The Best Running Gags And Callbacks From Sitcoms
Running gags and callbacks are staples of sitcoms and have pretty much been around since the beginning. In earlier decades, they mostly took the form of catchphrases. With meta and referential humor becoming increasingly important to sitcom writing, running gags and callbacks dominate contemporary sitcoms, and fans now expect smartly written shows to include that kind of layered humor. Here are some of the best running gags on TV.
Couch Gags (The Simpsons)
Perhaps the gold standard of running gags, The Simpsons’ opening couch gag has been a mainstay for much of the show’s run. The first gag aired at the beginning of the second episode of the first season on January 14, 1990 (a simple gag with the family overcrowding the couch and Bart being pushed out, flying into the air). Throughout 36 seasons, there have been 456 couch gags, from the simple early gags lasting a few seconds, to epic and complex gags sometimes involving guest animators.
The Simpsons"LA-Z RIDER" Couch Gag, VHS Central
Mr Burns’ Archaic Terminology (The Simpsons)
C Montgomery Burns, the owner of Springfield’s nuclear power plant, is of indeterminant age but is quite elderly. A running joke about his extreme age is his use of outdated terminology and references to old technology, oblivious to their obsolescence; he answers the phone with “ahoy hoy”, which was Alexander Graham Bell’s favored telephone greeting. A fan favorite exchange involves Mr Burns at the post office telling the clerk that he’d like to “send this letter to the Prussian consulate in Siam by aeromail” and asks if he’s “too late for the 4:30 autogyro”.
The Simpsons - The Governemnt Inspection Team visits the nuclear plant, letsbepandas
Terrible Fake TV Shows (30 Rock)
As a TV show about a TV show taking place in a building where they make TV shows, 30 Rock is, unsurprisingly, rich with humor at the expense of the television industry. Whether it’s the terrible side projects for the characters Tracy Morgan and Jenna Maroney, or network head Jack Donaghy’s futile attempts to create hit shows, some of 30 Rock’s best running gags were the fake shows and movies peppered throughout seven seasons. Fake but believable programs like America's Kidz Got Singing, MILF Island, or Sports Shouting (four sports commentators shouting simultaneously) allowed 30 Rock’s writers to expand the fictional in-universe setting of the show.
30 Rock FAKE TV shows that I wish were real | 30 Rock, 30 Rock Official
Kenneth’s Immortality (30 Rock)
Kenneth Parcell was the network page for the fictional TGS With Tracy Morgan show, and much of the humor around that character came from Kenneth’s (and actor Jack McBrayer’s) small-town Georgia origins. Given that McBrayer was a bit old to be a page, a running gag developed where Kenneth Parcell may not have been human and was possibly immortal. This angle was usually just hinted at, but in the series finale it’s made explicit: the final scene takes place in the future (we are introduced to main character Liz Lemon’s granddaughter) and Kenneth is still there, having not aged.
Kenneth is IMMORTAL | Kenneth's Immortality on '30 Rock' | 30 Rock, 30 Rock Official
“That's A Shame” (Seinfeld)
Seinfeld was a 90s phenomenon, in no small part due to it being different from other sitcoms from the time, famously with a behind-the-scenes rule: no hugging, no learning. Seinfeld was the direct opposite of the contemporary sitcom Full House and emphasized that its main characters were actually quite selfish people. One key running gag is the apathetic response to a character’s misfortune (“that’s a shame”) used throughout the series’ run by the four main characters.
That's A Shame | Seinfeld, Seinfeld
“Hello, Newman” (Seinfeld)
Another running gag on Seinfeld was the animosity between the fictional Jerry Seinfeld and Kramer’s friend, postal worker Newman. It’s never fully explained why they dislike each other so much but the usual greeting between the two begins with Jerry tersely and sarcastically muttering “Hello, Newman” with clear disdain, to which Newman replies just as sardonically with “Jerry…”. The gag takes on a new level when Jerry’s mother reluctantly greets Newman at the door with “Hello, Newman”—clearly (and without explanation), Helen Seinfeld also dislikes Newman.
Seinfeld - Compilation of "Hello Jerry" and "Hello Newman", Leslie Kwan
Art Vandelay (Seinfeld)
Within George Constanza’s elaborate world of lies, he often finds himself pretending to be something he’s not, most often an architect but also once memorably a marine biologist. George also creates an alter ego, Art Vandelay, often for his dream job in architecture. The running gag came to a sudden conclusion in Seinfeld’s final episode: the judge in the trial of the four main characters is named Art Vandelay.
