| 1 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/dr_katz_professional_therapist.jpeg]] |
| 2 | [[caption-width-right:350:Left to right: his receptionist Laura, Dr. Katz, his son Ben.]] |
| 3 | |
| 4 | ''Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist'' is an American adult animated sitcom that originally aired on Creator/ComedyCentral for six seasons from May 28, 1995 to February 13, 2002.[[note]] The last season mostly aired in 1999, but the final three episodes of the series were held over. [[/note]] Produced by Tom Snyder Productions (which would later become [=Soup2Nuts=]), and starring Jonathan Katz, Creator/HJonBenjamin, and Creator/LauraSilverman, it was the first original animated cartoon series to be shown on Comedy Central, paving the way for ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'' and the like. |
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| 6 | The show was computer animated in a crude, easily recognizable style called SquiggleVision, in which all characters and animate objects are colored and have constantly squiggling outlines, while all inanimate objects are static and usually gray in color. The show also utilized "retroscripting", where each episode has a basic outline but the actors improvise the dialogue. This technique would also be used on the first season of ''WesternAnimation/HomeMovies''. |
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| 8 | The show focuses on the title character, Dr. Jonathan Katz, who is voiced by, and visually based on, the comedian of the same name. Dr. Katz is a professional psychoanalyst who sees various well-known comedians and actors as patients, usually two per episode. The comedians' therapy sessions generally consist of them doing their onstage material (with Dr. Katz acting as a kind of milquetoast StraightMan), while those featuring actors and actresses offer more interpersonal dialogue between Katz and his patient to better suit their predisposition. |
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| 10 | Interspersed with the sessions are scenes involving Dr. Katz's daily life, which include his interactions with his aimless {{Manchild}} son, Ben (Benjamin); his disinterested and unhelpful receptionist, Laura (Silverman); and his friends, businessman Stanley (Will [=LeBow=]) and barmaid Julie (Julianne Shapiro). |
| 11 | |
| 12 | ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'' did a {{Crossover}} where Mr. Garrison sought therapy from Dr. Katz. Also referenced in ''WesternAnimation/{{Arthur}}'', of all shows. |
| 13 | |
| 14 | [[{{Revival}} Revived]] in 2017 as the [[AudioPlay audio series]] ''Dr. Katz: The Audio Files'', available via Audible.com. |
| 15 | |
| 16 | ---- |
| 17 | !!Provides examples of: |
| 18 | |
| 19 | * AccidentalMisnaming: Dom Irrera's first bit in the show is complaining to Laura about how many people butcher his name. |
| 20 | * ActuallyPrettyFunny: At the end of "Ben-Centennial", when Dr. Katz and Ben discover that Laura's "birthday present" for Ben is a stapler swiped from Katz's office and gift-wrapped with a patient's psychiatric file.[[note]]Which [[FreezeFrameBonus closer inspection]] shows to be Dom Irrera's.[[/note]] |
| 21 | -->'''Dr. Katz:''' You know what? I– I applaud her. But first I fire her. Then I applaud her. |
| 22 | * AdaptationExpansion: ''Dr. Katz'' actually started as a series of bumpers on Comedy Central before becoming a full-fledged series in 1995. |
| 23 | * AlcoholInducedIdiocy: Dr. Katz asked Richard Jeni if he ever thought about getting married. Jeni replied, "No, I've never even been drunk enough to get a tattoo." |
| 24 | * AllLoveIsUnrequited: Laura and Ben are the most obvious, but more subtly, Dr. Katz seems into Laura, and there's the Stanley/Julie/Katz triangle, meaning almost the entire male cast is into a girl, without reciprocation from any of the girls. (There's a few episodes that shows that Julie may have feelings for Dr. Katz. The episode where they practice Dr. Katz's part in a play includes a kiss that seems very well-requited. This is never mentioned again.) |
| 25 | * AllMenArePerverts: Discussed. |
| 26 | -->'''Larry Miller:''' Women say, "We look at guys sexually, too."\ |
| 27 | '''Dr. Katz:''' Well, they do.\ |
| 28 | '''Larry Miller:''' Women have ''NO IDEA''. If women had any idea, even for an instant, how we ''really'' looked at them, they would ''never'' stop slapping us. |
| 29 | * AlmaMaterSong: Ted Alexandro began singing his school song for St. Francis Prep. |
| 30 | * AmbiguousSyntax: Laura complains that the strong cologne Dr. Katz is wearing is making her eyes water. Dr. Katz replies, "It takes some getting used to." Laura observes, "That's a good name for it." |
| 31 | * AnalogyBackfire: Dr. Katz asked guest Steven Wright what he thought certain phrases meant. One of them was "People in glass houses shouldn't throw stones." His response: |
| 32 | -->'''Steven Wright:''' That one always confused me; if you were throwing stones in ''any'' house, it would be damaging. |
| 33 | * AndNinetyNineCents: In "Pot-Bellied Pigs", Ben says that he has a job of buying pigs, breeding them, and then selling the babies for profit. Dr. Katz asks what each pig costs, and Ben says, "Twenty-nine... ninety-nine... ninety-five." |
| 34 | -->'''Dr. Katz:''' ''[irritated]'' Just round it up, Ben, just say the figure.\ |
| 35 | '''Ben:''' ''[sighs]'' $1,000.\ |
| 36 | '''Dr. Katz:''' UP.\ |
| 37 | '''Ben:''' Oh, round it ''up''.\ |
| 38 | '''Dr. Katz:''' Up and off. |
| 39 | * AnimationBump: Ben taking a fire extinguisher to the burning Thanksgiving dinner. [[DamnedByFaintPraise He actually has walking animation!]] |
| 40 | ** The cutaway gag of Mitch Hedberg as a foosball player. He's given a front flip animation, more movement than is usual for the show. (trivia: This scene is animated by Karla Zimonja) |
| 41 | * ArtEvolution: Season 1 featured character animations not used in any other season, probably because they were so ugly and off-model. Season 5 got a new batch of reusable character animations; most notably for Laura. |
| 42 | ** Certain guests who were featured in the early episodes got new looks when they appeared in later episodes. Most notable is Dave Attell, who was originally drawn with bushy hair but was given a bald head when he appeared in season 6. |
| 43 | ** Laura Kightlinger and Wendy Liebman were also drastically re-designed for their later appearances. |
| 44 | * AskAStupidQuestion: |
| 45 | ** In a therapy session with Joy Behar: |
| 46 | --->'''Joy:''' I just wanna eat everything.\ |
| 47 | '''Dr. Katz:''' And you're afraid if you eat too much, you'll get fat?\ |
| 48 | '''Joy:''' ''[sarcastic]'' No, I'm afraid if I eat too much, I'll get thin. What's wrong with you??\ |
| 49 | '''Dr. Katz:''' Um...\ |
| 50 | '''Joy:''' I mean really, what kind of doctor asks a stupid question like that? |
| 51 | ** In a session with Emo Phillips, Emo mentioned that he liked to go to the zoo. Dr. Katz asked him what he liked most about the zoo, and this followed: |
| 52 | --->'''Emo:''' ''[sighs]'' Oh boy, that's a tough one. I would have to say... the animals. |
| 53 | ** Jeff Ross told about how he was buying some clothes for a toddler and the clerk actually asked him, "Is this a gift?" |
| 54 | --->'''Jeff:''' No I'm gonna wear it out. I have a job interview in an hour, so can you hurry up before I make doody caca in my diaper, you freak of nature?\ |
| 55 | '''Dr. Katz:''' You told ''her''. |
| 56 | ** In one episode, Ben gave a survey to Laura. One of the questions: |
| 57 | --->'''Ben:''' "What's the first thing you reach for in the morning?" It can be specific, or...\ |
| 58 | '''Laura:''' The snooze button? |
| 59 | * AudienceAlienatingPremise: Invoked; Gilbert Gottfried claims that ''Series/HogansHeroes'' was this, and imagines what the pitch session was like: |
| 60 | -->'''Gilbert:''' ''[as writer]'' Okay, here's the idea: A group of soldiers held in a Nazi prison camp. IT'S A COMEDY! ''[as exec]'' Hmm, that's interesting. Tell me more. ''[as writer]'' Well, okay. You see, these soldiers are imprisoned by the Nazis behind barbed wire, and if they try to escape, they'll be shot! ''[as exec]'' I love it! It's a laugh riot! |
| 61 | * AwkwardlyGayDream: Louis C.K. tells Dr. Katz about one he had, where he didn't realize it was a gay dream until he started making out with a guy. |
| 62 | * BadImpressionists: In "Movies", Ben asks Dr. Katz to do an impression of Marlon Brando from ''Film/TheGodfather'', and Katz starts his line with a wheezy grunt. Ben makes fun of how bad his impression is. |
| 63 | ** Gilbert Gottfried did a mash-up for Laura: Jackie Gleason in ''Film/{{Casablanca}}'', which sounds nothing like Gleason and was basically just Gilbert shouting like he usually does (of course, that's part of the joke): |
| 64 | --->'''Gilbert:''' ''[as Gleason]'' You're gettin' on that plane with Vic Laszlo! Oh you're gettin' on that plane all right! 'Cause I know that you know that I know that you're gettin' on that plane! |
| 65 | * BaitAndSwitch: A common joke-telling technique from Bill Braudis. One example: |
| 66 | -->'''Bill:''' I was supposed to get braces when I was a little kid, but my parents didn't have enough money... left over from their trip. |
| 67 | * BankRobbery: Guest Don Gavin mentions that he tried to rob a bank once, but failed: He accidentally put the gun in the drive-up drawer with the threatening note. |
| 68 | * {{Beat}}: Guest Garry Shandling accused Dr. Katz of using too many pauses in the sessions, which has dragged out his therapy for longer than it needs to. |
| 69 | -->'''Dr. Katz:''' [[IResembleThatRemark I'm not trying to prolong your treatment, I'm just trying to give you... help.]] |
| 70 | * BigShutUp: In "Real Estate", Laura's trying to sell her apartment over the phone, but Ben keeps talking. Finally, she tells him, "Could you ''shut up''?" Ben talks some more and Laura reiterates: "SHUT UP!" |
| 71 | * BilingualBonus: The ColdOpen to "Cholesterol" has Dr. Katz and Stanley speaking Spanish to each other, with a few English words thrown in. |
| 72 | * BirthdayEpisode: "Ben-Centennial" has Ben celebrating his 25th. |
