Unconventional TV episodes
11-28-08, 08:19 PM
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Unconventional TV episodes
Saw this on Zap2it and thought it might pose a good discussion....article is as follows (and a warning, there are spoilers for those who haven't watched any of the shows mentioned....look at for the first one, since that episode of Boston Legal just aired):
And here were my comments on that page:
"X-Cops from the X-Files...the shot the episode like Cops and it was brilliant. Speaking of the X-Files, they had the movie episode and my personal favorite (staring Jesse L. Martin of Law & Order fame) The Unnatural, which focused entirely around baseball.
ER also had an episode with Cynthia Nixon as a patient that was wide awake and couldn't tell them what was wrong. And didn't the Ray Liotta episode go from his POV?
At this point any show can go outside the box, but it has to have a good audience for the network to let them. Tough time we live in."
Last night’s episode of Boston Legal was, as Alan summed up, eventful. The firm has gone bankrupt, Shirley and Carl are engaged and Alan put forth a convincing speech about the state of racism in America.
But it was missing one key ingredient – there was no legal. There was no client to comfort, no witnesses to interrogate, opening statements to make or closing arguments to win the case. The show, which always pushes the TV envelope, totally stepped outside its comfort zone. And I think it kind of worked.
Then I started thinking about other shows that had unconventional episodes. Here are my favorites:
The Joss Whedon Triumvirate: Series creator Joss Whedon wrote and directed some killer episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, but I still think his legacy will likely be the three episodes that reinvented the hour-long format. "Hush" (December 14, 1999) featured 29 minutes without dialogue, "The Body" (February 27, 2001) focused on the absolute sorrow following the sudden death of Buffy’s mom, and "Once More, With Feeling" (November 6, 2001) proved that a musical episode was not only possible, but could be perfect.
"My Musical" episode of Scrubs (January 18, 2007): Any episode that features a song entitled "Everything Comes Down to Poo" is okay by me. Funny, poignant and quite clever, it may not have been as great as "Once More, With Feeling," but it was pretty darn good nonetheless.
The live "The Debate" episode of The West Wing (November 6, 2005): It may no have been the best episode of the series, but I still applaud the show for taking a risk (I remember being nervous while watching) and for performing the episode twice (!!) once for the East Coast and once for the West Coast.
"A, My Name is Alex" episode of Family Ties (March 12, 1987): In this classic episode, Alex deals with the death of his friend Greg. Much of the episode was performed on a stark stage and Michael J. Fox won an Emmy for his heartbreaking and authentic performance.
Those are some of my favorite out-of-the-box (or in this case out-of-the-DVR) episodes, what are some of yours? Talk about it below.
But it was missing one key ingredient – there was no legal. There was no client to comfort, no witnesses to interrogate, opening statements to make or closing arguments to win the case. The show, which always pushes the TV envelope, totally stepped outside its comfort zone. And I think it kind of worked.
Then I started thinking about other shows that had unconventional episodes. Here are my favorites:
The Joss Whedon Triumvirate: Series creator Joss Whedon wrote and directed some killer episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, but I still think his legacy will likely be the three episodes that reinvented the hour-long format. "Hush" (December 14, 1999) featured 29 minutes without dialogue, "The Body" (February 27, 2001) focused on the absolute sorrow following the sudden death of Buffy’s mom, and "Once More, With Feeling" (November 6, 2001) proved that a musical episode was not only possible, but could be perfect.
"My Musical" episode of Scrubs (January 18, 2007): Any episode that features a song entitled "Everything Comes Down to Poo" is okay by me. Funny, poignant and quite clever, it may not have been as great as "Once More, With Feeling," but it was pretty darn good nonetheless.
The live "The Debate" episode of The West Wing (November 6, 2005): It may no have been the best episode of the series, but I still applaud the show for taking a risk (I remember being nervous while watching) and for performing the episode twice (!!) once for the East Coast and once for the West Coast.
"A, My Name is Alex" episode of Family Ties (March 12, 1987): In this classic episode, Alex deals with the death of his friend Greg. Much of the episode was performed on a stark stage and Michael J. Fox won an Emmy for his heartbreaking and authentic performance.
Those are some of my favorite out-of-the-box (or in this case out-of-the-DVR) episodes, what are some of yours? Talk about it below.
"X-Cops from the X-Files...the shot the episode like Cops and it was brilliant. Speaking of the X-Files, they had the movie episode and my personal favorite (staring Jesse L. Martin of Law & Order fame) The Unnatural, which focused entirely around baseball.
ER also had an episode with Cynthia Nixon as a patient that was wide awake and couldn't tell them what was wrong. And didn't the Ray Liotta episode go from his POV?
At this point any show can go outside the box, but it has to have a good audience for the network to let them. Tough time we live in."