Seinfeld S01E02 "Art Vandelay importer exporter Jerry and George, Classic Entertainment
Les Nessman’s Bandages (WKRP In Cincinnati)
WKRP in Cincinnati (1978-1982) was a sitcom about a failing radio station that changes formats to boost ratings. The station’s news director, Les Nessman, was somewhat inept, focusing on farm reports over bigger stories, and was notable for his horn-rimmed glasses and bow tie. In the pilot episode, actor Richard Sanders injured himself and required a bandage, and it was decided to make this a running gag: in most episodes, Les has a visible bandage somewhere on his face or hands that is unexplained and never mentioned by the other characters.
Rose’s St Olaf Stories (The Golden Girls)
Rose Nyland, portrayed by Betty White, is somewhat clueless, particularly when she interacts with the other characters. One running gag was the stories she would tell about St Olaf, her hometown in northern Minnesota—stories which tended to be protracted and rambling, much to the irritation of the others, particularly Dorothy Zbornak, who would grow impatient with Rose’s tales about St Olaf’s eccentric inhabitants and apparent backwardness.
8 Rose Nylund St Olaf Stories to Start Your Day, Stay Golden
Niles’ Wife Maris (Frasier)
Frasier’s brother Niles is married to Maris for most of the show’s run and the key running gag here is that Maris is only ever referred to and never seen on camera. This allowed writers to create an increasingly eccentric character who was wealthy, a snob, very neurotic, and domineering toward Niles. This was a callback to Frasier’s parent show Cheers, where bar regular Norm’s wife Vera is never seen but is described by Norm in unflattering ways.
Frasier: Maris Described - Part 1 of 3, ParaFrasier
The Hamster Ball (Malcolm In The Middle)
It was the youngest son Dewey’s turn to take care of his class hamster, Bernard. His schoolmate Lance tells Dewey that his turn is next and makes it obvious that he intends to be mean to the hamster. To save Bernard, Dewey fills a hamster ball with cheerios and sets Bernard free, creating the running gag of occasional sightings of the hamster ball in the background of a scene.
Dewey Frees Bernard, XxhikariyumeXx
The Chicken Dance (Arrested Development)
Arrested Development runs on running gags; they’re the fuel that keeps the show going, and no running gag is more beloved than the so-called chicken dance. Early on, GOB Bluth, the eldest son, used a mocking chicken dance to ridicule what he saw as fear in middle brother Michael, although his interpretation of a chicken was a bit off. Over the course of the series, other family members have developed their own chicken dance (usually to mock Michael), each different, each clueless, prompting Michael to finally ask, “Has anyone in this family ever even seen a chicken?”
Best Chicken Dances | Arrested Development | Netflix Is A Joke, Netflix Is A Joke
“I’ve Made A Huge Mistake” (Arrested Development)
George Oscar Bluth II, or GOB Bluth (pronounced “jobe”, but often mispronounced by outsiders as “gob”), is the eldest son in the Bluth family. He’s not too bright and is held in little regard by his own parents in favor of second son, Michael. GOB lives a frivolous life, attempting to make a career out of magic, and is often the author of his own misfortune. GOB often means well and occasionally works as an ally to Michael, but in the end whatever GOB attempts to do usually ends badly, with GOB voicing his best-known catchphrase “I’ve made a huge mistake”.
Arrested Development - I've Made a Huge Mistake Compilation, Nico SD
The Final Countdown (Arrested Development)
As a magician, GOB Bluth’s lack of skill matches his inability to forge a career. His parents have nothing but disdain for his career choice and his professional magic shows are mostly inept. However, one important running gag is GOB’s use of the 1980s earworm “The Final Countdown”, by Swedish hair metal band Europe, as his theme song, with GOB making his ignominious stage entrances to the song’s epic synthesizer riff.
The Model Home Falling Apart (Arrested Development)
The Bluth family’s main business is in housing development, but given family patriarch George Bluth Sr’s corruption and his time spent incarcerated, the family is frequently out of money. George had built a model home out in the middle of nowhere and he built it cheaply. Over the course of the series’ run, various family members end up living in the model house, which invariably has structural problems, such as an unsecured banister, a fridge that when given a slight push crashes through the wall and into the garage, and things generally falling apart with the merest of touches.