| 73 | * BlackComedy: In one episode, Dr. Katz told a joke to Stan and Julie: A guy calls his wife from the office, and the maid answers the phone. He tells the maid to put his wife on the line, but the maid says that she's busy having sex with another man. The man tells the maid to go upstairs and kill both of them. She does so, and comes back to the phone, asking what she should do with the bodies. The man says to throw the bodies in the pool. The maid asks, "What pool?" The man then asks if he has the right number. |
| 74 | * BlatantLies: In "Chopper", when Ben, runner-up in a radio contest, is dismayed that nothing happened to the contest winner (and thus, was unable to take his place in riding the helicopter): |
| 75 | -->'''Dr. Katz:''' Remember when I said this contest had no losers?\ |
| 76 | '''Ben:''' Yeah?\ |
| 77 | ''[Dr. Katz shrugs and smiles; Ben laughs]'' |
| 78 | * BornInTheWrongCentury: Louis C.K. had a bit about how he would've loved to live in the Old West because you could walk into a tavern and buy a wide variety of items. |
| 79 | ** Tom Kenny lamented that people nowadays are so easily triggered (such as honking if the car in front of them doesn't accelerate immediately when the light turns green). He said it would've been much better to live in the 19th century, because the worst insult you could get is someone telling you, "Good day, sir!" |
| 80 | * BrainyBaby: Creator/StevenWright had a bit about how his first memory was as a 8-month old in a doctor's office. He realized he had the power of speech and told the doctor, "Do you mind shutting the window? I think my feet are getting cold." He noted that the doctor's reaction was so horrifying (i.e. fainting) that he better hold off on speaking again for at least a few months. |
| 81 | * BreadEggsBreadedEggs: In "Mourning Person" while Dr. Katz is giving a eulogy: |
| 82 | -->'''Dr. Katz:''' I remember her love, and her laughter... ''[trying to keep from cracking up]'' and her love of laughter. |
| 83 | * BriefAccentImitation: Dr. Katz tries to sound like an evil villain for guest Patton Oswalt, but accidentally produces a Scottish accent instead. |
| 84 | * BrokenBase: In-universe, Bobby Slayton says he's angry because there are some people out there who prefer Creator/RogerMoore over Creator/SeanConnery for Film/JamesBond. |
| 85 | * ByTheLightsOfTheirEyes: Used a few times in the show when characters are in the dark. |
| 86 | * CallBack: While on the plane in "Miles Away", Ben gets ready to watch a movie called "Lovestrings", which was first mentioned in "Movies" (and which Ben doesn't want to see because it's a "chick flick"). |
| 87 | ** Dom Irrera's love song to Dr. Katz (first heard in "Bees and S.I.D.S.") is later sung by Dom on many occasions. |
| 88 | ** In both "Glasses" and "New Phone System", Dr. Katz quips: "Am I the only one with a ''rotary'' cellular phone?" This joke is revisited in the last episode of the series, "Lerapy", when Creator/ConanOBrien steals his joke and uses it on his show. |
| 89 | * CaptainObvious: While discussing his trip to Florida, guest Kevin Nealon mentioned that he found a great beach, "it was, like, right on the water." |
| 90 | ** Don Gavin tried lifting weights, but he thought, "Boy, these are heavy." |
| 91 | ** Brian Kiley said he tried low sodium soup. His analysis? "It needs ''salt''." |
| 92 | * CatchPhrase: "Oops, you know what the music means: Our time is up." |
| 93 | * ChainLetter: An entire episode revolves around Ben wondering what to do with a chain letter, with Dr. Katz and Laura both immediately telling him to throw it away. |
| 94 | * ChainOfCorrections: In "Monte Carlo": |
| 95 | -->'''Ben:''' It's a Monte Carlo, like the Count.\ |
| 96 | '''Dr. Katz:''' That's Cristo.\ |
| 97 | '''Ben:''' Like the oil?\ |
| 98 | '''Dr. Katz:''' No, that's Crisco.\ |
| 99 | '''Ben:''' Like the Count?\ |
| 100 | '''Dr. Katz:''' No, that's... that's Carlo.\ |
| 101 | '''Ben:''' Like the car? |
| 102 | * CharacterTics: Laura's heavy sigh of irritation. |
| 103 | * ChristmasEpisode: Season 2's "Office Management". |
| 104 | * CityWithNoName: The name of the city the show takes place in is never made clear; at times it evokes images of UsefulNotes/NewYorkCity; other times, it seems more like UsefulNotes/{{Boston}}. |
| 105 | ** In one episode Conan O'Brien is a client who uses one of Dr. Katz' jokes on ''Series/LateNight'', based in New York. |
| 106 | * ClassReunion: Ben gets an invitation to a high school reunion in the season 3 finale. He's reluctant at first but ultimately decides to go. |
| 107 | * ClicheStorm: Invoked. Guest Don Gavin said he was seeing another therapist; Dr. Katz asked if he was a second opinion, but Gavin said the other theraist was the ''first'' opinion, and Katz was the second. |
| 108 | -->'''Dr. Katz:''' That's adding insult to injury. That's like pouring salt on an open wound.\ |
| 109 | '''Gavin:''' Any other cliches you'd like to throw my way?\ |
| 110 | '''Dr. Katz:''' That's like... I was gonna say that was like a stitch in time, but that doesn't apply.\ |
| 111 | '''Gavin:''' No it doesn't.\ |
| 112 | '''Dr. Katz:''' But let's bury the hatchet.\ |
| 113 | '''Gavin:''' Okay. |
| 114 | * CloudCuckooLander: Guests Steven Wright and Mitch Hedberg certainly qualify. |
| 115 | * CoatFullOfContraband: Robert Klein mentions that he was once approached by a man who used the "Wanna buy a watch?" line. Robert refused, and it's revealed he was standing at a urinal when he said it. |
| 116 | * ColdOpen: More common in the earlier seasons. |
| 117 | * ComicallyMissingThePoint: Done many times in one of the Gilbert Gottfried sessions: |
| 118 | -->'''Dr. Katz:''' Freud said it's the dr-\ |
| 119 | '''Gilbert:''' He said this to you ''personally''?? I didn't know the two of you knew each other.\ |
| 120 | '''Dr. Katz:''' Freud said it's the dreamer-\ |
| 121 | '''Gilbert:''' But him being Freud, shouldn't you speak with a German accent?\ |
| 122 | '''Dr. Katz:''' Well, this was ''years'' ago.\ |
| 123 | '''Gilbert:''' Oh, so he didn't ''have'' the German accent back then. |
| 124 | * [[ComicBookAdaptation Comic Strip Adaptation]]: There was a ''Dr. Katz'' newspaper strip from 1997 to 1999. |
| 125 | * ConfusingMultipleNegatives: Guest Barry Sobel said that his dad once told him, "DontDoAnythingIWouldntDo"... but his dad wouldn't do anything. Barry and Dr. Katz got into a discussion on whether that limited Barry or freed him. |
| 126 | * ConspiracyTheorist: |
| 127 | ** Dom Irrera. |
| 128 | --->'''Dom:''' People say I'm paranoid, right? Well maybe ''you'd'' be a little paranoid if there was a world organization bent on your destruction.\ |
| 129 | '''Dr. Katz:''' Is this... is this your UNICEF theory again?? |
| 130 | ** Marc Maron had traits of this as well, such as when he asked why they needed his name at Radio Shack: "I'm buying batteries, do you understand what I'm saying? ''I'm buying batteries''." |
| 131 | ** Dave Attell asked: "Doctor, prostate cancer: Did the CIA invent that?" |
| 132 | ** Parodied in "Undercover Ben": Ben is convinced that the local bakery [[CaptainObvious is purposefully pumping out odors to get people to come in and buy their bread.]] |
| 133 | * {{Corpsing}}: In-universe, this is why Dr. Katz is unable to get through an audition in "Community Theater"; the play director uses a strange accent that gives Dr. Katz the giggles. |
| 134 | * CouldThisHappenToYou: Tom Kenny did a routine about sensationalism in the media, where even if a natural disaster is averted, the news reporters will milk the story by doing the "what if" news: |
| 135 | -->'''Tom:''' ''[as an anchorman]'' Today's earthquake out in the desert was a 1.9, just a small temblor, according to seismologists at UCLA. But what if it had been a 9.1? Would you survive? Would your family survive? Our 25-part series "surviving the big one" starts this week on channel 7 news. We urge you and your family to watch! What if the big quake hit? What if you were working in a store that sold nothing but sharp jagged knives made of glass? Would you survive? Would your family survive?? |
| 136 | * CrappyHolidays: A mild version. In "Thanksgiving", Ben accidentally burns the turkey (and almost sets the kitchen on fire). So he, Dr. Katz, Laura, and Roz (Katz's ex-wife) have to eat TV dinners instead. Also, Ben [[PottyEmergency gets diarrhea]] from the TV dinner he ate. |
| 137 | * CurseCutShort: In "Snow Day", Todd the video store clerk is about to say "pigeon shit" but Ben interrupts him before he can say the offending word. |
| 138 | ** Guest Jake Johannsen was about to swear, but Dr. Katz cut him off. Jake observed: "My other therapist let me swear." Dr. Katz replied, "That's up to ''him''." |
| 139 | * DeadlineNews: Guest Eddie Brill had a bit about how unfair it is that the meteorologists get to sit in their comfy studio while some unfortunate shmuck has to be in the field, covering really bad weather, yet the meteorologists get paid immensely more money. |
| 140 | * DeadpanSnarker: All of the characters talk this way at least sometimes, especially Laura to Ben, and also Dr. Katz and Ben to each other. |
| 141 | * DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment: |
| 142 | ** During Dr. Katz's eulogy speech in "Mourning Person": |
| 143 | --->'''Dr. Katz:''' Estelle had... 92 great years. And by my count that's... 92 great years. |
| 144 | ** In "Office Management", Dr. Katz tells Laura that he's having a Christmas party with the whole company. All two of them. |
| 145 | --->'''Dr. Katz:''' Me, my administrative assistant... and me. And my big feet. |
| 146 | * DidntThinkThisThrough: In "Real Estate", Ben puts the cart before the horse: |
| 147 | -->'''Laura:''' Wait a second... you're filling out "change of address" forms and you don't even know where you're moving??\ |
| 148 | '''Ben:''' ...You know, it sounds crazy when you say it. |
| 149 | * DidYouGetANewHaircut: In "Henna", A red-haired Dr. Katz brings Laura into the office and asks her if she notices anything different. After a couple guesses unrelated to his hair color, he asks about his appearance specifically. Finally, she says in a disinterested tone, "Well your hair's bright red." |
| 150 | * DisappointedInYou: Dr. Katz is this to Ben when Ben reveals that, despite being an eye witness to a crime, he admitted to Katz that he didn't actually see the crime. |
