], as well as Music/TheTurtles' "Happy Together" from the sixties. [[spoiler: The singing scenes take place in Fez's imagination.]]
145* ''Series/ThatsSoRaven'' did one in which Raven lets it slip that the new janitor is a talent scout is visiting her school, and thus everyone is breaking into song to impress the scout. [[spoiler:The kids eventually found out he was actually an undercover health inspector.]]
146* ''Series/ToddAndTheBookOfPureEvil'' has a metal musical episode every season and straddles the line between playing it straight and justifying it. "The Phantom of Crowley High" had one inexplicable love song alongside an actual musical in the school. "2 Girls, 1 Tongue" justifies the singing as a side-effect of one of the Book's spells, but the cast does an unplanned number after the spell ends. Both feature a girl who hates musicals.
147* The ''Series/TwoPintsOfLagerAndAPacketOfCrisps'' episode "When Janet Met Jonny".
148* ''Series/XenaWarriorPrincess'' had two, actually. The funny one that parodied the "battle of the bands" type trope, and the (in some ways) more serious "Bitter Suite" episode.
149* ''Series/XPlay'', a video game review show, did a ''surprisingly'' not horrible musical episode.
150* In the ''Series/LegendsOfTomorrow'' episode "[[Recap/LegendsOfTomorrowS4E11SeanceAndSensibility Séance & Sensibility]]", Zari falls for Kamadeva, the Hindu god of love (well, a guy named Sanjay with Kamadeva's powers). They use Kamadeva's powers to turn the prim and proper inhabitants of a RegencyEngland town into backup dancers for their Bollywood musical number. Anyone in the vicinity can't help but sing.
151* ''Series/HenryDanger'' has a two-part musical episode called 'Henry Danger the Musical".
152* ''Series/Teachers2016'' has "Lunchtime! The Musical," which parodies some notable musicals.
153[[/folder]]
154
155
156[[folder:Radio]]
157* Episode three of the AudioPlay/BigFinishDoctorWho audio drama ''[[Recap/BigFinishDoctorWho043DoctorWhoAndThePirates Doctor Who and the Pirates]]''. As the story is being told through the framing device of the Sixth Doctor and Evelyn telling the story to one of Evelyn's students, it already contains a bit of storytelling silliness (Evelyn doesn't remember all the pirates' names, so she makes up obviously fake ones for the less-important characters), but when the Doctor takes his turn at telling the story, he decides, for LargeHam reasons, to deliver it in the form of a Gilbert and Sullivan musical. You could say that he's [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIdDXQ2h1Pc the very model of a Gallifreyan buccaneer]].
158** As far as {{Cliff Hanger}}s go, this one is one of the most interesting:
159---> '''Evelyn''': Oh no! You ''are'' going to sing!
160---> '''The Doctor''': Well yes! I am! Llaaa-''[[[InterruptedByTheEnd cliffhanger theme music plays. Episode ends.]]]''
161* Also in the Big Finish Universe, we have ''[[Recap/BigFinishDoctorWhoCCS7E9TheScorchies The Scorchies]]''. All together now- ''Jo is making a thing! It's got lights that flash and go bing! Oh, what a lovely thing to sing about, Jo, making a thing!''
162* ''Radio/LandOfTheLost1943'' gives us an interesting example in "Marriage Of The Fife & Drum"- while every episode contains one or two [[SongParody Song Parodies]], "Fife & Drum" ''vastly'' increases their number and frequency, and is set in the series' resident BandLand as well.
163* Season 6, episode 6 of ''Radio/JohnFinnemoresSouvenirProgramme'' has a musical Storyteller sketch about, and caused by, a cursed piano that [[TheMusicMeister makes people sing]].
164[[/folder]]
165
166[[folder:Video Games]]
167* Every single Live Event in ''VideoGame/AdventureQuestWorlds'' has been a musical episode. Especially Friday the 13th, when Voltaire performs. Alternatively, a story is written based only on a certain singer's work.
168* ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedIVBlackFlag'' features sea shanties and tavern music all derived from actual period folk songs, much like Radio/GTARadio, you can command your crew to sing them while you sail.