11-28-08, 11:13 PM
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Darin Morgan wrote the definitive unconventional episodes or The X-Files and Millennium, with "Jose Chung's From Outer Space" and "Somehow Satan Got Behind Me" respectfully.
11-29-08, 01:12 AM
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11-29-08, 08:42 AM
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Coupling (BBC) had a few:
Split - where the episode follows 2 characters at the same time in split screen the entire time.
Nine and a Half Minutes - where the same nine and a half minutes are told from 3 points of view.
The Girl With Two Breasts - where a conversation between Jeff and a woman who doesn't speak English is played out. Then we see the same conversation only we now can understand the woman and not Jeff.
Split - where the episode follows 2 characters at the same time in split screen the entire time.
Nine and a Half Minutes - where the same nine and a half minutes are told from 3 points of view.
The Girl With Two Breasts - where a conversation between Jeff and a woman who doesn't speak English is played out. Then we see the same conversation only we now can understand the woman and not Jeff.
11-29-08, 08:58 AM
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That Cops/X-Files crossover was awesome.
M*A*S*H had that ep where they ran a clock on the screen as the Doctors dealt with a seriously injured soldier. They also had those cool interview eps with the characters talking about their experiences in Black and White.
M*A*S*H had that ep where they ran a clock on the screen as the Doctors dealt with a seriously injured soldier. They also had those cool interview eps with the characters talking about their experiences in Black and White.
11-29-08, 12:03 PM
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What about the episode of NewsRadio that answered the eternal question of what it'd be like if instead of a news station they worked at a space news station and reported the space news?
Or the one that inexplicably took place on the Titanic.
In one of my college classes (TV Major, woot!) we actually focused a whole segment on these "What If?" scenarios. Chief focus was given to the X-Files/Cops crossover as well as Once More With Feeling. However, the class wasn't very good, and the basic takeaway from it was they do this... because they want to... and can.
Or the one that inexplicably took place on the Titanic.
In one of my college classes (TV Major, woot!) we actually focused a whole segment on these "What If?" scenarios. Chief focus was given to the X-Files/Cops crossover as well as Once More With Feeling. However, the class wasn't very good, and the basic takeaway from it was they do this... because they want to... and can.
11-29-08, 12:14 PM
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There was also a House where he spent the whole episode just sitting in a room with a rape victim and talking to her. If I remember correctly there was no case they were trying to solve.
11-29-08, 01:59 PM
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Stargate SG1 - "Wormhole X-treme", "Heroes Part 1 & 2", and "200".
King Of Queens - "Inner Tube"
Angel - "Smile Time" (PUPPETS!)
Curb Your Enthusiasm - "The End"
off the top of my head thats all I can think of
King Of Queens - "Inner Tube"
Angel - "Smile Time" (PUPPETS!)
Curb Your Enthusiasm - "The End"
off the top of my head thats all I can think of
11-29-08, 03:01 PM
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That Family Ties episode was my first thought.
There was that Mad About You episode where they were just sitting around waiting for their baby to go to sleep. I think they even got that episode to air with limited or no commercials.
There was that Mad About You episode where they were just sitting around waiting for their baby to go to sleep. I think they even got that episode to air with limited or no commercials.
11-29-08, 03:30 PM
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Xena had a lot - 2 musicals, a few set in the future, the re-worked Amazon High pilot, the underwater flintstones-esque one
Perfect Strangers did an old-timey Laurel and Hardy episode.
Northern Exposure had one set in the past when Roslyn and Cicely came to town...I think that counts
Perfect Strangers did an old-timey Laurel and Hardy episode.
Northern Exposure had one set in the past when Roslyn and Cicely came to town...I think that counts
11-29-08, 03:38 PM
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I can't believe everyone's mentioning different episodes of ER without mentioning the one that kicked it all off. The Mark Green and Doug Ross road trip. You never see the ER once and I remember there being and absolute shit storm about it when it first aired. Since that one you have everything everyone's mentioned plus all the Africa jaunts.
First one that came to mind though was Seinfeld "reverse" episode. I think it was called the Betrayal.
I'm not sure if the episode would fall into the unconventional category, per se, but I still consider it brilliant. The episode of Friends where Joey & Chandler win Monica & Rachel's apartment. It was especially ballsy to keep up the gag for multiple episodes. Definitely an unconventional plot point even if the episode, as a whole, wasn't unconventional.
First one that came to mind though was Seinfeld "reverse" episode. I think it was called the Betrayal.
I'm not sure if the episode would fall into the unconventional category, per se, but I still consider it brilliant. The episode of Friends where Joey & Chandler win Monica & Rachel's apartment. It was especially ballsy to keep up the gag for multiple episodes. Definitely an unconventional plot point even if the episode, as a whole, wasn't unconventional.