| 151 | * DodgyToupee: One of the first jokes Dom Irrera told: |
| 152 | -->'''Dom:''' You ever see a toupee that's so unbelievably bad, you just wanna say, "Hey gimme that thing! Who do you think you're foolin', pal? Who do you think you're foolin'? You could've at least had the decency to close the eyes of the animal who gave his furry little life for you, mat-head, with that pelt. Look at that face." Maybe that's the idea: You get a toupee that's ''so bad'', nobody cares. You just get one with a chin strap and a big label turned up in the back. |
| 153 | * DomesticOnlyCartoon: Animated entirely in Watertown, Massachusetts. |
| 154 | * DontExplainTheJoke: In one episode, Dr. Katz tells a joke to Julie, who doesn't get it. He proceeds to explain the punchline. Stan remarks, "You gotta stop explaining the joke. If you do that, life's not worth living." |
| 155 | * EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: In the first season especially, the interplay between Dr. Katz and Ben was a little more serious and subdued, with the "get a job" a common topic between the two. Over time, the dynamic lightened up. |
| 156 | ** In the first few episodes, there isn't a framed painting hanging over Dr. Katz's office chair. |
| 157 | * {{Ephebophile}}: Joked about in "It Takes Some Getting Used To": |
| 158 | -->'''Dr. Katz:''' I think that you should be thrilled that your father, at the age of 48, is finally pursuing a healthy, full relationship with a...\ |
| 159 | '''Ben:''' With a-\ |
| 160 | '''Dr. Katz:''' ...With a teen, a happy-go-lucky teen! ''[Ben laughs]'' |
| 161 | * EmbarrassingDampSheets: A rare variant involving poop is brought up in the first Kevin Meaney episode. When he talks about how housekeeping ladies leave chocolate in beds, he says that if you come to your hotel room late and don't notice the chocolates, you would mistake it for having pooped in the bed when you wake up. |
| 162 | * EpicFail: Ben gets these pretty frequently. In one instance, he assumed the world only had about 2-3 million people in it ("Actually, Ben, it's in the ''billions''."), and in another instance, he said that pigeons were mammals. |
| 163 | ** In "Theory of Intelligence", Ben can't solve a math problem that a kindergartener could do: |
| 164 | --->'''Dr. Katz:''' I have three apples. You have two apples. I give you one of my apples. Do we now have the same number of apples? ''[Ben is silent]'' See, this is why I wish I had sent you to a private school. |
| 165 | ** Dr. Katz is no stranger to this, either; in "Wisdom Teeth", he accidentally gave Ben antihistamines instead of painkillers. |
| 166 | * EroticDream: Joy Behar admitted to having sex dreams about Dr. Katz, although she wasn't sure if it's accurate to call them "sex dreams". One dream involved Dr. Katz's head sticking out of a turtle's body; the Katz turtle was placed in a bowl of other turtles, and one of the other turtles bit Dr. Katz's head off. |
| 167 | * EstablishingCharacterMoment: The very first line uttered in the show is from Ben Katz: "Dad, the problem is, there's just no work for me right now in my chosen field." Ben's chosen field? Daredevil. That... doesn't leave him with a whole lot of options for employment. |
| 168 | * EveryEpisodeEnding: Dr. Katz telling his patient that the therapy session is over (see CatchPhrase), as prompted by the music cue. There are some exceptions: |
| 169 | ** "[[ThanksgivingEpisode Thanksgiving]]", which ends with Dr. Katz and Ben on the couch after UsefulNotes/ThanksgivingDay dinner. |
| 170 | ** "Ben Treats", which ends with Katz, Ben, and Laura in the fancy restaurant. |
| 171 | ** "Walk For Hunger", which ends with Dr. Katz and Laura carrying Ben the rest of the way in the hunger walk. |
| 172 | ** "Ben Centennial", which ends with Laura giving Ben a birthday present. |
| 173 | ** "Ticket", which ends with Dr. Katz and Ben getting pulled over on their way to fight a traffic ticket. |
| 174 | ** "Mourning Person", which ends with Dr. Katz's horrible eulogy. |
| 175 | ** "Community Theater", which ends with Dr. Katz's failed audition. |
| 176 | ** "Lil' Helper", which ends with Ben pitching a massage business to Dr. Katz. |
| 177 | * EveryoneIsJesusInPurgatory: Invoked. Gilbert Gottfried is annoyed that his dreams have no symbolism. He says other people have dreams where abstract things represent something profound. But Gilbert's dreams are basically: "Me, I have this dream where I'm walking down a street, and it's ''just'' a street." |
| 178 | * ExhaustedEyeBags: Dr. Katz sports these in "Day Planner" when the malfunctioning air conditioner kept him up all night. He has lost the bags when he got to work, though. |
| 179 | * ExtremeDoormat: Dr. Katz in general. |
| 180 | ** In "New Phone System", he confronts Laura over some foreign calls she made, saying that he pays the bills and to be respectful of that. After a brief pause, he caves: "I'm sorry, I don't know what I'm talking about. Can I buy you lunch?" |
| 181 | ** Dr. Katz lets Dom Irrera ride in his car after a therapy session after Dom pesters him about it. |
| 182 | * EyeScream: Dave Attell lamented that every date he ever goes on always ends with the woman shouting, "My eye!!!" |
| 183 | * FakingTheDead: Patient Tom Agna has a routine about faking a heart attack to get out of a boring dinner with a couple. He realizes the bit had gotten away from him when the couple phoned 911, which prompted Tom to get up and state he was just kidding. The couple was not amused. |
| 184 | * FauxdianSlip: In "Ball and Chain", Dr. Katz encourages Ben to get out there and meet women, saying he could envision him as the marrying type. Ben disagrees: |
| 185 | -->'''Ben:''' Think about it, the same person sitting across from you day in and day out? Every stupid thing he says, every ''boring story he tells''...\ |
| 186 | '''Dr. Katz:''' Why do you keep saying "he", "he", "he", you're talking about ''me''-\ |
| 187 | '''Ben:''' Oh my GOD, I'm sick of the way you talk. |
| 188 | * FauxtivationalPoster: [[https://www.jeffsass.com/katz/scans/hangInThere.jpg "Hang in there, baby!"]] What makes it a little off is that the cat looks genuinely troubled. |
| 189 | * FinishingEachOthersSentences: Subverted in "Sharon Myers": |
| 190 | -->'''Dr. Katz:''' You know, I think part of your...\ |
| 191 | '''Bobby Slayton:''' Charm?\ |
| 192 | '''Dr. Katz:''' I was gonna say "dilemma".\ |
| 193 | '''Bobby Slayton:''' All right.\ |
| 194 | '''Dr. Katz:''' Can we come back to the charm?\ |
| 195 | '''Bobby Slayton:''' Sure. |
| 196 | * FlippingTheBird: Creator/LouisCK had a bit about how he repeatedly gave the finger to two snot-nosed brats in the back seat of a car in front of him. At one point, the father of the car caught Louis, but instead of getting angry, he gave him a thumbs up in the rear-view mirror. Louis concluded that parents must want to give their kids the finger all the time. |
| 197 | * FluffyCloudHeaven: Seen during Tom Agna's "can't take it with ya" bit. |
| 198 | * FormulaBreakingEpisode: A few examples: |
| 199 | ** "Bakery Ben" is the only instance in the series of Ben being employed. [[StatusQuoIsGod It's short-lived.]] |
| 200 | ** "Vow of Silence" has Sam Brown in therapy with two members of his family; group therapy never happens in any other episode. |
| 201 | ** The therapy sessions in "Thanksgiving" feel like an afterthought; the main focus is on Roz (and Laura) coming over for Thanksgiving. |
| 202 | ** "Community Theater", since it has Dr. Katz and Ben interacting with someone outside of the main cast of characters or guest stars, a rarity in the series. In a way the last scene almost feels proto-''WesternAnimation/HomeMovies''. |
| 203 | ** A few episodes- notably "Ticket", "Ben Centennial", "Ben's Partay", "Walk for Hunger", and "Mourning Person", don't end with Katz and a guest in therapy that's ended by the music, but a different scene entirely. |
| 204 | * FreudianCouch |
| 205 | * FreudianSlip: Used a couple times in the show. In one instance, Dr. Katz recommends his ex-wife Roz stay at a hotel instead of their apartment for the weekend because it contains a "hated [heated] pool". In another instance, Dr. Katz is practicing with Julie for a play and Julie accidentally calls Dr. Katz "Jonathan" instead of his character's name during a passionate sequence. |
| 206 | * FridgeLogic: Invoked for laughs: |
| 207 | ** Creator/PattonOswalt says ''[[Film/ANewHope Star Wars]]'' is his favorite movie of all time, and mentions that, like the Kennedy assassination, everyone remembers where they were when they first saw the movie. A puzzled Dr. Katz asks: "Weren't they in the ''theater''?" |
| 208 | ** Robert Schimmel, on identifying plane crash victims by their dental records: "If they don't know who ''you'' are, how do they know who your ''dentist'' is?" |
| 209 | * FrivolousLawsuit: One time, Laura threatened to call her lawyer when Dr. Katz asked her to look something up in the Yellow Pages. |
| 210 | * TheFunInFuneral: In an episode appropriately titled ''Mourning Person''. |
| 211 | * GetOut: |
| 212 | ** In "Phone Luv", Ben repeatedly says this to Dr. Katz when he wants some privacy on the phone with Cindy. |
| 213 | --->'''Ben:''' Just use the (bleep)ing door! |
| 214 | ** Barry Sobel had a bit about how living in New York was like a Neil Simon play, since everybody shouts. "GET OUTTA HERE!" "I'm not leavin'!" "You're leavin'!" "Don't tell ME to get out!" |
| 215 | ** Don Gavin said he lost his grandmother recently. He clarified: |
| 216 | --->'''Don:''' She didn't die; we just said, "Get the hell out." |
| 217 | * TheGhost: The guy Laura is going to marry in "Uncle Nothing". We never see him. |
| 218 | * HandPuppet: Ron Lynch uses one to communicate his feelings. Eventually the hand puppet brings out its ''own'' hand puppet. |
| 219 | * HarassingPhoneCall: Dom Irrera is convinced Dr. Katz is doing this to him. |
| 220 | -->'''Dom:''' You're not the one calling me and hanging up, are ya?\ |
| 221 | '''Dr. Katz:''' No.\ |
| 222 | '''Dom:''' 'Cause it sounds like your breath. |
| 223 | * HaveIMentionedIAmHeterosexualToday: Ray Romano had a routine about this in one episode: |
