History Theatre / TheOddCouple

The premise is simple: NeatFreak newswriter Felix Ungar is kicked out by his wife, and with no place else to go must move in with his friend, sportswriter Oscar Madison, a [[TrashOfTheTitans total slob]]. Creator/ArtCarney and Creator/WalterMatthau starred as Felix and Oscar respectively in the original, Creator/MikeNichols-directed Broadway production.

* OddCouple: The Trope Namer, of course.

The play has also been adapted into [[Film/TheOddCouple1968 a 1968 film]], with [[Film/TheOddCoupleII a 1998 sequel]], also written by Simon; a [[Series/TheOddCouple1970 1970–75 TV sitcom]]; ''WesternAnimation/TheOddballCouple'', a 1975 animated series (starring a cartoon dog and cat); ''Series/TheNewOddCouple'', a 1982 sitcom with black actors in the lead roles; and [[Series/TheOddCouple2015 a third live-action series]] in 2015.

* FriendsRentControl: It's not clear why Oscar Madison expects to maintain a family-sized apartment in New York for himself and his friends, since the start of the play finds him running painfully short on alimony payments.

* {{Bulungi}}: In the female version there is mention of "Baggi", which has existed since Thursday.

* FeminineWomenCanCook: Implied/Downplayed. Florence (genderbent Felix) is a prissy former housewife who loves cooking, prides herself on her cooking, and is noted for her cooking skills. Olive (genderbent Oscar), meanwhile, is a sport-loving career lady (this version of the play's set in the mid-1980s) who late in the second act doesn't remember or even look to remove Florence's roast capon from the oven before it burns up past being saveable.

The premise is simple: NeatFreak newswriter Felix Ungar is kicked out by his wife, and with no place else to go must move in with his friend, sportswriter Oscar Madison, a [[TrashOfTheTitans total slob]]. Creator/ArtCarney and Creator/WalterMatthau starred as Felix and Oscar respectively in the original, Creator/MikeNicols-directed Broadway production.

The premise is simple: NeatFreak newswriter Felix Ungar is kicked out by his wife, and with no place else to go must move in with his friend, sportswriter Oscar Madison, a [[TrashOfTheTitans total slob]]. Creator/ArtCarney and Creator/WalterMatthau starred as Felix and Oscar respectively in the original Broadway production, which was directed by Creator/MikeNichols.

The premise is simple: NeatFreak newswriter Felix Ungar is kicked out by his wife, and with no place else to go must move in with his friend, sportswriter Oscar Madison, a [[TrashOfTheTitans total slob]]. Creator/ArtCarney and Creator/WalterMatthau starred as Felix and Oscar respectively in the original Broadway production.

[[quoteright:325:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/the_odd_couple_1965_matthau_carney.jpeg]]

''The Odd Couple'' is a 1965 Broadway comedy play by Creator/NeilSimon.

The premise is simple: NeatFreak news writer Felix Ungar (Creator/ArtCarney in the original production) is kicked out by his wife, and with no place else to go, must move in with his friend, sports writer Oscar Madison (Creator/WalterMatthau), a [[TrashOfTheTitans total slob]].

The play has also been adapted into [[Film/TheOddCouple1968 a 1968 movie]], with [[Film/TheOddCoupleII a 1998 sequel]], also written by Simon; a [[Series/TheOddCouple1970 sitcom which ran from 1970–75]]; ''WesternAnimation/TheOddballCouple'', a 1975 animated series (starring a cartoon dog and cat); ''Series/TheNewOddCouple'', a 1982 sitcom with black actors in the lead roles; and [[Series/TheOddCouple2015 a third live-action series]] in 2015.

Simon has rewritten his original play twice: first in 1981 as ''The Female Odd Couple'', a GenderFlip version of the piece, and again in 2002 as ''Oscar and Felix: A New Look at the Odd Couple'', which is basically the original play updated with more contemporary jokes and references.

* {{Bulungi}}: There is mention of "Baggi", which has existed since Thursday.

-->'''Oscar''': What's so funny?\\

* RaceLife: The English Pigeon sisters become the Hispanic Costazuela brothers.

* MenCantKeepHouse: Played straight with Oscar, subverted with Felix.

* TantrumThrowing: Just as an argument is getting particularly heated, Oscar refers to Felix making spaghetti for dinner, and Felix starts laughing:

* GenderFlip: ''The Female Odd Couple'', which was about Florence Unger and Olive Madison.

''The Odd Couple'' is a 1965 Broadway comedy play by Creator/NeilSimon, which was subsequently adapted [[Film/TheOddCouple1968 into a 1968 movie]], which itself was later adapted by Creator/GarryMarshall into a [[Series/TheOddCouple1970 sitcom which ran from 1970–75]]. All three are highly regarded. The play also spawned a couple less highly regarded television adaptations: ''WesternAnimation/TheOddballCouple'', a 1975 animated series (starring a cartoon dog and cat), and ''Series/TheNewOddCouple'', a 1982 sitcom with black actors in the lead roles.

%% Please put any tropes associated with the 2015 version on Series/TheOddCouple2015.
A third live-action series, starring Matthew Perry and Thomas Lennon, premiered on Creator/{{CBS}} in February 2015. [[Series/TheOddCouple2015 It has its own page here]].

Simon has rewritten his original play twice: first in 1981 as ''The Female Odd Couple'', a GenderFlip version of the piece, and again in 2002 as ''Oscar and Felix: A New Look at the Odd Couple'', which is basically the original play updated with more contemporary jokes and references. He also wrote and produced a sequel to the 1968 film, ''Film/TheOddCoupleII'', in 1998.

* AdaptedOut: It's implied that Oscar's kids were also adapted out when he was genderbent into Olive for the female version, as Olive never mentions having any either living with her, her ex-husband, or any of their parents. Neither Florence (genderbent Felix) or their mutal friends mention her having children either, and she sends money to her ex-husband because he's a gambler who persuades her to keep sending it to him, not because of any legal alimony or child support obligations. When Florence runs into the bathroom in the first act, Olive reassures their mutual friends that Florence can't hurt herself in there because that bathroom is the "guest bathroom", instead of it being the "kids' bathroom" as it is referred to in the original male version.

** AllWomenAreLustful: In the female version of the play, this was played straight with Olive (genderbent Oscar) while Florence (genderbent Felix) is implied to be its inversion, AllWomenArePrudes.

* DistaffCounterpart: ''The Female Odd Couple'', featuring Olive Madison and Florence Unger.

* FamilyVersusCareer: Implied in the female version. Olive (fem!Oscar) is said by one of their mutual friends to produce a successful TV show, and throughout the play there's absolutely no mention by anyone relating to her having children-Olive herself refers to what was the "kids' bathroom" in the original male version as the "guest bathroom", neither of her apartment's bedrooms is implied or said to have been a kids' room, and it's hammered in that her ex-husband wants more money from her because he has a bad gambling habit, not because he has custody of any kids. Towards the end of the first act, Olive tells Florence that she has "another career" in addition to her. Meanwhile, Florence tells Olive that she'll look for a job and be independent again now that she's geting divorced, and then later on fleshes out to the Costazuela brothers that she used to be a bookeeper and then "quit to be a mother."
* GenderFlip: ''The Female Odd Couple'', which was about Florence Unger and Olive Madison.