Gob Presents A Second Model Home - Arrested Development, Arrested Development
“There’s Always Money In The Banana Stand” (Arrested Development)
The one area of The Bluth Company that manages to make money is a banana-shaped stand on the beach that serves frozen chocolate-covered bananas. Various family members end up working there, usually much to their humiliation, but it makes money—as George Bluth Sr told Michael, “There’s always money in the banana stand”. Unfortunately, George Sr meant that literally as the stand was lined with hundreds of thousands of laundered money, which is made all the worse when Michael, in an act of defiance towards his incarcerated father, burns down the banana stand for the insurance money.
There's always money in the banana stand, LummyTum
Dwight Schrute’s Amish Traditions (The Office)
A running theme in The Office is Dwight Schrute’s family background which is mainly Pennsylvania Dutch with connections to the Amish, and an apparent connection to European Germans as well (his grandfather fled to Argentina after WWII). The eccentricity of Pennsylvania Dutch and Amish cultures are exaggerated throughout the series; Dwight’s cousin Mose sports an Amish beard and is extremely sheltered from the outside world and Dwight explains that his family wedding tradition involves the betrothed couple standing in their own graves during the wedding ceremony. In season 9, Dwight introduces the office staff to Pennsylvania Dutch Christmas, an austere celebration that includes Dwight dressed as Belsnickel, a fur-clad German gift giver who whips bad children with a switch made from several tree branches in a Christmas game called Impish or Admirable.
Every Schrute Family Tradition Ever - The Office, The Office
Creed’s Backstory (The Office)
Creed Bratton was a background actor in the first few episodes of The Office but he was soon given lines and the show’s writers realized they were onto something. Actor Creed Bratton portrays Creed Bratton, quality assurance office for the Scranton branch of Dunder Mifflin. Actor Creed and fictional Creed share a similar back story (Creed Bratton in real life was the lead guitarist for The Grass Roots, who had several hits in the late 60s) and given Creed’s age, his experiences in the 60s reflect someone who has lived a wild life (he was a member, and also a leader, of a number of cults; his drug use then and now is prodigious; and he lives part-time in Canada, to “milk the welfare state”).
The History Of Creed - The Office US, The Office
“Pretty Good” (Curb Your Enthusiasm)
Much like Seinfeld, which Larry David co-created with Jerry Seinfeld, David’s Curb Your Enthusiasm is filled with running gags. One catchphrase now associated with the show is Larry’s smug and self-satisfied way of describing how things are going: “Pretty, pretty, pretty good”. It’s spoken in a slow drawn-out way and implies that only Larry is really feeling things are pretty good at the moment.
Curb Your Enthusiasm - Pretty good... Prettaaay, Prettaaay Good Supercut, 1PUTTZ
Gunther’s Love For Rachel (Friends)
Friends centered around its six stars, each with a set personality. Rachel is rich and materialistic but has a sweet side, and when she worked as a waitress at the Central Perk coffee shop, she was less than competent. Nonetheless, the Central Perk manager Gunther was in love with Rachel and his unrequited feelings were a subplot carried through the entire series.
Gunther Confesses His Love for Rachel | Friends, Friends
Jez & Super Hans’ Band Names (Peep Show)
The British series Peep Show centers on the lives of two self-centered roommates named Mark and Jez. Jez is rarely employed and one of his only ongoing activities is his attempts at launching a music career with friend Super Hans. A running gag is their band's endless names, changing continuously (so much so that they’d forget what they were called), and including such gems as Various Artists, Man Feelings, Curse These Metal Hands, Executioner's Bong, and the now classic Danny Dyer's Chocolate Homunculus.
Super Hans hat full of band names, Matthew Kazee
Mark’s WWII Obsession (Peep Show)
Of the two central characters, roommates Mark and Jez, Mark tends to be the more grounded and sensible of the pair, but he is not without his own deep flaws. One running gag involves Mark’s obsession with WWII history, something he uses as a metaphor for his personal problems (not to mention his education and supposed intelligence is his way of feeling superior to the dense Jez). His obsession reaches a head when he becomes involved in a new friend’s WWII re-enactment group (as Germans), finding out his friend is not so much a history buff like Mark, but a full-blown bigot.
“The Red Army Shot 16,000 Of Their Own Men At Stalingrad...” - Peep Show, Peep Show
Super Hans’ Employment Record (Peep Show)
Super Hans’ only steady occupation is as a drug dealer while he attempts to make a career out of music with Jez. Throughout the show’s run, Super Hans goes through a number of brief (and at times highly unlikely) jobs. These include bathroom fittings salesman, a plumber, and running a pub.