| 224 | --> '''Ray:''' Do you ever watch two men go to the movies? They never want to sit right next to each other; there's always that "I'm a heterosexual!" empty seat right there! "There's my friend, my heterosexual friend! (mutters gibberish) Headlock!" |
| 225 | ** Despite guest Dom Irrera frequently performing [[invoked]]HoYay actions towards Dr. Katz, he makes it clear that he's not ''in'' love with him, and in a later episode, Dom warned him: "You're not getting me in the sack." Additionally, he frequently asks: "That don't make me gay or nothing, right?" |
| 226 | * HaveWeMet: Guest Ted Alexandro is convinced that he knew Laura from college. |
| 227 | * HehHehYouSaidX: Guest Elayne Boosler had a bit about ice cream flavors for dogs. She remarked that if there were an ice cream that tasted like doodie, dogs would be robbing stores with guns. To which Dr. Katz remarked: "You said "doodie"." |
| 228 | * HiddenDepths: Laura cared for an injured baby bird in "Ben Centennial". |
| 229 | * HighSchoolSweethearts: When Janeane Garofalo was a guest, she did a bit about how dumb she thinks people who got married in high school are. |
| 230 | -->'''Janeane:''' "All doors that were open will now be closed. I'm going to get married to the guy whose locker happened to be next to mine, in the ninth grade." I don't think you should be allowed to get married until you're thirty-five. |
| 231 | * HitMeDammit: |
| 232 | ** During the closing credits of "Cholesterol", we hear Dr. Katz proud of himself for getting through some push-ups. With a new-found sense of pride about himself, he asks Julie to hit him in the stomach. After trying to back out of it, Julie finally hits him, and Dr. Katz is heard keeling over. |
| 233 | --->'''Dr. Katz:''' Tell Laura to call 911. ''[Julie laughs]'' [[IneffectualDeathThreat I'll kill you. I will kill you.]] |
| 234 | ** In "Sissy Boy"; Ben asks both Dr. Katz and Laura to hit him to prove he's strong enough for the military.; Katz is hesitant but Laura has no reservations about doing it, and in fact asks "Again?" after she slugs him. Later, Todd the video store clerk wants to hit Ben as part of a deal to let Ben use the restroom, turning this into a RunningGag. |
| 235 | ** Dom Irrera has plenty of these - all starring Dr. Katz. |
| 236 | * HoYay: Invoked. Dom Irrera ''constantly'' hits on Katz. |
| 237 | * HurricaneOfPuns: Demonstrated in "Mourning Person" between Dr. Katz and Ben, who keep making up puns using the word "pun". |
| 238 | * {{Hypochondria}}: Ben gets this in "Bees and S.I.D.S." when he browses through Dr. Katz's medical journals. Of note, he's convinced he has Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, despite being 24 years old. Also of note, Dr. Katz mentioned it took a bunch of doctors and lab tests to convince Ben that he didn't have an ovarian cyst. |
| 239 | ** In "Drinky the Drunk Guy", Laura accuses Ben of letting his hypochondria extend to his father. |
| 240 | * HypocriticalHumor: In "Snow Day", Dr. Katz and Stanley both deride the news stations for hyping up snowstorms, claiming they get people overexcited. Seconds later, both say they can't wait for the massive snowstorm to hit. |
| 241 | ** In "Wisdom Teeth", Ben enters the office after getting his wisdom teeth pulled and is talking funny because of the gauze in his mouth. Dr. Katz can't help but giggle at him; Laura admonishes Dr. Katz for laughing at Ben, but seconds later imitates Ben's mumbled sentence. |
| 242 | ** In "Office Management", Ray asks Dr. Katz if something is normal. Dr. Katz replies, ""Normal" is not a word I like to use, Ray." Then Ray describes the issue and Dr. Katz replies, "Yeah, that's normal." |
| 243 | * IAmBigBoned: Guest Dom Irrera thinks this is a lame excuse for being fat: "Yeah, that’s a big bone you’ve got in your butt there." |
| 244 | * ICantDance: "Waltz" reveals that Dr. Katz can't dance (and he will have to dance at an upcoming wedding). He pays Laura $200 to teach him to dance, only he's not allowed to touch her. |
| 245 | * IHaveThisFriend: In "Waltz", Ben tells Todd the video store clerk that today, unlike normally, he's here ''for'' somebody, if Todd knows what he means. Todd jumps to conclusions: |
| 246 | -->'''Todd:''' Uh... did you want to rent a porno movie?\ |
| 247 | '''Ben:''' No. I mean, ''yes''.... listen, I gotta teach a guy how to waltz. |
| 248 | * IllBeInMyBunk: Kevin Meaney: "I do have sexual desires! I DO! I have to go to the bathroom now." |
| 249 | * ImmediateSelfContradiction: |
| 250 | -->'''Laura:''' ''[on phone]'' Dr. Katz's office.\ |
| 251 | '''Ben:''' ''[quietly]'' Listen close and listen hard, I'm only gonna say this once.\ |
| 252 | '''Laura:''' What?\ |
| 253 | '''Ben:''' I said, "Listen close and listen hard, I'm only gonna say this once."\ |
| 254 | '''Laura:''' Can you speak up, please?\ |
| 255 | '''Ben:''' ''[annoyed]'' I said, "Listen close and listen hard, I'm only gonna say this once!" |
| 256 | * ImproperlyParanoid: Dr. Katz in "Paranoia". After hearing a scratching noise outside the door in the middle of the night, he gets new locks for the door, buys pepper spray, wants a home security system that only ''he'' knows the code for, and even considers bars on the windows. You know it's bad when ''Ben'' looks reasonable by comparison. |
| 257 | * IncrediblyLamePun: In "Mourning Person", Dr. Katz said that he's not thrilled about having to give the eulogy for Estelle, because he's not a "mourning person". Laura was disgusted, both that he would make a joke during such a time, and because the joke itself wasn't funny. |
| 258 | * IneffectualDeathThreat: In "Babysitting Ben", Laura passes along the message that someone on the phone threatened to kill Dr. Katz, though the individual was just blowing off steam, not being literal. Laura didn't bother to pass that important bit of info along, leaving Katz a nervous wreck for the episode. |
| 259 | * InformedAttractiveness: Laura is incredibly off-model in the first episode. Nevertheless, Ben is smitten. |
| 260 | * InformedJudaism: Dr. Katz and Ben are Jewish, but it's rarely addressed. |
| 261 | * InsistentTerminology: Eddie Brill hates the Yellow Pages because he can never guess the word to look up for the service he needs. For example, he wanted to find a clothing store, and the book said "See "Apparel"." He sarcastically said that nobody since the early 1900's has used the word "apparel" in a regular sentence. |
| 262 | * InstantSeduction: Guest Creator/CarolineRhea did a routine about what would happen if women actually married construction workers who shouted come-ons to them: |
| 263 | -->'''Caroline:''' ''[as kid]'' How did you and daddy meet? (as herself) Well, dear, I was walking down the street one day, and your father screamed the most disgusting things to me! Oh... something about wanting to eat his lunch off my ass. I fell in love with him and the rest is history. |
| 264 | * InstrumentalThemeTune |
| 265 | * InsultBackfire: In "Movies", when Laura is talking to Ben on the phone, she says he's pathetic and just wants to pinch him. [[DoubleEntendre Ben takes this the other way]] and an exasperated Laura remarks, "Oh God." while Ben is eager for a pinch. |
| 266 | ** During a therapy session with Tom & Dick Smothers, Dick said that being with Tom has been one of the most amusing experiences of his life. Tom thanks him, but Dick assures him: "That's ''not'' a compliment." |
| 267 | * IResembleThatRemark: In "Movies", Dr. Katz and Ben have this exchange: |
| 268 | -->'''Dr. Katz:''' It's just, you constantly interrupt me.\ |
| 269 | '''Ben:''' First of all, I do not constantly interrupt you. ''[Dr. Katz begins to speak, but Ben interrupts him]'' What I was about to say... |
| 270 | * IWantMyJetpack: Guest Paul F. Thompkins had a bit about how he feels gypped that many of the inventions predicted in the past never came to pass, like the rocket pack. He claims that if you owned a rocket pack, it would be the last thing you thought about when you went to bed, and the ''first'' thing you thought about when you woke up. |
| 271 | -->'''Paul:''' Ooh, rocket pack! Oh, another glorious rocket pack day! Oh, thank you God, I gotta strap it on! Rocket pack! |
| 272 | * IWillShowYouX: In "Bees and S.I.D.S.": |
| 273 | -->'''Ben:''' Are hot flashes bad?\ |
| 274 | '''Dr. Katz:''' ''I'll'' give ya a hot flash... |
| 275 | * JewishAndNerdy: Dr. Katz and Ben. |
| 276 | * JumpScare: Not a severe case, but the Dr. Katz head logo abruptly changing to a wailing police siren at the start of "Ticket" can be surprising if you're not expecting it. |
| 277 | * KidsAreCruel: The cold open to "Monte Carlo" features Dr. Katz telling about a boy when he was growing up who used to shake him down for his lunch money. However, one day he was worried because he came to school without any money. Luckily for him, [[EvenEvilHasStandards the bully didn't beat him up.]] |
| 278 | * LampshadeHanging: In "Real Estate", Barry Sobel cursed, and the curse words were bleeped. Dr. Katz warned: "I don't like to bleep my patients, Barry." |
| 279 | * LargeHamAnnouncer: Richard Jeni observed that auto racing is more popular than Sunday mass, and surmised it must be because of their exciting radio commercials. He thought church would be more popular if it adopted that technique: |
| 280 | -->'''Richard:''' Sunday, ''Sunday''! Attention, church fans: At the Church of the Independent Suspension, see "Big Daddy" Monsignor Murphy take on the devil himself! That's right: It's the "The priest from the east" versus "the thunder from down under", it's all happening at 12 o'clock mass, this Sunday! ''SUNDAY''!!! |
| 281 | * LastSecondWordSwap: Heard in the credits of "Koppleman and Katz" when Katz sings a song and keeps swapping the end of a verse ("Even though I know everything you touch turns to sh...") with a non-dirty word. |
| 282 | * {{Letterbox}}: The first two seasons, as well as roughly half of season 3, were presented in letterboxed format. Starting with "Studio Guy", episodes were presented in the more typical (at the time) 1.33:1 ratio. |
| 283 | * LikeAnOldMarriedCouple: Dr. Katz and Ben are basically one, and Katz even admits it in one episode, "Ball and Chain" when he says he's trying to salvage what's left of this "marriage". |