** TomboyAndGirlyGirl: Olive (genderbent Oscar) and Florence (genderbent Felix) in the female version of the play.

[[quoteright:305:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Odd_Couple_3187.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:305:Jack Klugman as Oscar, Tony Randall as Felix.]]

->''"No matter where they go, they are known as the couple...\\
They're never seen alone, so they're known as the couple...\\
As I've indicated\\
They are never quite separated\\
They are peas in a pod, don't you think that it's odd?..."''


''The Odd Couple'' is a 1965 Broadway comedy play by Creator/NeilSimon, which was subsequently adapted [[Film/TheOddCouple1968 into a 1968 movie]], which itself was later adapted by Creator/GarryMarshall into an Creator/{{ABC}} sitcom which ran from 1970–75. All three are highly regarded. The play also spawned a couple less highly regarded television adaptations: ''WesternAnimation/TheOddballCouple'', a 1975 animated series (starring a cartoon dog and cat), and ''Series/TheNewOddCouple'', a 1982 sitcom with black actors in the lead roles.

The premise is simple: NeatFreak photographer Felix Ungar[[note]]Unger in the 1970 and 2015 series[[/note]] (Creator/ArtCarney on stage; Creator/JackLemmon in the film; Tony Randall, Ron Glass, and Thomas Lennon on TV) is kicked out by his wife, and with no place else to go, must move in with his friend, sports writer Oscar Madison (Creator/WalterMatthau on stage and film, Jack Klugman on stage and TV, Demond Wilson and Matthew Perry on TV), a [[TrashOfTheTitans total slob]]. The TV show added a small supporting cast, including Murray, a dim-witted but lovable police officer.

The 1970 series has its own [[Recap/TheOddCouple1970 recap page]] (under construction).

!!"Can one troper read a web page without wanting to make edits?":

* FiveFiveFive: Oscar's short-lived radio sports show's number is 555-8161.
* AbsentAnimalCompanion: In the 1970 TV series episode "The Subway Story", Felix brings home a puppy for Oscar called Yawbus ("subway" spelled backwards). He's never mentioned again. Earlier, Felix's parrot Albert contracted ChuckCunninghamSyndrome after an episode in which he "died."
* AccidentalBargainingSkills: Felix tries to give away an extra ticket, but the woman believes he's trying to sell it to her and offers him money. His stunned silence is interpreted as "holding out for more".
* AcidRefluxNightmare: The show crossed this over with YetAnotherChristmasCarol, with Oscar, grouchy about Christmas, getting an OpinionChangingDream after refusing to participate in Felix's version of "A Christmas Carol."
* ActuallyPrettyFunny: In one episode, Felix is perturbed by Oscar's house guest Wild Willie Boggs (played by Roy Clark) who is prone to making crude practical jokes. He finally confronts him about it. Willie says "Felix, you don't like them because you've never tried them", adding, "Do you want to play a trick on Oscar?" Felix delivers the "about-face" line, says, "No. What?" Willie gives Felix a rubber hot dog to give to Oscar. With insane glee, Felix sets the trap and calls Oscar in for a snack - which of course Oscar just eats as if it were normal, saying, "The bun's a little stale."
* AdaptationNameChange: Felix's ex-wife is named Frances in the original play, both films, and ''Series/TheNewOddCouple'', but is renamed Gloria for the 1970-75 series and its 1993 ReunionShow.
* AdaptedOut:
** Oscar's children were adapted out for the 1970-75 TV series because ABC didn't permit divorced characters to have children until about 1972.
** It's implied that Oscar's kids were also adapted out when he was genderbent into Olive for the female version, as Olive never mentions having any either living with her, her ex-husband, or any of their parents. Neither Florence (genderbent Felix) or their mutal friends mention her having children either, and she sends money to her ex-husband because he's a gambler who persuades her to keep sending it to him, not because of any legal alimony or child support obligations. When Florence runs into the bathroom in the first act, Olive reassures their mutual friends that Florence can't hurt herself in there because that bathroom is the "guest bathroom", instead of it being the "kids' bathroom" as it is referred to in the original male version.

* AlliterativeFamily: Oscar's secretary Myrna Turner (pronounced "Turna" with a thick New York accent), has a brother and sister named Werner ("Werna") and Verna respectively.

