List of common situation comedy plots

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The list of common situation comedy plots contains a list of standard plots and plot devices frequently (re)used in the episodes of American, Canadian, and British situation comedies.

[edit] Plots

• A character meets his/her lookalike. Related: A character meets a celebrity lookalike (often the real celebrity also stars and makes a cameo appearance; more often, the actor playing the character plays himself in a dual role).
• A character is on their way to something important when the subway, bus or car they are travelling in breaks down causing them to be late, but the situation is eventually resolved.
• Spies and espionage. One plot device involves Americans having Russian-soundalike names, and characters who completely mistake said character as a spy.
• Plots involving the family car. Frequent storylines include mechanical failure, buying a lemon, or getting into an accident (usually of the minor fender-bender variety).
• 'Unusual family pets, such as goats, chickens and stuffed animals.
• A teenage character gets grounded.
• Plots involving the family dog – such as:
  • The dog runs away
  • The dog either gets pregnant or impregates another dog (in the latter instance, often to the chagrin of the other dog's master).
• Characters having to care for a friend's dog, which leads to major problems and inconveniences (the dog eats everyone out of house and home, destroys things, etc). Often, matters become complicated when the dog dies or runs away.
• Someone gets sick at the wrong time (usually before a family trip, party, wedding, or other anticipated event).
• The wedding episode. Several variants:
  • A main character and his/her significant other consider marriage, but decide against it (often because they're "moving too fast").
  • A main character and his/her significant other announce their engagement, leading to the wedding by the episode's end.
  • The engagement is announced at the end of an episode, and the wedding takes place in a later episode (to give the writers time to develop the relationship).
  • One or more of the main characters go to a wedding, and/or asked to participate in the wedding party.
  • Something goes horribly wrong before the wedding that prevents one from getting to the wedding in time.
• The fight. Carried out in one of these ways:
  • Someone is challenged to a fight. The character either agrees (and deals with the legal and social consequences) or declines (and is branded a coward).
  • Two or more characters – usually siblings or best friends – don't get along for some reason, which leads to a major confrontation that could seriously damage the relationship.
  • Two or more characters sharing the same living space decide to resolve their differences by dividing up the space either into rooms or by drawing a line down the middle, resulting in one or more characters being cut off from something essential such as the bathroom or front door.
• A character witnesses a robbery or other crime, or is a victim. This may lead to one of two things:
  • He/she fears the suspect(s) is after him/her to silence or intimidate him/her into not reporting the incident.
  • The suspects confront the witnesses, including a main character, sometimes leading to a hostage situation.
• A character gets injured (usually a broken arm or leg), leading to various inconveniences.
• The family portrait – everyone can't make it at an appointed time, but somehow things work out.
• An elderly relative moves in (either temporarily or permanently) with the main character/family. Related: The family must move the relative to a nursing home
• Endless episode plots involving a new boyfriend or girlfriend and dating, especially in programs with teen-aged characters. Some of the more popular storylines:
  • A character is shy about asking the object of his/her crush out.
  • The object of one's crush ends up being unrequited.
  • A boyfriend or girlfriend is using a character for some reason (such as to get at a rival quarterback's playbook, to win a spot on a cheerleading squad, to have sex, etc.).
  • A character dumps his/her date for someone more desirable.
  • Two or more adult/sibling characters set up dates for another character on the same night, without consulting each other.
  • The character of a character's boyfriend/girlfriend is not what they thought it was when the date was arranged (can be either for better or for worse).
  • A character (almost always male) has found himself having two different dates at the same venue (usually restaurant) and has to maintain the illusion that he is exclusively committed to each girl, by frenetically dividing his time between them. This tactic usually fails.

... and the list goes on.

• Holiday-themed episodes. Usually, situation comedies will have at least one Christmas-themed episode (many longer-running sitcoms have several). Also, many newer sitcoms (including "Family Matters" and "Roseanne") have done Halloween-themed episodes each year. These episodes are usually out of the main continuity of the series.

* Other holidays that often find their way into sitcom plots include Valentine's Day and Thanksgiving.