169* In ''VideoGame/ChibiRobo'', almost everything you do causes a seemingly-random string of notes to play in addition to the background music.
170* The final boss of ''VideoGame/ChronoCross'', while [[QuieterThanSilence not having any music playing while you fight]], has you [[spoiler: casting spells in the correct order]]. If you speed footage of this battle up, [[spoiler: the notes each spell gives off, played in the correct order, [[FridgeBrilliance is the credits theme]]]].
171* ''VideoGame/ConkersBadFurDay'' gives players a Musical ''BossFight''. "[[LargeHam Iiiiii, aaaaammmmmm, the Grrrreat Mighty Poo]] ... and I'm going to thrrrrrrow my shit at you..."
172* The entirety of ''VideoGame/EpicMickey2ThePowerOfTwo'' is one of these.
173* ''Franchise/KingdomHearts''
174** ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsII'' reworked [[WesternAnimation/TheLittleMermaid1989 Atlantica]] into this. The UnexpectedGameplayChange leads to a Musical Boss Fight against giant Ursula.
175** In addition, the 3DS game, ''VideoGame/KingdomHearts3DDreamDropDistance'' had an entire world, [[WesternAnimation/{{Fantasia}} Symphony of Sorcery]], composed entirely of sound. Even the usual Keyblade sounds from hitting enemies are turned into music notes, and special attacks are accomplished by finishing a 'score'. Oh, and the protagonists [[SilentProtagonist only talk in the cutscenes]]. Given how it is based on Fantasia, and features entire scores of some classical pieces, this fits perfectly.
176* ''VideoGame/TheNightmareBeforeChristmasOogiesRevenge'' has you defeating bosses with a singing retort going between the characters the entire time.
177* Most every ''Creator/RemedyEntertainment'' game has at least one musical number. ''VideoGame/AlanWake'', ''VideoGame/{{Control}}'', and ''VideoGame/AlanWake2'' each have a musical episode, taking up the majority of a chapter, twice in the case of ''Control''. Most of the time, those musical numbers talk about the entire plot of the game.
178* The main gimmick of ''VideoGame/RhapsodyAMusicalAdventure'' is the musical interludes, featuring more than twenty numbers in key scenes and the occasional boss battle, both in English and Japanese.
179* Venice in ''VideoGame/Sly3HonorAmongThieves'' could be considered this, due to Don Octavio's plot to pollute the city with tar unless everyone attends his opera during Carnival. Also, the final mission starts off as this, as the first part is Bentley performing a duet with Octavio.
180[[/folder]]
181
182%%[[folder:Web Animation]]
183%%* ''WebAnimation/BrawlOfTheObjects'': BOTO's Next Star. 'Nuff said.
184%%[[/folder]]
185
186[[folder:Webcomics]]
187* ''Webcomic/PennyArcade'' did this at least [[http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2005/11/14/ once]].
188* ''Webcomic/InstantClassic'', which has had [[http://www.instantclassic.net/story.php?comicID=100 background scoring]] in it before, composed and created an [[http://www.instantclassic.net/story.php?comicID=207 actual musical number]] to play along with the comic as it was read.
189* ''Webcomic/BrawlInTheFamily'' did it a few times. The first was for Christmas 2008, a parody of [[WesternAnimation/HowTheGrinchStoleChristmas You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch]]. The second was for Comic 200. The next three were for Christmas 2010, and the next one for Christmas 2012, along with Comics 400 and 600.
190* ''Webcomic/{{Narbonic}}'' had a brief interlude in "Professor Madblood and the Doppelganger Gambit" where the robots perform [[http://www.narbonic.com/MadbloodBattleAnthem.mp3 the Madblood Battle Anthem]].
191* ''Webcomic/{{Nodwick}}'' has [[http://comic.nodwick.com/?comic=2011-02-28 Phantom of the Way, Way Off-Broadway Musical]]; here, everyone ends up singing due to a scroll Artax casts without fully reading the effects.