11-29-08, 03:39 PM
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The MASH episodes that were documentaries. I never cared for them myself.
And these are part of what made Coupling the best comedy series in the last decade or so IMO. These episodes were so well done.
Coupling (BBC) had a few:
Split - where the episode follows 2 characters at the same time in split screen the entire time.
Nine and a Half Minutes - where the same nine and a half minutes are told from 3 points of view.
The Girl With Two Breasts - where a conversation between Jeff and a woman who doesn't speak English is played out. Then we see the same conversation only we now can understand the woman and not Jeff.
Split - where the episode follows 2 characters at the same time in split screen the entire time.
Nine and a Half Minutes - where the same nine and a half minutes are told from 3 points of view.
The Girl With Two Breasts - where a conversation between Jeff and a woman who doesn't speak English is played out. Then we see the same conversation only we now can understand the woman and not Jeff.
And these are part of what made Coupling the best comedy series in the last decade or so IMO. These episodes were so well done.
11-29-08, 03:50 PM
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Just about to mention that one, and the B&W episode.
And did they also do an entire episode in rhyme, or was it just for one act?
And slightly unconventional was The Who episode of WKRP. They spend the first half setting up this big concert that the station is promoting, with the whole gang going to the show, but without being obvious they never mention the band. Then, just before the seocnd commercial break as they are walking out of the station to head to the show, one of the DJs casually mentions that he hasn't seen The Who in years. They come back from the commercial after the tragedy has occured, and the rest of the show was dealing with their responsibilities in promoting the event (sorry about some of the details, it's been 20+ years since I've seen it).
And someone already mentioned the sit-com episode of Scrubs......
And did they also do an entire episode in rhyme, or was it just for one act?
And slightly unconventional was The Who episode of WKRP. They spend the first half setting up this big concert that the station is promoting, with the whole gang going to the show, but without being obvious they never mention the band. Then, just before the seocnd commercial break as they are walking out of the station to head to the show, one of the DJs casually mentions that he hasn't seen The Who in years. They come back from the commercial after the tragedy has occured, and the rest of the show was dealing with their responsibilities in promoting the event (sorry about some of the details, it's been 20+ years since I've seen it).
And someone already mentioned the sit-com episode of Scrubs......
11-29-08, 03:58 PM
#20
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Hercules had two episodes that focused on the writers for the show in the "real world" trying to think up ideas for the show. Very meta.
Although the show didn't run that long, on Firefly the episode "Out of Gas" is very unconventional for the series (and for TV in general). With the fractured way it jumped between three different timelines, it was a risky move that worked exceptionally well.
Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles recently had an episode where the storyline was told in bits, each from a different character's point of view.
Although the show didn't run that long, on Firefly the episode "Out of Gas" is very unconventional for the series (and for TV in general). With the fractured way it jumped between three different timelines, it was a risky move that worked exceptionally well.
Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles recently had an episode where the storyline was told in bits, each from a different character's point of view.
Last edited by Jay G.; 11-29-08 at 04:03 PM.
11-29-08, 03:58 PM
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3rd Rock From The Sun - "Nightmare On Dick Street"
Millennium had a few "Somehow The Devil Got Behind Me" and "...Thirteen Years Later"
Always Sunny did "The Gang Cracks The Liberty Bell"
Millennium had a few "Somehow The Devil Got Behind Me" and "...Thirteen Years Later"
Always Sunny did "The Gang Cracks The Liberty Bell"
Last edited by skacore; 11-29-08 at 04:05 PM. Reason: addition
11-29-08, 07:10 PM
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Deep Space 9= They go back in time and do the show during a original episode of star trek. I forget the name of the episode though.
Babylon 5 = They had a episode that was done like a documentary. Kind of like Cloverfield without the stupid monster.
Buffy = The episode where Jonathan was the hero. They changed the opening also to make it look like his show.
Babylon 5 = They had a episode that was done like a documentary. Kind of like Cloverfield without the stupid monster.
Buffy = The episode where Jonathan was the hero. They changed the opening also to make it look like his show.
11-29-08, 10:22 PM
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The Seinfeld episode that took place entirely in the Chinese restaurant.
Seinfeld was VERY different at the time, but that episode was even more different than others because it had even less of a plot than normal. On the dvd Larry David talked about how many issues they had getting that episode made because the execs couldn't get behind it. Plus I think that was the only episode that Kramer wasn't in.
Seinfeld was VERY different at the time, but that episode was even more different than others because it had even less of a plot than normal. On the dvd Larry David talked about how many issues they had getting that episode made because the execs couldn't get behind it. Plus I think that was the only episode that Kramer wasn't in.