* AmicablyDivorced:
** Felix and Gloria are divorced. However, the two share friendly custody of the children and stay at one another's apartments at various times. Felix's series-long goal consists of winning back his wife and, despite her frustration with his quirks, Gloria admits to one of her dates that she hasn't moved on from Felix.
** Oscar and Blanche have their moments, too.
* AndADietCoke: Oscar [[ItMakesSenseInContext asks a visiting monk to make him a hamburger]]. On the burger, he asks for mustard, relish, pickles, hot sauce, peppers and chili. The monk says, "No onions?" Oscar replies, "No, I've got an ulcer."
* AnachronismStew: The flashbacks were mostly set during TheFifties, but some wear afros and sideburns as well as some clothing clearly from TheSeventies. This was averted with Felix, who in these occasions usually wore a bowtie and a hat.
* AngerBornOfWorry: In "Felix is Missing", when Felix comes home exhausted from his day snowbound somewhere, Oscar turns to Murray and tells him, "I'll give you $200 for that gun."
* AnimalsHateHim: Averted with dogs but played straight with wild animals. During "I'm Dying of Unger", Felix gets bitten by three animals that we know of -- a chipmunk, a rabbit, and a ''frog'' -- and his bandaged fingers testify to other cases. However, this is only due to his status as the show's ButtMonkey and not for any lack of innocence on his part. In fact, he's shown to love the animals who attack him, so this could also be considered a subversion of FriendToAllLivingThings.
* AscendedExtra:
** Felix was actually one of these, having originally been a minor [[HeWhoMustNotBeSeen offstage]] character in Neil Simon's first play, ''Come Blow Your Horn''.
** Murray was originally listed as one of "The Poker Players" but he began to appear more frequently as the series progressed, and not only to play poker.
* AsianSpeekeeEngrish: In "[[Recap/TheOddCouple1970S2E22OscarsPromotion Oscar's Promotion]]", a Chinese wrestler whom Oscar sponsors and Felix wants to photograph speaks English, but with a heavy accent. Especially hilarious when he drops by their place the night before he returns to China, with bags of food in hand, to have dinner with them. Among some of the goodies he brings over are "rocks" and "cheese brintzes."
* AsideGlance: In one of the opening credits sequences, there's a bit where Felix directs a long, pointed glance at the camera while Oscar dries his hands on Felix's shirt. Felix does this during several actual episodes as well, such as when Oscar draws a mustache on him with a marker in "You Saved My Life".
* BalletEpisode: Felix gets involved in a production of ''Swan Lake''. He even forces Oscar into dancing one of the roles.
* BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor: A double-whammy in "Shuffling Off to Buffalo." Felix's brother Floyd comes to visit him and Oscar; Floyd feels Felix isn't suited for city life, and wishes he would to come to work for him at his bubblegum factory. At the same time, Felix envies the life Floyd has: a successful business, a really nice house, a loving family with a wife and children, a lodge membership, and wishes he had a life like that. With a little persistent prodding, Floyd manages to talk Felix into accepting a managing position at this bubblegum factory, but after some time, comes to regret it as Felix drives everybody at the factory crazy with his new regulations; at the same time, Felix also regrets accepting the offer because he comes to miss New York City as well as his old apartment and Oscar too much.
* BedmateReveal: This happens to Felix. It's a long scene with no dialogue that begins with Felix coming home late from work, gargling, putting his PJ's and a sleep mask on and climbing into bed. While on his back, a sleeping woman (who'd gotten Oscar to give her a place to crash) suddenly rolls over and throws her arm around him, while still asleep. He picks up her arm, takes off his mask, sits up, gets out of bed, looks down at her (still asleep) and delivers the only line in the scene: "It's not my birthday...".
* BeforeAndAfterPictures: Oscar (in a fat suit) was hired by Felix as a last-minute replacement for the before half of a before-and-after shoot, after "the fattest man in the world" refused to do it.
* BigDamnHeroes: Felix gets one of these moments in "The Ides of April". When he lets it slip to the IRS that Oscar's tax returns are suspect, Oscar is audited. But when it looks like Oscar is going to lose everything, Felix charges into the IRS office. ''He'' has gone over Oscars books, discovered Oscar never deducted his alimony payments, and finds that, in fact, the IRS owes ''Oscar'' money for the overpayment.
* BigEater: Oscar is implied to be this on occasion.
-->'''Oscar:''' Hey, you know somethin', Felix? Maybe that steak wasn't so good after all. My stomach's upset.
-->'''Felix:''' [[SarcasmMode You sure it was that and not the baked potato? The fried onions? The garlic toast? The pie a la mode? My left over sand dabs?]]
-->'''Oscar:''' That's it. The sand dabs.
* BigRottenApple: Not a ''main'' feature of the series, but given that it does take place in 1970s New York City this trope ends up showing up a few times. In addition to occasional quips from the characters about getting mugged and scenes of Oscar checking out a titty bar (just watch the Season One end credits and read the text on that building Oscar walks up to towards the end) in at least one version of the end credits, it provided the setup or a plot point for a few episodes:
** "Security Arms": Their apartment gets bulgarized, and Oscar walks into the living room to find Felix bound and gagged. Horrified, Felix moves into a new building with ultra-high security. Oscar pooh-poohs Felix as being overly paranoid...then moves in with him just a few days later after he hears a wild gun fight right outside the apartment. It takes some serious issues with the new building to get Felix and Oscar to move back into their old place.
** "New York's Oddest": Felix comes home from work having delivered a baby on the sidewalk in Times Square ("The first thing that baby saw was an X-rated movie marquee over its head!") on his way home and is very much exasperated at the fact that people were nearly walking all over the mom, newborn, and Felix without noticing them. His irritation with how callous New Yorkers are now inspires him to enroll himself and Oscar into a volunteer police force program called the Civilian Police Reserves. On his first shift on patrol in their floor Felix repeatedly irritates everyone by blowing his whistle and getting them all up for little things. Then a burglar comes in, ready to break into an apartment. Felix blows his whistle repeatedly, but because of his prior false alarms no one comes out, and Felix is bound and gagged by the burglar. In the morning, Oscar and the other neighbors come out to find Felix still bound and gagged-and are glad the burglar shut Felix up for the rest of the night.
** "[[Recap/TheOddCouple1970sS2E1NaturalChildbirth Natural Childbirth]]": Oscar's niece ran away from her home in Iowa so she could give birth outside of a hospital-she wants to deliver her baby in the "simple setting" of a motel in the Bronx. This elicits shock and serious concern from Oscar, Felix, and other characters to the point that everyone's trying to get her to go to a hospital to give birth-only for her to end up giving birth in Oscar and Felix's apartment!
** "Two Men on a Hoarse": Oscar loses his voice from a throat peration, which eventually causes Felix to lose his own voice from guilt. When burglars break into their apartment, Felix's voice is still nonexistent, so a still-hoarse Oscar struggles to yell to Murray that their apartment was robbed.
** "The Subway Story": Oscar's annoyed with the city, so Felix takes him out on the town to show him that New York isn't a completely lost cause. Of ''course'' they get stuck in the subway.
** "The New Car": Oscar wins a new car through a radio game show Felix that helped him win. After an entire episode of them agonizing over parking it, they ultimately look out their window to find the car with most of its parts stolen, which pretty much forces them to sell what remains of it to a lady who was trying to get it for a rather low price from them earlier.
* BigShutUp: Felix to Oscar in "[[Recap/TheOddCouple1970S2E9TheOddCoupleMeetTheirHost The Odd Couple Meet Their Host]]", after Oscar makes fun of his quirks on TV.
* BlindMistake: Felix returns from the hospital wearing a post-op bandage (blindfold) as the result of a sinus procedure. Wanting to freshen the air in the apartment, he mistakenly grabs a can of whipped cream sitting next to the can of Glade. He also goes to the closet and mistakenly puts on his ex-wife Gloria's coat. After Oscar clues him in, Felix says "It fits!"
* BookAndSwitch: During a rehearsal for "A Christmas Carol", one of the characters (Speed) is hiding porn underneath his script and is sort of not paying attention to the rehearsal. He is suddenly asked to read for the part of Scrooge. But he thinks they want him to read the porn. He balks, saying he would be embarrassed. He's coaxed into reading and begins reciting a passage from the porn, to which a very surprised Felix says, "Charles Dickens never wrote that".
* BookEnds: The original play begins and ends with Oscar's poker game.
* BowlingForRatings: "To Bowl or Not to Bowl," which centers around Oscar's never-before-mentioned bowling team making a run at the championship - potentially without its star player, Felix.
* BreakoutCharacter: For the 1970 series, Murray the cop. In the first season, he was regarded as nothing more than one of Oscar's poker buddies; by the second season, when they were pretty much dropped, Murray stuck around and became an official part of the cast.
* ButtMonkey: Poor Felix, practically ''every'' character in the show has picked on him. ([[AlternateCharacterInterpretation However, he may have it coming for how annoying he can get]].)
* BuxomIsBetter: Felix's ex-wife Gloria.
* CallingOutForNotCalling: Felix complains when Oscar comes home late without calling, usually ranting about how hard he worked on the ruined or uneaten dinner.
* CampStraight: Felix to an extent. He's not flamboyant or anything, but anyone that met him might think he wasn't exactly into the ladies, even though he pretty much was.
** Even Felix himself brought this up in an unproduced script for the 1970 series, in which he finds an unfinished article in Oscar's typewriter about homosexuality in sports, which he mistakes for a confessional and remarks, "You'd think if it was either one of us it would be ''me''."
* CanonDiscontinuity:
** In "You Saved My Life", Felix comments that he's "never considered the possibility of Felix Unger dying", yet the earlier episode "A Grave for Felix" was about Felix losing a grave plot he'd been trying to buy.
** How Felix and Oscar became friends has been all over the place. The theme song in the earlier seasons, and one flashback episode says that they're childhood friends, another flashback episode says they met while on jury duty, and several episodes mention the two of them being army buddies.
* TheCatCameBack: Felix-as-Marley falls out the window but when Oscar-as-Scrooge turns around, he's back.
* CharacterizationMarchesOn: While the main facets of Felix and Oscar's respective personalities (Felix being a compulsive neat freak, and Oscar being a slob) have always remained intact, their demeanors have pretty much flip-flopped from the movie to the series. To wit: instead of Felix being an uptight killjoy and Oscar being fun-loving and carefree, it's Felix who is more a bright-eyed and easygoing guy (for the most part), while Oscar is more of an irritable, quick-tempered grump (mainly because Felix gets on his nerves so much).
* ChaosArchitecture:
** The sets were completely changed when they went from a single camera setup to a studio audience, without the characters moving to a different apartment.
** In a more subtle example, in one episode, the two windows in Felix and Oscar's living room are replaced with one large window.
* ChuckCunninghamSyndrome:
** Roy (one of the poker players) as well as Cecily and Gwendolyn (the Pigeon sisters) disappeared after the first season. Later it was the turn for Miriam and Nancy (Felix and Oscar's respective girlfriends).
** [[WordOfGod According to Garry Marshall]], the Pigeon Sisters were written out of the show because the network wanted to establish more of a GirlOfTheWeek (and more specifically, "hot American girls") dating situation for Felix and Oscar - which itself was more ExecutiveMeddling to make sure they weren't coming across as a gay couple.
* ClumsyCopyrightCensorship: The series [=DVDs=] have quite a few scenes and jokes cut out due to the use of copyrighted music.
* ComicallySmallBribe:
** Oscar and Felix are trying to get bumped up the waiting list for a space in a mid-town parking garage. Felix tries to "schmooze" the owner (played in a delightful guest shot by John Byner) by coyly displaying some currency:
--> '''Felix:''' Will...um...''this'' get us anything?
--> '''Owner:''' ''(Glances at bill)'' Yeah -- two fives.
** Once, trying to gain admittance into a Music/PaulWilliams concert to bring his wayward daughter back home, hapless Felix offered a quarter to the security guard outside. He scoffed, "What is this? Your allowance?"
* CompressedVice: In one episode of the series, Felix's [[CharacterTic nervous tic]] is ''not'' his sinus honking, but his arms stiffening and locking into position to the point that Oscar has to physically manipulate them back into a relaxed position.
* ContinuityReboot: ''The New Odd Couple'', ''Oscar and Felix'', and the 2015 series. Arguably ''The Female Odd Couple'' as well.