192* ''Webcomic/{{Fans}}'' did this -- complete with fully-voiced [=MP3s=] linked beneath the panels -- mostly as a homage to ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer''. Again, there is CharacterDevelopment as the cast is forced to sing their hearts out; in contrast to the generally painful revelations in ''Buffy'', however, this mostly helps ''restore'' the characters' spirits, reminding them why they do what they do. The arc's title, "Makin' 'Em Sing", hints at the fact that the entire thing was orchestrated by people eager to learn what the cast have been hiding recently.
193* In ''Webcomic/KillSixBillionDemons'', [[http://killsixbilliondemons.com/comic/wielder-of-names-2-26/ taking part in a devil drinking contest]] apparently forces you to ''sing'' all your dialogue.
194** [[https://killsixbilliondemons.com/comic/seeker-of-thrones-6-56/ A later chapter in]] ''Seeker of Thrones'' has Oscar recruit a CaperCrew while another devils' drinking song plays [[AvengersAssemble over the montage of him recruiting its members]].
195* ''Webcomic/HolyBibble'' occasionally has a musical episode, usually parodying some sort of musical style that correlates to the current situation, such as a musical number when [[http://holy-bibble.com/comics/844 Yahweh descends from a heavenly stairway with backup angel singers]] to speak with Jacob.
196[[/folder]]
197
198[[folder:Web Original]]
199* ''WebVideo/OneForAll'' begin their third season with one, fittingly centered around Bardic Inspiration. Pat does note it's not supposed to work the way they want it to, but allows it nonetheless.
200* WebVideo/TheAngryVideoGameNerd's review of ''VideoGame/IkariWarriors'' on the NES became this with Kyle Justin's return as the theme song singer, singing about just how much the game sucked.
201* ''WebVideo/TheBatterysDown'' is a musical webseries, which means every episode is a musical episode.
202* ''The [[Music/DoctorSteel Dr. Steel]] Show'', Episode 3.
203* ''WebVideo/EmpiresSMP'' Season 1: Episode 18 from [=LDShadowLady=]'s perspective of the series, "The Blue Axolotl", features a duet between her and Scott Smajor titled [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5BEa7R8_aY&t=400s "Deal With Destiny"]], which takes up about a third of the episode run-time. The song itself covers the two characters making a trade between two valuable items, believing themselves to be scamming the other in the trade, only for the items they each traded for to be vital to their respective character arcs later in the series. The song even makes it into the official musical adaptation of the season!
204* ''WebVideo/FeatherAdventures'': The aptly-named "Feather Adventures: The Musical" is one, with three songs being sung over the course of the video -- the first song [[WithLyrics adds lyrics]] to the background music that plays at the beginning of every episode of the series, the second song is Sqaishey singing about finding mining fun, and the third song points out the entire episode is a MilestoneCelebration for being the 100th episode in the series.
205* ''WebAnimation/HomestarRunner'':
206** The Strong Bad Email [[http://www.homestarrunner.com/sbemail125.html Rock Opera.]]
207** Parodied in [[http://www.homestarrunner.com/sbemail139.html portrait.]] Strong Bad announces that this email will be a musical email, proceeds to start singing the email, then gives up after a few words.
208* ''Blog/HowToHero'''s [[https://howtohero.tumblr.com/post/172611679432/howtohero-the-musical "How To Hero: The Musical!"]]
209* ''WebVideo/ImAMarvelAndImADC'' did this in honor of their hundredth video. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyPh8aIdR-4 CONTINUITY!]]
210** [[http://www.homestarrunner.com/onetwo.html This little number.]]
211* ''WebVideo/FrenchBaguetteIntelligence'': ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G63sCyQWiz4 Did Video Kill Ace Attorney?]]'' is a tribute to ''Music/VideoKilledTheRadioStar'' with Ace Attorney characters, instead of a Discord conversation like other episodes.
212* ''WebVideo/LastExileAbridged'' gives us [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W2LCdDAaldg this beauty,]] which is not terribly surprising given that Unwardil is a musician. She Who Must Be Obeyed later makes him summarize the episodes properly.
213* ''WebVideo/TheLegendOfNeil'' did one in its second season.