| 284 | ** In "It Takes Some Getting Used To": |
| 285 | --->'''Ben:''' I don't even know who you are anymore, dad. You're not the man I married. |
| 286 | * LikeFatherLikeSon: In "Lil' Helper", Dr. Katz throws out his back. Later in the episode, Ben also throws out his back. |
| 287 | * LimitedAnimation: Somewhat masked with the {{Squigglevision}} technique, which caused the otherwise static characters to constantly vibrate. |
| 288 | * LimitedWardrobe: Dr. Katz always wears a yellow shirt and red tie; Ben always wears an open blue shirt and white T-shirt; Laura always wears a pink sweater. Frequent guest Dom Irrera is something of an exception; while he usually wears a yellow sweater, he's also worn numerous flamboyant outfits. |
| 289 | ** Averted with the first episode, "Pot-Bellied Pigs"; [[EarlyInstallmentCharacterDesignDifference Ben wears a flannel shirt instead of his usual blue shirt.]] |
| 290 | * LiveActionAdaptation: The show has been revived onstage in 2007, 2015 and 2017. The live shows are set after the series, and touch on Jonathan Katz's Multiple Sclerosis. |
| 291 | * LocalHangout: Jacky's 33, the bar where Dr. Katz interacts with Julie and Stanley. |
| 292 | * LogoJoke: "Ticket" begins with the usual Dr. Katz head graphic, but after only a couple seconds, Katz's head is replaced by a police siren and accompanying sound effect. To those unprepared for this anomaly, it can be quite startling. |
| 293 | * LongList: In "Movies", guest Sam Brown rattles off a list of chick flicks he'd be willing to sit through just to watch a woman make breakfast with a top off. Among those listed: ''Film/{{Nell}}'', ''Film/{{Carrington}}'', ''Film/SisterAct'' 1 and 2, and ''Literature/TheUnbearableLightnessOfBeing''. |
| 294 | ** In "Day Planner", Katz lists off the areas that Ben could look for his missing day planner. After listing a bunch of areas, Ben remarks, "This is a beautiful apartment, dad." |
| 295 | ** Louie C.K. imagines what it must have been like to live in the old west, when you can just go into a saloon and rattle off what you need. |
| 296 | --->'''Louie:''' Give me a beer and a bottle of whiskey and a room for a week and a steak dinner and a shave and a haircut and a bath and some new clothes and a hat and some boots and some oats for my horse and a woman, and here, keep the change. ''Bing!'' |
| 297 | * LongSongShortScene: Most of the scene transition music, which we never hear the full versions of because most scene transitions are only about five seconds long. Averted with the credits, where we get a few full transition melodies back to back. |
| 298 | * LoveConfession: Played for laughs, with frequent patient Dom Irrera frequently saying he loves Dr. Katz, even going so far as to ask him to marry him. |
| 299 | ** Guest Margaret Smith also admitted she had a crush on Dr. Katz. Katz quickly begins to worry that she will stalk him (despite assurances from Smith that she wouldn't): |
| 300 | --->'''Dr. Katz:''' Well that's good. I mean, not that it ever crossed my address- my mind- never addressed that issue in my mind. But, uh, I have to get going now because I don't go ''directly'' home, you know what I mean? I don't know why I'm telling you this... |
| 301 | * {{Malaproper}}: In "Ben Treats": |
| 302 | -->'''Ben:''' $500, baby! Read 'em and sleep! |
| 303 | * MametSpeak: In "Studio Guy", Dr. Katz and Ben keep trying to talk at the same time, both trying to overpower the other until Ben shouts, "No you shut up!" |
| 304 | * MathematiciansAnswer: In "Expert Witness", Dr. Katz's response to the courts if Roger is sane enough to stand trial is simply, "No." |
| 305 | * MayDecemberRomance: Steven Wright told a story about how he had a brief affair with someone older than him when he was a teenager. |
| 306 | * MindControlEyes: Guest Mitch Fatel briefly gets these when he imposes hypnosis on himself. "I am now hypnotized!" |
| 307 | * MistakenForGay: Ted Alexandro had a bit about this: |
| 308 | -->'''Ted:''' So I'm single, and occasionally I get the question, "So what are you, gay?" Which bothers me, not because I am gay or have anything against being gay, but why does it immediately have to be ''that''? You know, ''Franchise/{{Batman}}'', ''Franchise/{{Superman}}'', ''they'' were single. Did you ever think of that? I might be a superhero?\ |
| 309 | '''Dr. Katz:''' No, you're absolutely.... ''[[FlatWhat what]]''?? |
| 310 | * MondegreenGag: Invoked by guest Laura Kightlinger. She once dated an Irish guy and because of his thick accent, she often thought he was saying something else: |
| 311 | -->'''Laura:''' ''[as the Irish boyfriend]'' Always complaining about how bad your life is; why don't ya change it? You know you're the author of your own fate. (as herself) And I was like, "God, he's right! I ''am'' the otter of my own fat!" |
| 312 | ** Ted Alexandro observed how kids don't really understand the words to the Pledge of Allegiance: |
| 313 | --->'''Ted:''' ''[as a kid]'' It's ''for witch's stand, one Asian wonder bra. |
| 314 | ** In "New Phone System", Dr. Katz mentioned to Stanley and Julie that as a kid, Ben thought "the line is busy" was "the lion is busy". |
| 315 | --->'''Dr. Katz:''' He was ''so'' stupid. |
| 316 | * MoodWhiplash: In "Studio Guy", Dr. Katz plays a guitar while singing a melancholy song about feeling left out. After he concludes, Ben remarks, "That sucked." |
| 317 | ** In "Bully", Dr. Katz abruptly realizes how much he hurt Ben when he threw out his stuffed toy and apologizes to Ben in front of the audience that he's performing for. It's a serious moment until Ben reminds the audience, "Show's up there, folks. Show's on the stage." |
| 318 | * {{Mooning}}: In "Anniversary", as Katz is leaving for work: |
| 319 | -->'''Dr. Katz:''' Kiss my ass!\ |
| 320 | '''Ben:''' Same to you; here it is. ''[pulls down pants]''\ |
| 321 | '''Dr. Katz:''' Lookin' good! |
| 322 | * MotionlessChin: Averted most of the time; surprising, considering that the rest of the animation is bare bones. |
| 323 | * MotorMouth: Guest Bobby Slayton falls into this. Dr. Katz even explores this, and Bobby realizes that he talks so much during the day that he is out of words by the evening. |
| 324 | * MushroomSamba: Mike Rowe had a bit about how all '70s anti-drug film strips were the same: A guy takes one drag of marijuana and won't be able to stop hallucinating. |
| 325 | -->'''Mike:''' The music's what's flippin' him out: "AAAH!!!" ''[hums psychedelic rock music]'' |
| 326 | * MustHaveCaffeine: One episode, "Metaphors", concerns Dr. Katz and Ben drinking more coffee than usual. This addiction catches up with Ben, though, who gets severe cramps towards the end of the episode. |
| 327 | * MyEyesAreUpHere: Guest Joy Behar accuses Katz of staring at her large breasts; Katz denies noticing the size and the shape of them, but that only makes Joy more angry. |
| 328 | * MyGodWhatHaveIDone: Said by Dr. Katz in the episode "Bully" when he realizes how much he hurt Ben by throwing away Ben's childhood stuffed animal. |
| 329 | * MyHairCameOutGreen: "Henna" involves both Dr. Katz and Ben's hair turning bright red upon using the hair tonic. |
| 330 | * NewJobEpisode: More accurately, FIRST job, as Ben is hired as a baker's assistant in a season 6 episode which didn't air until 2002. He's quickly fired before the week is up for coming to work four hours late, though. |
| 331 | * NoIndoorVoice: Kevin Meaney frequently shouts during his sessions (and even [[LampshadeHanging lampshades]] this: "Why am I always screaming?!"). |
| 332 | * NoJustNoReaction: In "Glasses", when Dr. Katz first wears his glasses in front of Ben: |
| 333 | -->'''Dr. Katz:''' I think I look... I dunno... cool?\ |
| 334 | '''Ben:''' No? No.\ |
| 335 | '''Dr. Katz:''' I'm just throwing it out. |
| 336 | * NonAnswer: In "New Phone System", Andy Kindler asked Laura if she knew he was Jewish or Italian just by looking at him. Laura's response? An awkward, "Uh.... yeah." |
| 337 | * NoodleIncident: One occurs ''in-episode'': The action keeps cutting between Dom Irrera's session with Dr. Katz and an unrelated scene between Ben and Laura. After one of the Ben/Laura scenes, it cuts back to the Dom/Dr. Katz scene. Dom is shown crying, who says "I've never had you snap at me like that..." For such an ExtremeDoormat as Dr. Katz, one wonders just what Katz said to Dom. |
| 338 | * NoSympathy: Guest Dave Attell had a bit about how he had no sympathy for dyslexic children: |
| 339 | -->'''Dave:''' Oh, baby mixes his letters up? Awww, poor baby! Tell ''that'' to the man in the iron lung. |
| 340 | * NotADate: Said by Laura in "Bully" when she and Ben go to a nightclub together to watch Dr. Katz's guitar performance. |
| 341 | -->'''Ben:''' What would make it more like a date to you?\ |
| 342 | '''Laura:''' If you were a different guy, I guess. |
| 343 | * NoteToSelf: During "Ben Treats", Dr. Katz has a phone therapy session with patient [[Creator/JuliaLouisDreyfus Julia Louis-Dreyfus]], who was pregnant at the time the episode aired. She frequently put the session on hold to go to the bathroom. While Katz waited for her to return, he would talk into a tape recorder with inane comments like, "Note to self: How are you?" and "Put a live fish in the fishbowl." |
| 344 | * OnceAnEpisode: It's a given that Laura sighs in exasperation at least once an episode. Usually when talking to Ben. |
| 345 | * OneShotCharacter: Cindy from Tele-Purchases in "Phone Luv"; the community theater director in "Community Theater"; the dentist in "Wisdom Teeth"; the teacher from "Past Lives"; Roger from "Expert Witness"; and if she counts, ex-wife Roz from "Thanksgiving", despite that there's been much talk about her in previous episodes. |
| 346 | * OverlyLongGag: Ben trying to get Dr. Katz out of earshot from his private phone conversation in "Phone Luv". He sure kept Cindy waiting for a while. |
| 347 | * OverlyLongName: Frequent patient Dom Irrera reveals his middle name: "Orangutan Anus Hair". |
| 348 | * PacifistRun: Creator/BobOdenkirk wishes all video games were this way, as he doesn't like feeling upset and violent when playing them. |
| 349 | -->'''Bob:''' That would be fun for me, instead of hurting. No more hurting. |