* {{Corpsing}}:
** Jack Klugman seems to have been particularly prone to this, based not only on the outtakes, but on several episodes in which his slips were concealed or controlled quickly enough that they didn't ruin the scene and were left in (e.g. "Murray the Fink", "Two Men on a Hoarse").
** Some versions of the opening credits have a scene in which Oscar dries his hands on Felix's shirt (after Felix yells at him not to do it on the curtains), causing Tony Randall to slowly turn to the camera as if ''testing himself'' to see if he won't break.
* {{Costumer}}: The episode where Felix tells the story of how his and Oscar's fathers knew each other in TheRoaringTwenties.
* TheCouch: There was always a living room couch in the series, but in the first season, which was shot single-camera, it's not terribly prominent. When the show went to three-camera the set was redesigned and the couch, placed squarely facing the fourth wall, finally came into its own.
* CourtroomEpisode: The time when Felix wouldn't submit a nude picture of Gloria to Playboy, when Murray busted the weekly poker game, when Felix stole a dog that was being mistreated by its handler, and when Felix was accused of scalping a theatre ticket.
* CrazyJealousGuy: Felix in regards to his ex-wife Gloria. He goes into a jealous rage whenever she shows - or he ''imagines'' she shows - any interest in another man. He once pointed out his jealousy was one of the reasons Gloria dumped him.
* CreatorCameo:
** Neil Simon himself makes a brief cameo in "Two on the Aisle". Reportedly Simon hated the first season of the TV series, but not because of its content (he hadn't actually ''seen'' it) -- it was because his name was listed in the title of the series during the first season (''Neil Simon's The Odd Couple''), which he objected to on account of him having nothing to do with the series itself. Once he actually ''watched'' the first and second seasons, he grew to like the series.
** Producer Garry Marshall appears in season one's "I Do, I Don't" as a moviegoer who yells at Oscar for talking during the movie, as well as in Myrna's last episode (Myrna being played by his sister Penny).
* DartboardOfHate: In the episode "Two on the Aisle", Oscar makes one out of the blowup of Felix's face with the cartoon bubble "Thanks" that he received from a grateful Felix in "[[ContinuityNod You Saved My Life]]."
* DatingServiceDisaster: Before the internet - before PC's even - there was computer dating, believe it or not. In a third season episode, Oscar signs up with a computer dating service and embellishes his bio. He winds up matched with Felix's ex-wife. In TheStinger, Oscar tries again, and [[spoiler:winds up matched with his OWN ex-wife]].
* DemotedToExtra: Two of the poker buddies, Vinnie and "Speed", appeared in less and less episodes in later seasons.
* DisneyDeath: In "It's All over Now, Baby Bird", [[spoiler: Felix's pet parrot, Albert, turns out to not be dead, but rather, in a coma. He wakes up at his own funeral!]] Felix is [[TearsOfJoy overjoyed]].

%% * TheDitz: Murray.
* DivorceIsTemporary: For Felix Unger in the TV adaptation. The final episode of the series, "Felix Remarries" (aired March 7, 1975), sees him make one final, desperate attempt to win back Gloria, the wife he loved but who couldn't stand him due to his finicky nature. Felix realizes that, while it is good to be clean and organized, he also needs to relax. Gloria accepts that Felix has changed ... and the two are wed (for a second time) in the apartment.
* TheDoorSlamsYou: Oscar slams the door on Felix multiple times when he is hanging in a sling to relax his back.
* DorkHorseCandidate: Subverted. A late episode has Felix making Oscar run for municipal office.
* DressHitsFloor: A variant appears in "What Does a Naked Lady Say to You?"; during Madelyn's only scenes at her acting job, she appears wrapped in a ModestyTowel. When she gets into the bathtub, the camera focuses on her ankles and the towel hitting the floor rather than showing her undressing.
* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: Because the first season of the series was filmed single camera with only a LaughTrack, almost the entire season doesn't really stand out, and seems to resemble any generic, fluffy sitcom of TheSixties; it can also be a little jarring at how radically different (and cramped) Felix and Oscar's apartment looks that season as well.
* ElevatorFailure: This happened at the end of the RogueJuror episode. Unfortunately, the defendant got stuck in the elevator with Felix.
* EndOfEpisodeSilliness: Both Randall and Klugman reportedly hated doing the last little tag scene, feeling that its only reason for existence was to make viewers sit through one more commercial following the announcement "The Odd Couple will be back after these messages.".
* EpicFail: Guest star Bobby Riggs challenges Oscar to type his name in ten seconds. Oscar does it in three seconds, but writes "Oscar Madisoy". Bobby then gives him another opportunity. Unfortunately Oscar now types his name as "Oscar Madisox".
* ExtremeOmnivore: Oscar, who (as detailed in ActuallyPrettyFunny) once ate a plastic hot dog.
%%* {{Facepalm}}: Felix in "[[YetAnotherChristmasCarol Scrooge Gets an Oscar]]", when one of the poker players does an expressionless reading for Scrooge.