214* ''Podcast/KingFallsAM'': Episode 40 involves a [[ItMakesSenseInContext racist witch]] chanting a spell to give the [[QuirkyTown town]] of [[WeirdnessMagnet King Falls]] a snowy Christmas during an unseasonable heat wave. One of the side effects though, much to [[AgentScully Sammy's]] horror is that everyone in town who calls in to the radio station now does so in song.
215* The ''WebVideo/MapMen'' episode "The mystery of the squarest country" is done almost entirely in song, listening off every country in the world as they try to search for the country whose borders most resemble a square. [[spoiler:It's Egypt.]]
216%%* WebVideo/Mega64 (Also the 2011 ''commentary'' for "Summer Semester".)
217* ''WebVideo/MyLittlePonyTotallyLegitRecap'': [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brp7U1cXclo&ab_channel=DWK The recap for "Horse Play"]], done non-traditionally as an entirely rap musical number with a slower chorus. The episode is filled with unusually strange and impressive editing to match the series' usual crass sense of humor, and the result is an oddly coherent production.
218* ''WebVideo/PrincessTutuAbridged'' did this for [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3m-ndZnL-Bw Episode 12.]] Everyone was going out of their vocal range and/or having trouble with character voices and still manages to be enjoyable. Particularly a song about the famed reveal and ensuing [[PleasePutSomeClothesOn results]].
219* ''WebAnimation/RedVsBlue'' season 14 had two examples.
220** "Red Vs. Blue: the Musical!" features the obligatory [[LampshadeHanging Lampshading]] why everyone's singing to begin with, Church especially isn't happy about it. Of course, this is all a retelling of their early adventures to the troops on Chorus by [[CampGay Donut]].
221** "RVB Throwdown" is a RapBattle by the Reds and Blues [[spoiler:and Locus and Felix]] that takes up all but the first thirty seconds of the episode.
222* ''WebVideo/SailorMoonAbridged'' crosses this idea over with all [[Anime/PokemonTheSeries Pokémon]] songs... The results [[http://www.sailormoonabridged.com/ are quite interesting.]]
223* ''WebVideo/ScottTheWoz'' has his 200th episode ''Borderline Forever'', as while songs have been in previous episodes, this one contains not one, not two, but four numbers in a single episode.
224* Website/ChannelAwesome:
225** ''WebVideo/BrowsHeldHigh'':
226*** A ''Music/DavidBowie'' themed musical episode for the movie ''Film/TheManWhoFellToEarth''. This was probably the first internet review show to have this type of episode.
227*** A ''Literature/BeautyAndTheBeast'' review (comparing ''[[Film/BeautyAndTheBeast1946 La Belle et la Bête]]'' with [[WesternAnimation/BeautyAndTheBeast the Disney version]]), a crossover collaboration with WebVideo/SomeJerkWithACamera featuring parody songs of each number from the Disney version, and many many cameos.
228** ''WebVideo/TheNostalgiaCritic'':
229*** His ''Film/MoulinRouge'' [[http://thatguywiththeglasses.com/videolinks/thatguywiththeglasses/nostalgia-critic/33417-nostalgia-critic-musical-review-moulin-rouge review,]] which also featured collaboration with WebVideo/TheNostalgiaChick and Music/{{Brentalfloss}}, with cameos amongst others.
230*** Since [[{{Uncancelled}} his return]], a collaboration with [[WebVideo/BrowsHeldHigh Kyle Kallgren]] and [[WebVideo/PawDugan Paw]] on ''Film/LesMiserables2012''.
231*** He collaborated with WebVideo/SharkJumping to make a clipless review of ''Film/ThePhantomOfTheOpera2004.''
232*** He (infamously) did a clipless review of ''Film/TheWall,'' with much of the focus being the musical parody aspect over the review aspect.
233* ''WebVideo/TheTwilightChronicles'': "The Premonition" is considered a musical episode; however, only one musical number ("All Out of Love") is featured. Spenser Doherty's song "Cup of Coffee" was overdubbed with the real song due to his off-key singing and Gen Borg just danced to her song.
234[[/folder]]

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