Jez & Super Hans Meet Their New Manager | Peep Show, Peep Show
“Title Of Your Sex Tape” (Brooklyn Nine-Nine)
Brooklyn Nine-Nine’s running gag is clearly inspired by The Office and Michael Scott’s classic “That’s what she said” catchphrase. In this instance, whenever a character remarks with even the slightest possibility of innuendo, main character Jake Peralta exclaims “Title of your sex tape”. It’s meant to show the immaturity of Jake but it also provides these cheap but admittedly funny gags: for Amy, “Kind, Sober And Fully Dressed” and “I’m Sorry About Tonight”; Jake: “Oh My God I’m Shaking, I’m Definitely Going To Cry”; and Holt: “Sorry, That Came Out Weird”.
Every Title of Your Sex Tape (Including Season 7) | Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Brooklyn Nine-Nine
Julian’s Rum & Coke (Trailer Park Boys)
This long-running Canadian mockumentary has lots of ongoing gags and catchphrases but the one that stands out to even casual viewers is Julian’s drink. At all times, Julian is holding a full glass, no matter the situation, location, or action. Most notably, Julian emerged from an overturned car with his drink in hand, apparently without spilling a drop.
Trailer Park Boys' lower your drink in front of Julian, VinnyVader
Every New Character Is Roger (American Dad)
Animation makes it easy for writers to lean into running gags since there’s no need to think about costumes, prosthetics, or an actor’s ability when faced with an outlandish gag. In American Dad, one of the key running gags is that whenever a new character is introduced, it’s the alien character Roger in an elaborate disguise, obvious to the audience but not necessarily so to the other characters.
American Dad: Roger’s Best Personas (Mashup) | TBS, TBS
Peter Hurts His Knee (Family Guy)
Family Guy is notorious for not only filling its episodes with running gags but for pushing the boundaries of viewers’ tolerance for dragging out a gag. In one particular running joke, Peter Griffin will find himself being injured, usually by hurting his knee, and the story effectively comes to a halt while Peter sits in agony over his knee, wincing and sucking in air through his teeth, for far longer than the gag really needs. These types of protracted gags are part of the reason Family Guy is very much a love-it-or-hate-it show.
Family Guy: Peter Hurts His Knee Compilation, Daniel Dave
Alexis’s Wild Kidnapping Stories (Schitt’s Creek)
The Canadian sitcom Schitt’s Creek concerns a rich family who loses it all and is reduced to living in a cheap motel in a town that family patriarch Johnny Rose bought as a joke in the early 1990s. The daughter, Alexis, is a typical rich girl whose wild lifestyle includes serious brushes with dangerous situations and people. One running gag is her elaborate (and apparently true) stories of being kidnapped in faraway countries when she was a teenager, much to the horror of her previously hands-off father.
Alexis Rose (Schitt's Creek) - Stories From Her Past, A Compilation, Laura Turner
Moira’s Accent (Schitt’s Creek)
Moira Rose is the Rose family matriarch, married to a former video store tycoon. Moira is an actress whose biggest success was a trashy nighttime soap opera. With an extreme and over-dramatic personality, Moira tends to speak in a number of inscrutable accents which are inconsistent with her apparent small town upbringing.
Schitt's Creek - Moira's Most Iconic Moments From All Six Seasons, Still Watching Netflix
Roy Kent’s Cursing (Ted Lasso)
Ted Lasso is a sitcom that mines familiar television tropes such as a character being a fish out of water. What sets Ted Lasso apart from other sitcoms is its focus on gentle humor. Nevertheless, the show was popular and the breakout character, surly aging soccer star Roy Kent, allowed the show to feature more grownup humor, particularly with Roy’s consistent cursing which in and of itself became a running gag.
Ted lasso - phoebe can’t stop swearing ( Roy Kent is in trouble), Crusey1988
Barry’s Attempts To End His Partnership With Fuches (Barry)
Barry is a dark comedy about an ex-marine who works as a hitman but wants to leave that life and become an actor. His career as an assassin involves him being paired with Fuches who sets up and organizes the hits. Barry is desperate to sever ties with Fuches and a key running gag is his futile attempts to rid himself of Fuches (and the hitman life).