* AFoolForAClient: Felix always wants to represent himself in court and is nearly always incompetent at it. There is one spectacular exception when he questions an assuming accuser:
-->'''Felix''': When you ASSUME....you make an ASS out of U and ME!
::And even then, Felix doesn't know when to quit until he has angered the judge enough for him to indict both Felix and Oscar with contempt of court.
* ForcedFromTheirHome: Part of the backstory is that Felix's wife Gloria, growing tired of his irritating characteristics, "asked [him] to remove himself from his place of residence." "The Murray Who Came to Dinner" has Murray suffering a similar eviction after his wife becomes convinced he's cheating on her with the roller derby queen he's bodyguarding.
* ForgottenFirstMeeting: In one of the several versions of how Felix and Oscar first met, it was when Oscar's father ran a speakeasy in 1920s UsefulNotes/{{Chicago}} and Felix's father was an optometrist who fitted Oscar's father with glasses.
* ForgottenThemeTuneLyrics: Hefti's theme music has [[http://www.stlyrics.com/lyrics/televisiontvthemelyrics-50s60s70s/theoddcouple.htm accompanying lyrics]] by Sammy Cahn, but they're very rarely used.
* FluffyTheTerrible: in "[[Recap/TheOddCouple1970S2E15SecurityArms Security Arms]]", Mr. Duke owns a large German Shepherd called Peaches.
* GagNose: Murray's nose is the source of many jokes.
* TheGamblingAddict: Oscar in the TV series. He's perennially broke due to all the money he loses, so he repeatedly borrows and, on rare occasions, outright ''steals'' large sums from Felix.
* GameShowAppearance: The duo appear on ''Series/{{Password}}'' in one episode, guest starring host Allen Ludden, and on ''Series/LetsMakeADeal'' in another, guest starring host Creator/MontyHall.

%%* TheGenericGuy: Roy, Oscar's accountant and one of his poker buddies.
* GetAholdOfYourselfMan: Murray slaps Felix several times after he freaks out at the prospect of flying.
%% * GettingCrapPastThe Radar: Due to overwhelming and persistent misuse, GCPTR is on-page examples only until 01 June 2021. If you are reading this in the future, please check the trope page to make sure your example fits the current definition.
* TheGhost: Crazy Rhoda Zimmerman, Oscar's sometimes date, never appears, though she's mentioned.
* GoldenMoment: Many episodes end with Felix and Oscar quickly resolving the argument they had by admitting their faults. It never really lasted, though.
* GoodbyeCruelWorld: In the play, Felix sends his wife a suicide ''telegram'' when she breaks up with him.
* GoToYourRoom: One episode has Oscar yelling this at Felix after losing his patience with him. Felix replies that he doesn't have to take this and [[ComicallyMissingThePoint that he's going to his room]].
%%* GrandeDame: Blanche.
* HelpingGrannyCrossTheStreet: During the opening credits montage we see an old lady who is being helped across the street by a scout. Felix approaches them and offers to do it instead. He gets quite insistent, so the granny [[HandbagOfHurt hits him with her handbag]] to make him let go and the scout slugs him too.
* HeroesLoveDogs: Felix adores dogs, if the fact that he owned one while married, pampered a racing greyhound in "Leave the Greyhounds to Us", and took a dog from an abusive owner says anything.
* HilariousOuttakes: The first season DVD set included a very short gag reel; a different, much longer one was included with every copy of ''Tony and Me'', the book Jack Klugman wrote about his friendship with Tony Randall. Flubbed lines, corpsing, fake make-out sessions (to aggravate certain homophobic network execs) and general tomfoolery abound, not to mention a whole section of Tony Randall going "[[ClusterFBomb Shit!]]" after every flubbed line.
* {{Hypochondria}}: Felix is a self-confessed hypochondriac, though it's more of an InformedAttribute since every time a doctor is called to treat Felix, it's because he really ''is'' sick (typically something allergy-related). The trait is downplayed as the series goes on.
* HypnoFool: In one episode Oscar starts getting serious with a girl who objects to his sloppiness, so Felix gets Dr. Sidney Freeman to hypnotize him into being neat.
* IdentifyingTheBody: Felix goes missing and Murray eventually manages to ask Oscar to come down to the morgue to identify a body he thinks is Felix. Oscar is subdued with grief until he sees the body, whereupon he's shocked that they could actually think the guy was Felix. (The police had "identified" the body by the wallet.)
* IllKillYou: Oscar to Felix, several times. In "Felix is Missing", it becomes a plot point when the police finger Oscar as prime suspect thanks to all his "threats." Felix also did this to Oscar after Oscar made a comedy routine out of his habits on TV.
-->'''Felix:''' The whole world thinks I'm a neurotic madman, and I'm going to kill you for that!
* IOweYouMyLife: Oscar saves Felix from falling eleven-or-so stories to his death in "You Saved My Life." Felix spends the rest of the episode thanking Oscar for it, much to Oscar's increasing annoyance.
* IgnoreTheDisability: When Felix photographs a family of little people, he develops a complex etiquette for his friends for fear they might offend them. However, when the time comes to take the picture he shouts: "Everybody say 'midget'!"
%%* InformedAttractiveness: Gloria gets this in "One for the Bunny".
* InnocentlyInsensitive: Felix tends to insult people's best efforts, albeit in a way which suggests he appreciates it, but it's not good enough. This makes him difficult to live with.
* InstrumentalThemeTune: A jazzy number composed by Neal Hefti and used for both the film and series. Rather fittingly, Jack Klugman said in interviews that he loved it but Tony Randall hated it.