| 350 | * ParentalIncest: Or, rather, grandparental incest: Emo Phillips mentioned how his grandmother gave him a big, sloppy kiss whenever she visited him as a child: |
| 351 | -->'''Emo:''' But when you try to go ''further'' with her... ''[exasperated sigh]'' you know. |
| 352 | * ParentalSexualitySquick: Lizz Winstead said that the way to get your child to abstain from sex is to tell them: |
| 353 | -->'''Lizz:''' "Honey, your father and I LOVE sex! God, I can't stop mounting, your daddy's a BEAST!" I would never stop throwing up. |
| 354 | * PerpetualFrowner: Laura, although on occasion she has cracked a smile: In "Miles Away" when she is happy that Ben's on vacation (her smile quickly fades when Ben calls her while on vacation); in "Metaphors" when she snickers at Ben calling her a "big ol' ball of bitch", and "Monte Carlo" when she sarcastically smiles/giggles when Katz says that Ben will be working out of her office for his limo business. There may be a few other examples but they're few and far between. |
| 355 | * {{Pilot}}: "The Biography of Mr. Katz", from 1992. It had even more primitive animation, if that can be believed. Also, Dr. Katz was incredibly OffModel. |
| 356 | * PokemonSpeak: Guest Dave Chappelle had a bit about how boring it would be being Aquaman, since fish wouldn't have anything interesting to say: |
| 357 | -->'''Aquaman:''' Hello, fish!\ |
| 358 | '''Fish:''' Hi, Aquaman!\ |
| 359 | '''Aquaman:''' Have you seen anything unusual in the water?\ |
| 360 | '''Fish:''' ...Hi, Aquaman! |
| 361 | * PottyFailure: In "Sissy Boy", Ben has to use the bathroom but Todd the video store clerk won't let customers use it. But he strikes a deal with Ben: If he can punch him, he'll look the other way. Ben asks to be hit in the ass, because it's the most padded part of his body. However, the instant Todd hits him, Ben remarks, "I peed." |
| 362 | * PracticalJoke: In the season 2 episode "Glasses", Dr. Katz gets a pair of glasses. Ben thinks it's amusing that he's "slowly going blind" and pulls pranks like hiding Dr. Katz's cell phone and removing all the chairs from the kitchen, hoping he'll accidentally sit on the floor. |
| 363 | * PrecisionFStrike: In "Phone Luv", Ben wants some privacy on the phone with Cindy. After much back-and-forth about privacy, Ben tells Dr. Katz to "use the fucking door!" |
| 364 | ** In "Old Man", Ben starts talking about hypothetical names for boats, and one of them is "This Piece of Sh*t's Gonna Sink". |
| 365 | ** Guest Jann Karam had a DoubleStandard bit about how women's basketball players are allowed to act tough but she isn't: |
| 366 | --->'''Jann:''' ''[as a women's basketball player]'' Yeah I slam dunked that [motherfucker]! |
| 367 | ** In "Ben-Centennial", Ben vows to never eat cereal again, and he's heard crunching over the phone. Dr. Katz asks what he's eating, and Ben says "Cereal." Katz asks, "What about your oath?" |
| 368 | --->'''Ben:''' (Fuck) the oath. Who cares? |
| 369 | ** Barry Sobel did a bit about the difference between East Coast and West Coast friends, specifically that on the East Coast, if you and your friends make plans to attend a movie, it's not a suggestion of what "could happen"; it's an actuality. He then imitates a hypothetical scenario on what would happen if you make plans but don't show up: |
| 370 | --->'''Barry:''' ''[on cell phone]'' Barry, what the (bleep) is going on? I'm standin' outside this theater for two (bleep)ing hours, and I'm (bleep)in' my head, and I'm thinkin', what, did you die? Do I go in? Do I go out? |
| 371 | * PrivateDetective: In the season 4 finale "Undercover", Laura is taking multiple afternoons off without explaining where she's going, leading Ben to become a detective to find out. He's horrible at it, though. |
| 372 | * ProfessionalButtKisser: Guest Creator/DavidMamet sucks up to Laura, saying that he likes her strict demeanor and going so far as to say she should be the therapist and Katz should be the receptionist. Laura is at first flattered by this ("It's funny, I didn't used to like you, but I kinda do now."), but after another suck-up remark, Laura asks him: "Are you just blowing smoke up my ass?" Mamet replies: "What do you mean ''just''?" |
| 373 | * ProperlyParanoid: Emo Phillips had a routine: |
| 374 | -->'''Emo:''' One afternoon, I'm walking home from school, and I'm watching a young man building a new house. And the guy hammering on the roof calls me a paranoid little weirdo. In morse code. |
| 375 | * PsychicPowers: In the season 2 finale, Ben is convinced he has ESP after watching a show about it on TV, even though he obviously has no such ability. Typical impressionable Ben. |
| 376 | * TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: |
| 377 | ** In "Movies", Dr. Katz and Ben play a game where they pitch movie ideas to each other. Ben proceeds to insult Katz in his pitch, but it's more facetious than deadly serious: |
| 378 | --->'''Ben:''' It's the story about a father and son. And, the father-\ |
| 379 | '''Dr. Katz:''' So far, so good.\ |
| 380 | '''Ben:''' ...The father in this movie constantly squishes the son's dreams. And, the father is a bad person; he's bald ... and bad. It's called "Endless Yapper", and it stars you.\ |
| 381 | '''Dr. Katz:''' Nnnnnext! |
| 382 | ** Dom Irrera gave one to Dr. Katz during the credits of "Chopper": |
| 383 | --->'''Dom:''' Thanks a lot, doc, thanks for ''nothing''! I never paid for "nothing" before; it's great! Let me dish out some more money for this ''nothing''! I never go into a store and go, "Here's some money, I'll take "nothing"! And yet I come here, every day, and I get ''no'' help. Why do I come back? The odds are, someday you'll help me, just by ''random''! |
| 384 | ** Dom also gave one of these to his cousin Louie: |
| 385 | --->'''Dom:''' ''[as Louie]'' Dom, is my head too big for my body? ''(as himself)'' Now what am I gonna say? "Hey, look at the bright side, Louie: A lot of people you can't even recognize from 800 yards, but ''you'', it's like a close-up, every feature, crystal clear! Come here, let me swing from your jowls. Nerve endings don't go that far, do they? |
| 386 | ** And in a later episode: |
| 387 | --->'''Dom:''' ''[as Louie]'' Hey Dom, I think that waitress noticed me. ''[as himself]'' Yeah, Louie? What do you think that 19-year old ballerina noticed about you, huh? Your big, hairy, sweaty beer belly hangin' over your belt, or that mole comin' out of the middle of your forehead? You think she wanted to jump on your tummy and take love nibbles offa that, Louie? Can you help him, doc?\ |
| 388 | '''Dr. Katz:''' Doesn't sound like he ''needs'' any help.\ |
| 389 | '''Dom:''' You're a better man than I am, Dr. Katz, Dr. Katz, a better man than I am. |
| 390 | ** Yet another example: |
| 391 | --->'''Dom:''' He has no concept of himself, my cousin Louie. He thinks the Mafia's after him, right? He says, "Hey Don, I think the Mafia's after me, to take me down." I say, "Louie, you're 37 years old, you have no money, no job, you live with your mother, the Mafia wouldn't waste stale a mozzarella stick on the back of your greasy, dandruff-filled head. And I don't mean that in a bad way." |
| 392 | * RubeGoldbergDevice: Andy Kindler explains obsessive-compulsive behavior using this trope: He leaves the house, but has to go back into the house, because maybe he left a piece of paper on the table, and a breeze could blow the paper onto the stove, where a pilot light causes the paper to set the house on fire. |
| 393 | -->'''Dr. Katz:''' You know what I would recommend, Andy, in this situation, is a paperweight. |
| 394 | * RuleOfAnimationConservation: Dr. Katz could easily be done in live action due to its limited movements, but the show was so inexpensive to produce in the first place anyway. |
| 395 | * RuleOfThree: In "Movies", Ben grills Laura about the date she was on: |
| 396 | -->'''Ben:''' Did you sleep with him? ''[Laura hangs up and sighs; the phone rings and she picks up]''\ |
| 397 | '''Laura:''' Dr. Katz's office.\ |
| 398 | '''Ben:''' Laura, I am so sorry, I got cut off. Did you sleep with him? ''[Laura hangs up; the phone rings again and she picks up]''\ |
| 399 | '''Laura:''' Dr. Katz's office.\ |
| 400 | '''Ben:''' Laura, I apologize for being so blunt, I was out of line, y'know? Did you have sex- ''[Laura hangs up a third time]'' |
| 401 | ** In "Sissy Boy", Ben is punched three times: First by Dr. Katz, in the stomach, then by Laura in the arm, and finally by Todd in the ass. |
| 402 | * RunningGag: In the season 6 episode "Used Car", Ben keeps trying to convince Dr. Katz that they should take a trip to the Mall of America. This subject even comes up out of nowhere during a discussion about how Laura ditched Katz and Ben on a city street during her test drive of a used vehicle. |
| 403 | * SameContentDifferentRating: In the very earliest days of the TV Parental Guidelines system (early 1997), the show was rated TV-G. During season 5, it was bumped up to TV-PG. |
| 404 | * SassySecretary: Laura, although she is more bile than sass. |
| 405 | * ScaryStingingSwarm: Dr. Katz has a fear of bees; in one episode, he talks about therapy that is supposed to cure you of your phobia. For Katz, the final step is to put him in a room with thousands of bees. He couldn't get past the first step, which was putting him in a room with a dead horse. |
| 406 | * SeinfeldianConversation: Happens all the time in the show. |
| 407 | * SelfDeprecation: In "Mourning Person": |
| 408 | -->'''Dr. Katz:''' This is a depressing... event here. And I haven't even done my eulogy yet. |
| 409 | * SeparatedByACommonLanguage: |
| 410 | ** Jeffrey Ross observed that people have their own pet nicknames for things when they get older. |
| 411 | --->'''Jeffrey:''' ''[as his father]'' Put on that show I like. ''Oscar and Bunky''. ''[as himself]'' ''Series/StarskyAndHutch''? ''[as father]'' Yeah, that's the one! |
| 412 | ** Creator/BrianRegan had a bit about how he had a roommate in college who wanted to "go halves on a pie". He found out later he meant "pizza", but at the time he thought his roommate wanted to split a fruit-based pie. |
| 413 | * ShapedLikeItself: In "Movies", Ben wants to see movies on the big screen. Why? Because "it's bigger". |