Barry Tries to Take Out Fuches | Barry 2x08 (Explicit), billhaderisbarry
Kirk’s Jobs (Gilmore Girls)
Supporting character Kirk is a sweet but sometimes overly serious inhabitant of Stars Hollow. His main character trait is also one of the show’s key running gags. In addition to running the town’s only movie theater (set up in a living room with assorted household chairs), Kirk is either incapable of holding down a job or, more likely, he’s so civic-minded that he steps into any job that needs doing. Someone counted, and over the course of the series’ run, Kirk has worked 62 different jobs, including assistant manager at Doose’s Market, DSL installer, mechanic, termite inspector, skincare line salesman, mailman, beauty shop clerk, Winter Carnival coordinator, handing out samples at Taylor’s Olde Fashion Soda Shoppe, and realtor.
Every One of Kirk's Jobs on Gilmore Girls, The Gilmore Girls Guide
Dean Pelton’s Outfits (Community)
Craig Pelton is the Dean of Greendale Community College, and he has a particular affection for the main group of characters who make up a study group that meets in the library. Much of Dean Pelton’s interactions involve him making in-person announcements to the group (rather than using the school’s PA system) and over time, this involves wearing elaborate outfits and costumes that are tangentially connected to the announcement. Over the series’ run, Dean Pelton has dressed as a Scarlet O’Hara to announce a cotillion called “Gone With the Wind-ows” to celebrate Greendale's new, energy-conscious windows; as Tina Turner to announce, “It’s time to Tina Turn-er the clocks ahead” for Daylight Savings Time; and in a half-man/half woman costume to let the group know he has “good news and bad news”.
Dean Pelton's Costumes (Community), arottenpickle
John Redcorn’s Relationship With Nancy Gribble (King Of The Hill)
Nancy Dribble is married to Dale Dribble, a mainly harmless anti-government conspiracy theorist. John Redcorn is a Native American and a “Licensed New Age Healer” who treats Nancy for her migraines. What is obvious to everyone but Dale is that the treatments are a ruse for Nancy and John to get together, and it’s clear that Dale's equally oblivious son Joseph is actually John Redcorn’s son.
King of the Hill - Peggy Finally Figures Out Nancy and John Redcorn's Affair, 54RandomClips
The Store Next To Bob’s Burgers (Bob’s Burgers)
A running sight gag in the animated series Bob’s Burgers involves the storefront next to the titular burger restaurant. Whenever an establishing shot shows the restaurant, a different business seems to be occupying the building next door. This is most likely an homage to The Simpsons, where the store next to Moe’s Tavern changed a few times (it was originally a music store).
Bob's burgers: bob and deli guy, selfmadebullyleague
Kenny Dying (South Park)
The animated series South Park is known for its crude humor. One running gag involved one of the central child characters, Kenny, dying at the end of each episode. The gag was phased out from later episodes, but it did spawn the catchphrase “Oh my God, they killed Kenny!”
EVERY SINGLE KENNY DEATH IN SOUTH PARK, ChilleyerThe Tom Hanks News (Veep)
In the debut episode of Veep, the vice president’s team, led by Selina, is trying to get out in front of a media scandal, hoping for something to happen to draw the public’s attention, such as actor Tom Hanks dying. In an interesting callback, in the series’ finale, there is a television report covering Selina’s funeral, which is cut short by the news that Tom Hanks has died.
Pawnee’s Murals (Parks And Recreation)
The fictional town of Pawnee, Indiana has a violent history and over the course of time, the town has attempted to make up for these atrocities (usually at the expense of the local Native American groups) with a series of patronizing and offensive murals. One mural, “The Spirit of Pawnee”, depicts stereotypical Irish men selling booze to stereotypical Native Americans, next to a railroad being built by offensively depicted Chinese workers, while a train forces two Native Americans to leap out of its way.
Parks and Recreation - Murals of Pioneer Hall, funneebonez
Ron’s Red Shirt (Parks And Recreation)
Whenever Ron Swanson has intimate relations with a woman, he wears a red polo shirt to work the next day, something that Tom Haverford picks up on. However, when Tom’s marriage of convenience is annulled (he married a Canadian woman to help her with a Green Card but the marriage was never consummated, despite Tom’s efforts), Ron goes out on a date with her. Much to Tom’s horror, Ron is wearing a red shirt the next day.
Ron but he gets progressively more Ron | Parks and Recreation, Parks and Recreation
You May Also Like:
The Eight Best Episodes Of The Simpsons
Looking Back On Schitt’s Creek, The Little Show That Could
Parks And Recreation: The Most Heartwarming Show On Television