* IntimidatingRevenueService:
** In "You Saved My Life", Felix tries to get Oscar a lower alimony payment. Unfortunately, this involves the IRS going over his books, so Oscar is more horrified than delighted.
** In "[[Recap/TheOddCouple1970S3E16TheIdesOfApril The Ides of April]]", Felix is summoned to the IRS office and he thinks he's in serious trouble. It turns out that he simply forgot to sign a check, but Felix accidentally lets it slip that Oscar has been filing shady tax returns and so now Oscar is the one getting an audit.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Oscar, in the series, is cynical, insensitive, hot-tempered, occasionally vindictive and habitually dishonest. The latter is due to irresponsibility rather than malice, however, and under his thoughtless exterior is a loyal, caring, tolerant and very forgiving man.
* JumpingOnAGrenade: One of Oscar's attempts to get Felix to "save" him in return involved a fake grenade.
* JuryDuty: A flashback episode featured future roommates Oscar and Felix meeting as fellow jurors in a parody of ''Film/TwelveAngryMen'' with Felix in the Fonda role. Interestingly Jack Klugman (Oscar) played one of Fonda's fellow "Angry Men" in the original movie.
* KissingTheGround: Felix kisses the floor of the apartment (and his luggage, and other things) after getting off a plane. The flight wasn't rough, but Felix is afraid of flying.
* LargeHam: Felix was prone to get into this territory.
* LaughTrack: For the show's first season only. Nobody liked it, up to and including Neil Simon. Randall and Klugman ''especially'' despised it and campaigned hard for moving to three-camera comedy with a StudioAudience. It was still used for sweetening for the rest of the series, though.
* LeaningOnTheFourthWall: In an episode in which Oscar teaches the basics of football to Felix, Felix takes the ball, races down the hallway towards the bedrooms, and mere seconds later appears at the apartment door, ringing the buzzer. Impossible if the set were "real" (obviously, Tony Randall merely ran around the back of the set). It's not [[LampshadeHanging lampshaded]] in the dialogue, but the audience reaction of spontaneous applause seems to show that they grasped the absurdity. An odd gag in a show that normally eschewed such shenanigans.
* LittleKnownFacts: Felix does this all the time in the series: "The opposite of brown is purple", "Millard Fillmore knew less about opera than any other President - except of course for Rutherford B. Hayes". Most notably causes him problems during ''Series/{{Password}}''. "It's a well known fact that Lincoln loved mayonnaise!"
* LivingIsMoreThanSurviving: In "Security Arms", Felix moves into a different apartment after his and Oscar's place is robbed. The apartment complex has been designed for extreme safety, including things like inside locks, two-way mirrors and tons of rules. Eventually even Felix decides the problems with the new apartment outweigh any safety benefits.
* LostHimInACardGame: Oscar loses Felix to guest star Bobby Riggs as a glorified butler. Oscar offers to try to win his freedom back but Felix wins it back himself by holding a note longer than Riggs.
-->'''Oscar''': I'll win you back, buddy!
-->'''Felix''': No you won't. You'll lose double or nothing and I'll have to bring in my brother from Buffalo!
* LoveInformant: Felix falls madly in love with Gloria and wants to marry her, but he becomes such a nervous wreck that he loses his voice before he can propose to her, and he practically begs Oscar to propose to her on his behalf, even going so far as writing down very specific instructions on what to do and say. Oscar, wanting to get out of there, basically cuts to the chase and asks Gloria to marry Felix, to which she agrees.

* MissingTheGoodStuff: In an episode of the series, Felix tries to take a reaction shot of Oscar as he watches a ballgame and snaps the flash during an important moment. Oscar tries to watch the replay - and Felix accidentally sets off the flash in his eyes again.
* MistakenForGay:
** In "The Subway Story", when the train stops abruptly, Oscar ends up in the lap of the man sitting next to him. Said man turns to him and asks, "What are you, one of the glitter people?"
** In an episode where Felix has talked Oscar into being in a production of ''Carmen'', Felix tells Oscar to stand confidently with his hand on his hip. Oscar does this in a less than manly way, and Felix chastises him, saying, "Not like that! You look like a...(trails off)"
* MomentKiller: Felix would sometimes arrive home early "not feeling well" and disrupt the romantic mood, much to Oscar's consternation. At the end of "Felix Gets Sick", Oscar pretends he's ill to return the favor but finds that Felix is too nice about the disruption for revenge to be sweet.

* NeverSayDie: In "Felix is Missing", Murray is reluctant to come out and ask Oscar to come down and identify what he thinks is Felix's body. When pressed for what's going on, he says, "He's in the morgue!"
* NeverWakeUpASleepwalker: Murray tells Felix not to awaken the sleepwalking Oscar, because woken sleepwalkers become aggressive. Felix questions how things would get worse when he's already being smacked over the head nightly.
* NoIndoorVoice:
** One of Felix's trademark traits.
** Oscar would step into this territory when exasperated... specially by Felix himself.
* TheNoseKnows: When Oscar smuggles deli food into a fat farm, Felix can smell and identify every item.... as well as a can opener.