• A character is falsely accused of being involved in criminal activities. Related: False rumors threaten to ruin a character's reputation.
• A character is plagued by nightmares, either recurring or similarly themed. Usually, the subject matter of the nightmares is rather silly.
• Employment-related capers, including:
  • A teen-aged character getting a job and learning responsibility, despite several things he/she may not like (such as a tough supervisor or bossy co-worker).
  • A character losing one or more jobs, either through getting fired or by layoffs.
  • A character may be promoted (and actually is or someone else is).
  • Additional responsibilities at work cause stress on the family.
  • A character becomes angry with his/her employer and mails an angry letter to said boss only to regret the decision. This leads to a spy-movie inspired break-in attempt to reclaim the letter before the boss reads it and fires the sender. Variations upon this include letters to other important people in the sender's life in a moment of anger, and the extreme measures taken to get said letters back.
• The vacation story - cast members travel to Hawaii, New York, Europe, etc. Until the early 1970s, many of these episodes were filmed on the same stage as the main show; the set was simply redecorated. When a story was set in a foreign country, actors/actresses were sometimes hired to play stereotyped characters. Nowadays, many sitcoms go "on location" to film their vacation stories.
• Jealousy, usually because someone is envious of someone else (often a classmate or sibling).
• Birthdays - Someone's birthday has apparently been forgotten, but the cast surprises the honoree by episode's end.
• Anniversaries - Same as above, or the couple can't make time to celebrate because of various conflicts.
• Pregnancy-related episodes, including:
  • "I think I'm pregnant," and it turns out to be a false alarm.
  • "I think I'm pregnant," and the character really is.
  • In the above instance, storylines relating to the inconveniences of being pregnant. The recurring storyline ends with the mother giving birth.
  • "I'm pregnant", the character is, but not with the assumed father.
  • In shows with very special episodes, a teen-age friend is pregnant and afraid to face her parents and/or boyfriend.
• Amnesia, usually someone getting bumped on the head.
• A character saves someone from serious injury or death, earning "eternal gratitude" and the hero/heroine live to regret it.
• A character appears on a game show, either real or fictional.

Similarly, someone is on a talk show.

• Someone gets drafted into the service. Related: The character fears he/she may be getting drafted, which is usually unfounded.
• Investments in a company, inventions, etc., with the characters either losing money or getting a much smaller-than-expected payoff.
• The inheritance, which can be related to:
  • Money — Someone is expecting a huge windfall, only to get a more modest sum; or the inheritance is for a huge amount of worthless currency (e.g., Confederate money). In such stories, the "beneficiary" may go on a wild shopping spree before his/her true inheritance is revealed.
  • Property — Someone inherits a large mansion that turns out to be haunted; or they may acquire a business where the main characters spend/spent a majority of their free time.
• Sports-related episodes, involving all levels (from recreational and youth leagues to high school and college; and involving any sport).
• Characters go on a picnic with disastrous results (food poisoning, it starts to rain, etc.)
• Practical jokes - usually a character playing a series of jokes or two or more factions playing the jokes. Often, things go too far by episode's end and something bad happens (something gets broken, someone gets injured, etc.).
• A younger character, feeling unappreciated and abused by his family, threatens to (or actually does) run away.
• The spoiled brat episode:
  • An adult character's sibling or friend comes for a visit, bringing along their bratty child. Frequently, the brat is left in the main characters' (temporary) care.
  • Teen-aged characters must babysit for the brat.
• A teen-age character must miss an anticipated event (often, a rock concert or a one-night-only movie), either to babysit a younger sibling or family member, or to watch an adult character's property such as a business. Related: the event is missed because the teen-ager is grounded.
• The obnoxiously smart sibling of the main family becomes a teacher or works with troubled children.
• A hidden need episode:
  • The school bully is revealed to be either homeless or living with an abusive or alcoholic parent.
  • The office jerk is revealed to either have a special-needs child (or disabled dependent family member) or is sponsoring one.
  • The character who underperforms on his/her (school) work is revealed to have a learning disability (e.g., dyslexia).

Similarly, someone pretends to have learning disabilities after seeing how much "easier" it is for someone who really has challenges.

• A character displays a hidden talent which goes against his/her general persona.
• The character who is routinely thought of as an underachiever gets an apartment or house, and ultimately succeeds at living on their own better than those thought to be overachievers.
• A person makes an offer to buy the house, prompting flashbacks, and ultimately the people decide not to sell.

Note: There are many times in a sitcom, and any other kind of show, where there are "flashback episodes". These are usually towards the end or middle of the series.

[edit] References

• Fisher, Joe and David Krinsky. Television Comedy Series: An Episode Guide to 153 Television Sitcoms in Syndication. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland Press, 1984. ISBN 0899500889