| 414 | * ShockinglyExpensiveBill: The restaurant bill in "Ben Treats", which is more than $500. Dr. Katz jokes that Ben acts natural while he goes to warm up the car. |
| 415 | ** Guest Ray Romano is informed that, since he missed payments on the last two therapy sessions, he now owes $450 for his three sessions. |
| 416 | * ShotgunWedding: In an season 6 episode which didn't air until 2002, Laura abruptly announces that she's engaged to a musician. Ben tries to be mature about it and wishes her the best of luck, until he's motivated to stop the wedding, or he'll never get another chance to confess his love for her. Laura cancels the engagement before Ben realizes what happened, though; HilarityEnsues. |
| 417 | * ShoutOut: One of the movies Dr. Katz rents for Ben while he's recovering from getting his wisdom teeth removed is Film/MarathonMan, ironically just about the worst movie you could show somebody in that condition. |
| 418 | ** In "Snow Day", there's a subtle ShoutOut to ''WesternAnimation/ShowBizBugs'' when Ben lets Duke (a pigeon) out of his rooftop cage, with the intention of showing off his flying skills. Instead of coming right back to the cage as expected, however, Duke just keeps flying and never comes back. |
| 419 | * ShowWithinAShow: There are a bunch of fictional movies at the theater Dr. Katz and Ben visit during "Movies", such as "Hams on the Run", "Lovestrings", and "Firepower". |
| 420 | * SickEpisode: Sort of. The episode "Wisdom Teeth" featured Ben recovering from having his wisdom teeth removed, which, as anyone who's gone through this would know, is almost the same as being sick. HilarityEnsues when Dr. Katz accidentally gives Ben a bunch of antihistmanies instead of painkillers. |
| 421 | * SitcomArchNemesis: David Stanick, Dr. Katz's old ping-pong rival. |
| 422 | ** Guest Patton Oswalt wanted Dr. Katz to act as his arch enemy, his logic being that his life seems to go better when he has an enemy. Katz tried but couldn't get the hang of it. |
| 423 | * SixthRanger: Todd the video store clerk, who debuted in the second half of season 5. |
| 424 | * TheSlacker: Ben Katz, obviously. Nearly every episode focuses on how he gives up on whatever he was interested in pursuing, and his unemployment is brought up very often. |
| 425 | * SmallNameBigEgo: Ben, particularly when talking to Laura. It doesn't impress her. |
| 426 | * SoundEffectBleep: Often a patient's swearing will be completely replaced by dr. Katz saying "whoah!". Other times, they are simply bleeped |
| 427 | ** In "Phone Luv", Ben told Dr. Katz to "use the (fuck)ing door." Amusingly, if you listen closely, the word in question can still be heard underneath the bleep. |
| 428 | ** In "Thanksgiving", much of Ben's swearing, heard from the kitchen as he burns the turkey, is bleeped, although like with Phone Luv the swear words CAN be heard if listened to closely. |
| 429 | ** As mentioned in LampshadeHanging above, a couple of the patients have been bleeped for language, though sometimes Dr. Katz himself merely talks over the offending words. |
| 430 | --->'''Jake Johannsen:''' Bullsh-\ |
| 431 | '''Dr. Katz:''' Ah-\ |
| 432 | '''Jake Johannsen:''' Bullsh-\ |
| 433 | '''Dr. Katz:''' Hey-\ |
| 434 | '''Jake Johannsen:''' Where's the money?! |
| 435 | ** Barry Sobel is repeatedly bleeped when he does a routine about honoring commitments to meet up at the movies. |
| 436 | ** Jim Gaffigan is bleeped when he does his "manatee on Ricki Lake" routine. |
| 437 | --->'''Jim:''' ''[as angry audience member]'' You think you're all that 'cause you're a big seal and (shit)? |
| 438 | * SpecialGuest: Obviously, each episode featured a different guest star on Dr. Katz's couch, but a rare instance of a guest star playing a character was in "Bakery Ben", where comedian Steve Sweeney played Steve, the owner of the bakery where Ben gets his first job. |
| 439 | * SpeechCentricWork: The titular character and his patients in therapy. That's it. |
| 440 | * SplitScreenPhoneCall: Rarely used; it was more common to just cut back and forth between the two on the phone. There were a couple exceptions, though, such as when Dr. Katz had a phone therapy session with Julia Louis-Dreyfus. |
| 441 | * {{Squigglevision}} |
| 442 | * StalkerWithACrush: |
| 443 | ** Ben, to a new tenant in "Sticky Notes". |
| 444 | ** Dom Irrera claims to be one of Dr. Katz, and even states he has a Dr. Katz StalkerShrine. |
| 445 | * StandUpComedy: Nearly all of the guest star patients featured on the show are real-life stand-up comedians, and do bits of their act in the context of therapy. There have been exceptions, however, such as actress Creator/WinonaRyder and playwright Creator/DavidMamet. |
| 446 | * StatusQuoIsGod: Nothing really changes in the show; at the beginning and end of the series, Ben Katz is unemployed and living with Dr. Katz, who runs a professional therapy practice, and neither are in a serious romantic relationship. Laura is Dr. Katz's receptionist. |
| 447 | * StealingFromTheTill: A subplot point in "Sticky Notes", when Dr. Katz is suspicious that Laura is stealing office supplies. |
| 448 | * StealthInsult: Laura is prone to handing these out. Lampshaded in "Ben-Centennial", when she wishes Ben happy birthday and he immediately [[GenreSavvy assumes it's supposed to be this]]. |
| 449 | * StickyFingers: One of the plots of "Sticky Notes": Dr. Katz is suspicious that Laura is stealing office supplies. Stanley thinks he's being paranoid and penny-pinching, saying that when you work in an office, "you have some at home". |
| 450 | * {{Sting}}: Dr. Katz rarely used dramatic stings or any kind of music outside of scene transitions; however, one exception did occur in the episode with Jeffrey Ross. He did a routine about going on a blind date, and mentions that he admires her ugly fingernails. The camera then focuses on her fingernail, while a two-note dramatic pipe organ plays. |
| 451 | * StockAnimalName: Brian Kiley mentioned how he named his dog "Patches", [[BaitAndSwitch because he was always trying to stop smoking.]] |
| 452 | * StockLateralThinkingPuzzle: In "Fructose": |
| 453 | -->'''Emo Phillips:''' How do you stop an elephant from charging?\ |
| 454 | '''Laura:''' Take away his credit card.\ |
| 455 | '''Emo Phillips:''' ...Very good. |
| 456 | * StraightMan: Dr. Katz, in most instances. |
| 457 | * StrictlyFormula: Nearly all episodes follow this formula when it comes to guest placement: Act 1: Guest #1. Act 2: Guest #2. Act 3: Guest #1 again. Act 4: Guest #2, followed immediately by guest #1, who closes the episode. There were a small handful of episodes which featured three guests, so the formula was varied a bit for those episodes. |
| 458 | ** Most episodes feature Dr. Katz visiting Stan and Julie at the bar at the end of act three, though a few episodes (such as "Community Theater") have him visiting them more than once per episode. |
| 459 | ** Nearly every episode opens with Dr. Katz and Ben at home. There are exceptions, though: "Radio Katz" opens with Dr. Katz and Ben in a restaurant; "Ticket" opens with Dr. Katz getting pulled over by a policeman; "Bakery Ben" opens with Ben visiting the bakery where he's hired by Steve. |
| 460 | * SubvertedCatchPhrase: In "Mourning Person", during Dr. Katz's eulogy, pipe organ music plays and Dr. Katz says, "I know what the music means." |
| 461 | * SuspiciouslySpecificDenial: In "Bystander Ben", guest Steven Wright decides to throw a penny at the back of Ben's head. When it hits, Steven remarks: "It fell off the ceiling or something; I wasn't paying attention. [[HypocriticalHumor God, he's nuts."]] |
| 462 | * TheTag: Utilized in a few episodes, when dialog is still heard over the closing credits. Some examples include "Pretzelkins" (Dr. Katz at the bingo parlor, where the bingo caller reads off the numbers), "Cholesterol" (Katz coaxes Julie to punch him in the stomach to prove his strength), "Everybody's Got a Tushy" (Dr. Katz and Laura have problems with the intercom), "Bystander Ben" (with Dr. Katz and Ben discussing things they're not proud of), "Office Management" (Dr. Katz and Ben sing Jingle Bells), "Koppleman and Katz" (Dr. Katz and Ben discussing songs where you almost say a dirty word but say something else instead), "Reunion" (Katz gives patient Dom Irrera a ride home), and "Ben Treats" (Ben realizes the check is a little over $500 and asks Katz and Laura to pay for the rest). |
| 463 | * TalkAboutTheWeather: Guest Andy Kindler tries to initiate some casual conversation with Laura, and one of the things he says is: [[CaptainObvious "The weather seems to changing on a seasonal basis."]] |
| 464 | * TellHimImNotSpeakingToHim: In "Big TV", Dr. Katz refuses to talk to Ben when Ben bought a big screen TV without his permission. The trope is initially played straight (with Laura being the party relaying the messages), but is subverted in short order when both parties forget who they're not talking to. |
| 465 | -->'''Ben:''' Dad, look me right in the eye and tell Laura to ''shut up''. |
| 466 | * ThanksgivingEpisode: The season 5 finale takes place during this holiday, with Dr. Katz hosting his ex-wife Roz (Creator/CarrieFisher) and Laura and Ben attempting to cook a turkey dinner. |
| 467 | * ThatMakesMeFeelAngry: Guest Joy Behar once told Dr. Katz, "I feel hostile towards you now." |
| 468 | * TheyCallMeMisterTibbs: |
| 469 | ** In "Reunion", Ben remarks that it's easy for Dr. Katz to attend reunions because his title commands respect. Dr. Katz refutes this: |
| 470 | ---> '''Dr. Katz:''' People respect people; they don't respect titles. You know what I'm saying?\ |
| 471 | '''Ben:''' No.\ |
| 472 | '''Dr. Katz:''' Lemme try again. People respect ''people''.\ |
| 473 | '''Ben:''' Right.\ |
| 474 | '''Dr. Katz:''' People respect me because I'm Jonathan Katz, not because I'm Dr. Katz.\ |
| 475 | '''Ben:''' So why do you insist on being called "doctor" all the time?\ |
| 476 | '''Dr. Katz:''' [[HypocrisyNod Respect, it's a sign of respect.]] (Ben chuckles) |
| 477 | ** In another episode, guest Dave Attell didn't address him by his title: |
| 478 | --->'''Dave:''' Katz-\ |
| 479 | '''Dr. Katz:''' ''Dr.'' Katz. |