* OldFriend: The premise of the series. The series also offers at least three different stories about how they met: once it says they're childhood friends, later it claims they met when both were on jury duty, and a later episode says they met not long before Felix met Gloria.
* OnceForYesTwiceForNo: Oscar fakes this when Felix tries to hold a seance.
* OneSidedArmWrestling: In "The Fat Farm", Felix gets Oscar into an arm-wrestling match to prove how much he's let himself go. Felix easily pins him.
* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: Lampshaded in "[[Recap/TheOddCouple1970S2E6MurrayTheFink Murray the Fink]]", when the poker game is busted by Murray, and everyone wonders who Homer Degan is.
--> '''Speed''': What? You think my Mom named me 'Speed'?!?
* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: In "Sleepwalking", Oscar is startled when Felix says he entered his room after having a "[[ThatWasNotADream dream]]" that Oscar hit him on the head.
* OpeningNarration: "On November 13, Felix Unger was asked to remove himself from his place of residence; that request came from his wife. Deep down, he knew she was right, but he also knew that some day he would return to her. With nowhere else to go, he appeared at the home of his friend, Oscar Madison. Several years earlier, Madison's wife had thrown him out, requesting that he never return. Can two divorced men share an apartment without driving each other crazy?"
* PaidForFamily: Felix hires people to play Oscar's family when he runs for City Council.
* PanickyExpectantFather: '
** "[[Recap/TheOddCouple1970S3E9TheFirstBaby The Baby Story]]" consists of Oscar telling Myrna about the birth of the Ungers' firstborn, Edna. As might be expected, Felix does not take the impending birth calmly. Even before Gloria goes into labor, his behavior drives Oscar and Gloria so crazy that they ask him to go to the movies. Once there, he calls Oscar incessantly to ask about his wife. After going to the hospital, he gradually falls apart, ending up getting himself thrown out for things like commandeering the PA system.
** "[[Recap/TheOddCouple1970sS2E1NaturalChildbirth Natural Childbirth]]" concerns Oscar's heavily pregnant niece, Martha, turning up at the apartment, having run away from home to give birth without sedation. Her husband Phil doesn't appear, as he's in the army and can't get leave. Oscar and Felix pick up the slack. Oscar especially panics before the birth itself, when Martha still plans to give birth in the Bronx, and he calms down enough during the birth to assist Nancy. Felix stays relatively calm for most of the episode but experiences psychosomatic labor pains after the birth actually starts.
* ParentalLoveSong: In "The Paul Williams Story", Paul Williams writes a song based on the words Felix wanted to say to his runaway daughter. It brings them back together again.
* PerformanceAnxiety: David Steinberg helps Felix get over his stage fright by encouraging him to sing ''ComicStrip/LittleOrphanAnnie''[='s=] radio theme song.
* PreciousPuppies: "And Leave the Greyhound to Us?", "The Dog Story" and "The Subway Story" all center around dogs. The latter features a particularly adorable pup named Yawbus ("Subway" spelled backwards).
* PsmithPsyndrome: Myrna's boyfriend Sheldn, who owes the unique spelling of his name to a clerical error. He can tell when you add in the missing O.
* TheRashomon: "A Night to Dismember," in which Blanche, Oscar and Felix all share their versions of what happened the night that Oscar and Blanche split up.
* RealLifeWritesThePlot: Randall was involved with a committee to clean up New York City's tarnished image (while the series was taped in California, Randall kept a residence in NY). This led to the episode "The Subway Story" in which Felix tries to counteract negative NYC stereotypes that Oscar wrote in his column.
* ARealManIsAKiller: Lampshaded and inverted in "I'm Dying of Unger". A hungry Oscar tries to shoot a goose, but finds at the last minute he can't do it. He calls himself a coward, but Felix responds that violence is easy; Oscar is more of a man for not doing it.
* RepressionNeverEndsWell: In the episode "[[Recap/TheOddCouple1970S2E4Sleepwalker Sleepwalker]]", Oscar's girlfriend, Dr. Nancy Cunningham, talks him into trying to exercise more patience with Felix, in the interest of decreasing his own stress. Oscar suppresses his desire to lash out at his roommate when he annoys him. However, the hostility comes to the fore while he sleeps, leading to him sleepwalking and hitting Felix with a newspaper nightly.
* ReReleaseSoundtrack: The [=DVDs=] have quite a few scenes and jokes cut out entirely due to the use of copyrighted music.
* ReunionShow: Randall and Klugman reprised their roles for the 1993 MadeForTVMovie ''The Odd Couple: Together Again''.
* RogueJuror: The season 1 episode "The Jury Story" has Felix as one of these, complete with in-jokes to ''Film/TwelveAngryMen'', the trope-making 1957 film which featured none other than... [[ActorAllusion Jack Klugman]].
* RunningGag: Felix's sinus honking. In fact, in one episode of the series, Felix loses his voice due to guilt over pestering Oscar after the latter's throat surgery, forcing them to communicate using a chalkboard - Felix actually writes "HONK!" on the chalkboard. Later still, when a pair of burglars break into the apartment and see it:
-->'''Burglar #1:''' "Honk"? What does that mean?
-->'''Burglar #2:''' I don't know, maybe they been teaching geese in here.
* SecurityCling: Felix clings hysterically to Oscar while being carried to the couch in "You Saved My Life" -- understandable, given that moments before, his grip on Oscar (and vice versa) helped keep him from tumbling to the street.
* SensitiveGuyAndManlyMan: Felix and Oscar, respectively, especially in the series, where Felix's cultural interests and Oscar's love of sports are more fully developed.

* {{Sequel}}: In 1998 Simon wrote, and Lemmon and Matthau starred in, a sequel to the 1968 film, titled ([[NumberedSequels what else?]]) ''Film/TheOddCoupleII''.
* SeriesContinuityError: The show had infamously horrible continuity even for its time. For instance, there are three completely different flashback episodes about how Felix and Oscar first met.
* SheWhoMustNotBeSeen: Crazy Rhoda Zimmerman, Oscar's occasional girlfriend.
* ShoutOut:
** The English Pigeon sisters are named [[Theatre/TheImportanceOfBeingEarnest Gwendolyn and Cecily]].
** In "Odd Decathlon", Felix says pool is dumb. [[TheDitz Murray]] adds, "[[Theatre/TheMusicMan With a capital D, and that rhymes with P, and that stands for pool!]]"
** The title of the fifth season episode "The Rain in Spain Falls Mainly in Vain" is a reference to ''Theatre/{{Pygmalion}}'' [=/=] ''Theatre/MyFairLady''.
** The show in general was a definite product of the 70s (in a good way), with many references to then current people, events and trends.
* SicklyNeuroticGeek: Felix, especially the TV series which {{Flanderized}} his allergies (at first - as the series went on this aspect of the character became less prominent).

* SignificantReferenceDate: Nov 13th, the day Felix moves in with Oscar according to the opening narration, is producer Garry Marshall's birthday.

* SlobsVersusSnobs: The TV series in particular often featured this, with Felix in the snob role and Oscar (naturally) as the slob.
* SmallNameBigEgo: Felix can be like this sometimes.
* SneakingSnacks: In "The Fat Farm", Felix talks Oscar into joining him at a weight-loss retreat he attends every year. Outside food is not allowed, but Oscar manages to sneak in a number of items from a deli nearby. Unfortunately for him, Felix can identify every one by smell...as well as the can opener Oscar brought.
* SofterAndSlowerCover: Felix writes a bouncy, upbeat song for Jaye P. Morgan, but she performs it in a slow, dramatic style instead.
* SpeakNowOrForeverHoldYourPeace: Oscar is elated when his ex-wife, Blanche, decides to remarry, as it means he'll no longer have to pay alimony. However, when the minister says the line during the ceremony, Felix objects, because he feels Blanche is marrying the wrong man. The next scene shows the angrily brooding Oscar, at home later that day, playing a recording of the wedding on his turntable, and lifting the needle to hear Felix's "I object" over and over. Then Felix comes home from the church.
--> '''Felix:''' I stayed for the funeral.\\
'''Oscar:''' What'd you do, stand up in the middle and say "I object, this man is not dead"?
::The wedding is rescheduled for the next day, and when the same part of the ceremony is reached, the same objection is raised... this time by Oscar himself, who, in spite of everything, realizes that Felix was right and he can't let this continue.
* SpecialGuest: Howard Cosell, Creator/MontyHall, Bobby Riggs, Deacon Jones, Bubba Smith, Edward Vilella, Martina Arroyo, Jaye P. Morgan, Richard Dawson, David Steinberg, Allen Ludden, Creator/BettyWhite, Creator/BobHope... and [[CreatorCameo Neil Simon]]!
* SpellMyNameWithAnS: Felix's last name is spelled Ungar in most works, but the 1970 and 2015 series both spell it as Unger.
* [[StageMom Stage Owner]]: Felix gets Mr. Hugo to admit that this is why he works his dog so hard in "The Dog Story."
* SteppingOutForAQuickCupOfCoffee: In "[[Recap/TheOddCouple1970S4E7ThatIsTheArmyMrsMadison That is the Army, Mrs. Madison]]", Felix purposely leaves a chastised Oscar "sitting alone in his bunk" when he knows Blanche is about to come in. He lampshades it, saying that he had to report the thing that got Oscar in trouble, but if he doesn't see this, he doesn't have to report it.
* TheStoolPigeon: Felix's father during the Prohibition Chicago flashback episode. Too bad the police chief was on the take.
* StraightMan: {{Subverted|Trope}}. Felix and Oscar typically exhibit such extreme tendencies of their respective personalities (Felix being a control freak and Oscar being lazy) that whichever is the straight man depends entirely on who's more rational in a given situation. Otherwise, the viewer or occasional third party character is the OnlySaneMan.
* StrawLoser: Once Oscar took the money for Felix's grave slot to bet on a horse. Said horse started off well, but ended up last, not even getting to finish by the time the race ended.
* SubwaysSuck: Virtually any sitcom set in New York will pull this one at least once. "The Subway Story" features Felix and Oscar getting trapped in a broken subway car; wacky antics and heartwarming moments ensue.
* SuicideWatch: In the stage version, Oscar invites his friend Felix to stay in his apartment after his wife leaves him, out of fear that he'll commit suicide if unwatched. Given their personalities, things go (comically) downhill from there.

--> '''Edna''': Uncle Oscar, you have a blue stain on your rug.
--> '''Oscar''': No, that's the original color.
* TrueCompanions: For all the frustrations and irritations Felix causes, Oscar somehow always comes through for him. Many times Oscar has kicked Felix out, and he always (''eventually'') feels guilty about it, resulting in him bringing Felix back. Likewise, if anyone else starts giving Felix a hard time, Oscar is quick (''for the most part'') to defend his buddy. Tony Randall and Jack Klugman being such close friends in RealLife certainly helped Felix and Oscar's on-screen chemistry as well.
* UnplannedCrossdressing: In one episode Felix has a bandage over his eyes due to recent surgery. When Oscar throws him out, he stumbles to the closet and puts on what he thinks is his coat, but is actually his ex-wife Gloria's.
* VitriolicBestBuds: Oscar and Felix to each other. Especially Oscar.
-->'''Murray''': I wish Felix was ''my'' best friend...
-->'''Oscar''': How do you want him, dead or alive?
* WashyWatchy: In the first episode of the television show, Gwendolyn and Felix watch a washing machine this way during their double date.
* WhatHappenedToTheMouse:
** After the events of "The Subway Story" Felix presents Oscar with a puppy named Yawbus, who never appears again.
** In one episode Felix owns a beloved parrot named Albert who never appeared before or after this episode.
* WholeEpisodeFlashback: To: how Oscar and Felix met (several different versions!), how Felix and Gloria met, Felix photographing Gloria for a ''Playboy'' centerfold, Oscar and Blanche's wedding, the birth of Felix's daughter, the night on which Oscar and Blanche split up, and the vacation on which Felix and Gloria's marriage hit the rocks.
* YetAnotherChristmasCarol: "Scrooge Gets an Oscar," with Oscar as Scrooge, Felix as Marley and Cratchit, Murray as Tiny Tim and the other poker players in miscellaneous roles.
* YourFavorite:
** For Oscar - lasagna and french fries, cookies and ketchup, salami and jelly on rye. The final episode reveals that Oscar is also partial to Goop Melange. We're never really told what it is, only that it contains food Felix hates, and that athletes train on it. Athletes like Man O' War, Citation, Whirlaway...
** Oscar's favorite breakfast is Jumbled Cluck (Aka Scrambled Eggs for those not versed in ''{{Series/Password}}'' speak.).
** In the first Howard Cosell episode, Oscar mentions his favorite dessert is Boston Cream Pie.
** In one of his attempts to win Gloria back, Felix cooks a romantic dinner, listing all the dishes and labeling them as her favorites. Oscar notes that they are actually Felix's favorite dishes, not Gloria's, to which Felix says she'll learn to love them too.
* YoureInsane: In the play, after Oscar snatches the plate of linguini and senselessly throws it against the kitchen wall:

* YourMom: Felix lets loose with "Your mother wears army boots!" when critic [[AsHimself John Simon]] criticizes the theatre reviews Felix ghost wrote for Oscar.

''The Odd Couple'' is a 1965 Broadway comedy play by Creator/NeilSimon, which was subsequently adapted [[Film/TheOddCouple1968 into a 1968 movie]], which itself was later adapted by Creator/GarryMarshall into an Creator/{{ABC}} sitcom which ran from 1970–75. All three are highly regarded. The play also spawned a couple less highly regarded television adaptations: ''WesternAnimation/TheOddballCouple'', a 1975 animated series (starring a cartoon dog and cat), and ''The New Odd Couple'', a 1982 sitcom with black actors in the lead roles.

* AdaptationNameChange: Felix's ex-wife is named Frances in the original play, both films, and ''The New Odd Couple'', but is renamed Gloria for the 1970-75 series and its 1993 ReunionShow.

* BlackAndNerdy: Felix in ''[[RecycledInSpace The New Odd Couple]]''.

* RecycledINSPACE: ''The New Odd Couple'' is the exact same show... but the two leads [[RaceLift were now African-American]], with Ron Glass and Demond Wilson as Felix and Oscar respectively.

** The title of the fifth season episode "The Rain in Spain Falls Mainly in Vain" is a reference to ''Pygmalion'' [=/=] ''My Fair Lady''.

** Both Oscar's and Felix's kids seem to have been adapted out for the 2015 series.

** Lampshaded in the 2015 pilot:
--> '''Roy''': He [Felix] seems a little gay.\\
'''Oscar''': He seems ''incredibly'' gay.

* AnimatedAdaptation: ''WesternAnimation/TheOddballCouple'', featuring neatnik cat Spiffy and slovenly dog Fleabag.

%% Please put any tropes associated with the 2015 version on Series/TheOddCouple.

%% Please put any tropes associated with the 2015 version on Series/TheOddCouple.
A third live-action series, starring Matthew Perry and Thomas Lennon, premiered on Creator/{{CBS}} in February 2015. [[Series/TheOddCouple It has its own page here]].

* GameShowAppearance: The duo appear on ''Series/{{Password}}'' in one episode, guest starring host Allen Ludden, and on ''Series/LetsMakeADeal'' in another, guest starring host Monty Hall.

* SpecialGuest: Howard Cosell, Monty Hall, Bobby Riggs, Deacon Jones, Bubba Smith, Edward Vilella, Martina Arroyo, Jaye P. Morgan, Richard Dawson, David Steinberg, Allen Ludden, Creator/BettyWhite, Creator/BobHope... and [[CreatorCameo Neil Simon]]!

** Felix and Gloria

-->'''Chuck:''' I rike Italian food!

* BigShutUp: Felix to Oscar in "The Odd Couple Meet Their Host", after Oscar makes fun of his quirks on TV.

* FluffyTheTerrible: in "Security Arms", Mr. Duke owns a large German Shepherd called Peaches.

* SteppingOutForAQuickCupOfCoffee: In "This is the Army, Mrs. Madison", Felix purposely leaves a chastised Oscar "sitting alone in his bunk" when he knows Blanche is about to come in. He lampshades it, saying that he had to report the thing that got Oscar in trouble, but if he doesn't see this, he doesn't have to report it.

--> '''Felix''': Oscar, you have a blue stain on your rug.

* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: Lampshaded when the poker game is busted by Murray, and everyone wonders who Homer Winslow is.

* PanickyExpectantFather: Felix in "The Baby Story". Oscar becomes a Panicky Expectant Uncle when his heavily pregnant niece turns up at the apartment.