| 480 | * ThisIsGonnaSuck: Guest Tom Agna had a routine about wondering if you ''can'' take stuff with you when you die. Upon arriving at the pearly gates, St. Peter says, "Hey, where's your stuff?" Tom replies, "Oh man, this is gonna suck." |
| 481 | * ThoroughlyMistakenIdentity: Courtesy of Emo Phillips: |
| 482 | -->'''Emo:''' The other day, I'm walking here and I say to myself, "My gosh, that's Jimmy Petersen. I haven't seen him since I was nine!" And I walked up to him and I slapped him on the back and I said, "How's it going, you old rascal?" And he starts crying, 'yknow? And I'm thinking, "Wait a second, if ''that's'' Jimmy Petersen, ''he'' would have grown up ''too''." |
| 483 | * TitleDrop: In "Everybody's Got a Tushy", the head-scratching title is finally explained when Dr. Katz remarks to Stan that when Ben was a kid, he gave him a book called "Everybody's Got a Tushy". |
| 484 | ** "It Takes Some Getting Used To" is the nickname Dr. Katz gives his strong-smelling cologne. |
| 485 | ** "Drinky the Drunk Guy" is the name Dr. Katz gives to a film that's going to be airing on TV. |
| 486 | ** "You're Belinda" is a confusion over the name of Yorba Linda, California. |
| 487 | * TitleOnlyOpening: The show has no opening sequence aside from the title and Katz head graphic. Further, the show doesn't feature opening credits superimposed over the action like is typical on TV shows. All credits are reserved for the end of the episode. |
| 488 | * ToiletHumour: |
| 489 | ** Dr. Katz on coffee: "I wonder what people did before coffee, if they were just constipated?" |
| 490 | ** Dom Irrera had a bit where he discussed how his cat peed in his gym bag: |
| 491 | --->'''Dom:''' We've all done that; sometimes you don't feel like walkin' upstairs, right? But the protocol is, if you're gonna do it in somebody else's bag, you look away. You use a little discretion. Don't just say: "Eh, here's your bag right here, I'll give ya a bag."\ |
| 492 | '''Dr. Katz:''' Right. ''[{{Beat}}]'' ...I mean- |
| 493 | ** Dom also asked Dr. Katz if it's normal for your urine to have chunks in it. |
| 494 | * TongueTied: In "Pot-Bellied Pigs", Dr. Katz says: "One smart fellow, he felt smart." Stanley tries to say the same thing but instead says, "One fart smellow..." |
| 495 | * TonightSomeoneKisses: In a promo for the episode "Community Theater", Julie says, "Jonathan, do you know how long I've dreamed of this moment?", followed by Julie kissing Dr. Katz while Music/BarryWhite-esque music plays. In the actual episode, the two were merely rehearsing for a play Dr. Katz was going to audition for. |
| 496 | * TooMuchInformation: In one episode, Ben tells Laura that one weird thing about him is that he has leg hair but doesn't have chest hair. Laura remarks, "That is something... I did not want to know." |
| 497 | ** In "Lerapy", Creator/ConanOBrien used one of Dr. Katz's jokes on his show: When he wanted to talk to Katz about a subject, Katz replied, kidding: "Let's not open up ''that'' can of worms." |
| 498 | * ToughRoom: Dr. Katz never laughs at his patient's jokes. This is strange because he laughs very easily otherwise. |
| 499 | ** The one exception is when Dom Irrera made him laugh by tickling him. |
| 500 | * TrailersAlwaysLie: The original commercial for "Community Theater" featured a Barry White-esque voice saying that Dr. Katz finally gets some with Julie, followed by a clip of Julie saying, "Jonathan, do you know how long I've dreamed of this moment?" and the two kissing while the narrator said "Oh baby." While this actually happened, in the actual episode they were rehearsing some lines for a play (which ended on a kiss) and the plot wasn't about a romance between Dr. Katz and Julie like the commercial made it seem. |
| 501 | * TreasureChestCavity: Kevin Nealon had a bit about how he likes to bring his cats with him on vacation, but they're not allowed to be checked. So what he does is puts the cats in balloons, swallows them, and craps them out later. He says it's unpleasant for himself and the cats, but it's worth it. |
| 502 | * TheTroubleWithTickets: Dr. Katz, with Ben's help, decides to fight his traffic violation, where he ran a stop sign. Ben took ''hundreds'' of photographs of the stop sign in question, claiming they were obscured by tree leaves/branches. However, on the way to the court, they're pulled over ''again'', this time for speeding. ''And'' Ben was the one driving, and didn't have his license on him. |
| 503 | * TruthInTelevision: Laura and Ben's voice actors were actually dating at the start of the show, and broke up around halfway through the run of the show. |
| 504 | * UltimateJobSecurity: Both Laura and Dr. Katz qualify--Laura is completely unhelpful as a secretary and only avoids getting fired because Dr. Katz is a milquetoast pushover. Meanwhile, Dr. Katz is a terrible shrink and is very often called out on it by his clients. Somehow this doesn't stop them from coming back though. |
| 505 | * UnfortunateNames: Creator/LouisCK had a bit about how he wishes there was a man named "Farty [=McCrablice=]" who became famous for curing diseases, because then people would have to give thanks to Farty [=McCrablice=]. |
| 506 | * TheUnintelligible: Guest John Pinette had a bit about how a friend of his becomes unintelligible when he has a few beers. Everyone just agrees with him. |
| 507 | ** Jeffrey Ross had a bit about how people are incomprehensible on voice answering messages. |
| 508 | ** Robert Schimmel said he heard about someone who's parachute didn't open and they lived to tell the story. He would [[SarcasmMode love]] to hear that story, and imitated a guy in bandages who was so battered that he could barely be understood. |
| 509 | * VerbalBackspace: In "New Phone System", when Dr. Katz and Ben are waiting a long time getting the third person in their conference call to join: |
| 510 | -->'''Ben:''' I'm glad you included me in your first phone game. I feel honored.\ |
| 511 | '''Dr. Katz:''' It's not a game. It's... well, it's a game. |
| 512 | * VisitByDivorcedDad: Reversed: Dr. Katz raises Ben, and the mother comes visit during a season finale. |
| 513 | * TheVoiceless: This was actually the case for a ''lot'' of one-shot characters in the show, presumably because they had such a small stable of regular voice actors. It wasn't until roughly the fourth season that one-shot characters began to actually ''talk''. Whoever did their voices were still uncredited, though. Examples of voiceless characters: |
| 514 | ** The guy with the sock puppet who is occasionally seen in Dr. Katz's office. |
| 515 | ** The clerk at the hardware store in "The Particle Board". Though somewhat justified in that the scene begins with Ben on the store phone with Dr. Katz. |
| 516 | ** The priest at the funeral in "Mourning Person". |
| 517 | ** The cop who pulls Dr. Katz over in the season 5 episode "The Ticket": He just gives him a cold stare and lets Katz stammer. |
| 518 | ** Laura's friends in "Walk For Hunger". |
| 519 | * VomitIndiscretionShot: In "Pullman Square", guest Ed Crasnick had a routine about how a relative would take photos of people throwing up after going on The Rotor, and actually had a "throw-up gallery". Photos of people vomiting are displayed. |
| 520 | ** Guest Kathy Griffin also had a bit about vomit; she once was a waitress whose customer ate a pie and then vomited it up (which is shown). What struck Kathy as odd was that the woman didn't seem all that physically distraught afterwards; she just calmly paid her check and left. |
| 521 | * WhatExactlyIsHisJob: Stanley, though some of his past jobs have been mentioned. |
| 522 | * WingdingEyes: In "Pot-Bellied Pigs", upon meeting Laura, Ben briefly displays heart eyes. |
| 523 | * WorstWhateverEver: Ben, to Dr. Katz at the end of "Mourning Person" after Katz stumbles through his eulogy. |
| 524 | -->'''Ben:''' I thought for sure you were gonna turn it around, but ''you didn't''! I mean, I've never heard a eulogy before, but I think it's safe to say that that was the worst eulogy ever given. At the after party, we're splitting up, that's all there is to it. |
| 525 | * WritersCannotDoMath: Or rather, the actors cannot do math (since the show is mostly ad-libbed). In "Ben Treats", Ben brags about the fact that he won $500 and prompts Laura to guess how many pennies he won. After much goading to say "a penny", Laura says "a penny", but Ben replies: "No, five ''million'' pennies!" Laura corrects him: "It's 500,000." She's incorrect, though; there are 50,000 pennies in $500. |
| 526 | * WrongSideOfTheTracks: Implied in "Used Car" when Laura abandoned Dr. Katz and Ben in an unknown part of town; it wasn't exactly a nice neighborhood. But Dr. Katz wasn't ''too'' worried because he spotted a Taco Bell in the distance. |
| 527 | * YankTheDogsChain: |
| 528 | ** In "Cholesterol", Dr. Katz admits he's embarrassed about showering in front of other guys at the gym. When Stanley asks why: |
| 529 | --->'''Dr. Katz:''' Well, what if they make fun of my body?\ |
| 530 | '''Stanley:''' Why would they do that? There's nothing wrong with your body.\ |
| 531 | '''Dr. Katz:''' ''Thank'' you.\ |
| 532 | '''Stanley:''' Not a ''lot''... |
| 533 | ** In one episode, guest Lew Schneider asked Laura if she could be nicer. |
| 534 | --->'''Laura:''' Sure.\ |
| 535 | '''Lew:''' I'm sorry, because it's just a little-\ |
| 536 | '''Laura:''' Oh, to ''you''?? |
| 537 | * YiddishAsASecondLanguage: During one of guest Jeffrey Ross's stories, he mentions how his mother's Jewish friends are always trying to set him up on dates with people they know. One remarks: "You should meet my Marie. Not much to look at, but she'll bop on your shmeckel, boy." |
| 538 | * YouAreGrounded: Dr. Katz grounds Ben after Ben lied to the papers and school about being an eye witness to a crime in "Bystander Ben". |
| 539 | -->'''Dr. Katz:''' Damn it, Ben, I hate to say this, I think you have to go to your room. ''[{{Beat}}]'' This is a little awkward at your age, but I don't know what else to do. |
| 540 | * YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: During guest Patton Oswalt's long tirade about how he wants Dr. Katz to be his enemy, he recommends that Katz tell him: "I'm tired of you; you no longer amuse me!" |
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