Sitcom Showdown
109 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 1 month ago - ★★★★ - 4 ratingsNominating the best sitcom episodes of all time, for the Sitcom Showdown hall of fame. Sibling team Steve and Jeffers take turns selecting a classic sitcom ep to put the case for its inclusion, having to convince each other along the way. Let the showdown begin!
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Episodes
SS108 - Heil Honey I'm Home
March 28, 2024 10:40 - 49 minutes - 57 MBThis episode is a visit the Hall of Shame as we check out the infamous British sitcom 'Heil Honey I'm Home' (1990) which was cancelled after only one episode! A big shout out to the Talking Bottom podcast, from whom we borrowed a clip of their amazing interview(s) with Paul Jackson.
SS107 - Community
December 24, 2023 14:19 - 44 minutes - 51.4 MBCommunity gets the Christmas nod from Steve in 2023 as we look at the musical episode 'Regional Holiday Music' and all it's gleeful satire! Community starred Joel McHale, Gillian Jacobs, Danny Pudi, Yvette Nicole Brown, Alison Brie, Donald Glover, Chevy Chase, Ken Jeong and Jim Rash. Merry Christmas y'all!
SS106 - Hangin With Mr Cooper
November 22, 2023 14:41 - 1 hour - 72.2 MBWe hang with Mr Cooper in this episode of the Showdown, looking at the 1990s sitcom starring Mark Curry, Holly Robinson, Sandra Quarterman, Raven Symone, Nell Carter and Marquise Wilson. Thanks to listener Nick O for the suggestion!
SS105 - ALF
October 30, 2023 04:38 - 52 minutes - 60.5 MBALF is selected by Jeffers for an almost Halloweenish peek into an alien-on-Earth sitcom. 'Working My Way Back To You' is the opener to ALF season 2, broadcast in late 1987, where Alf tries to avoid exile to the garage by becoming the Tanner family's butler for a week! Steve & Jeffers also chat about Earth-based alien sitcoms in general, and this sitcom's challenges of filming around a puppet, which reportedly drove the cast to distraction.
SS104 - Barbara
September 12, 2023 12:25 - 49 minutes - 56.7 MBSteve brings 'Barbara' to the showdown (a listener suggestion) so that he and Jeff can check out the turn-of-the-century UK sitcom starring Gwen Taylor and Sam Kelly. The ep in question is Series 3 episode 2, titled FLOOD, and it turns out to be packed with plenty of quality jokes. Thanks to Jono for the suggestion!
SS103 - A Grand Tour of Edmund: A Butler's Tale & Boswell's Life of Johnson
August 27, 2023 11:40 - 43 minutes - 50.3 MBSteve uses Blackadder's 'Ink & Incapability' as a springboard to go on a Grand Tour of Edmund: A Butler's Tale & Boswell's Life of Johnson. What were the links between Dr Johnson & Boswell, and the Prince Regent and Gertude Perkins and the great romantic poets (if any)? Or did Ben Elton and Richard Curtis simply fabricate them with hilarious results? We find out in this ep of Sitcom Showdown.
SS102 - We Are Men
July 21, 2023 12:36 - 1 hour - 87.9 MBWe Are Men was a swiftly-cancelled 2013 sitcom on CBS (only 2 episodes!) starring some great actors such as Tony Shalhoub, Jerry O'Connell and Kal Penn. The show looked great, plenty of well-shot location work, with experienced hands at the helm. So what went wrong? Jeffers and Steve review both eps of We Are Men and give you the low-down.
SS101 - Beanes of Boston
May 27, 2023 14:45 - 1 hour - 91.7 MBThe USA's 1979 version of Are You Being Served? titled Beane's of Boston is under the microscope in this edition of Sitcom Showdown. The pilot starred sitcom veterans Charlotte Rae (Diff'rent Strokes) as Mrs Slocombe and John Hillerman (Magnum PI) as Mr Peacock. Steve and Jeffers compare the two series and - as always - enjoy looking at transplanted sitcom attempts!
SS100 - Are You Being Served
April 07, 2023 14:36 - 1 hour - 74.4 MBIn our 100th episode of Sitcom Showdown, Steve nominates a classic episode of Are You Being Served from 1976. Captain Peacock is in a spot of bother after some suspicious overnight behavior with a store colleague makes him late to work. Mrs Peacock is on the rampage and Messrs Humphries and Lucas are enjoying the show. Meanwhile, Mrs Slocombe is interviewing for a buyers job in Mr Rumbold's office! Come and join us for a good old chat about AYBS and help us celebrate 100 eps! Sitco...
SS099 - Night Court 2023
March 05, 2023 14:13 - 57 minutes - 66.4 MBNight Court's 2023 revival is examined at the behest of Jeffers who is caught bringing it to the table purely on the Basil Brush connection of a new Night Court star. John Larroquette returns to play his character Dan Fielding from the classic original Night Court (which we covered in ep 60 of the podcast) joining Melissa Rauch as Judge Abby Stone, and India de Beaufort as Olivia the prosecutor. We look at the first two episodes and reveal our thoughts on the revival!
SS098 - Parks and Recreation
February 04, 2023 05:13 - 58 minutes - 67.7 MBSteve nominates the highly-regarded Parks and Recreation episode 'Flu Season' for the Hall of Fame. Is it a fully-sick classic? According to fans, this is some of the best work that Amy Poehler, Nick Offerman, Chris Pratt and the team have done.
SS097 - Friday Night Dinner
December 17, 2022 14:08 - 1 hour - 72.9 MBFriday Night Dinner gets a run on the Showdown thanks to a listener recommendation, so Jeffers and Steve check out 'Christmas' from 2012. Friday Night Dinner was a Channe; 4 sitcom starring Tamsin Grieg, Paul Ritter, Simon Bird, Tom Rosenthal and Mark Heap. Written by Mr Popper.
SS096 - 15 Storeys High
November 17, 2022 12:51 - 56 minutes - 66 MB15 Storeys High is selected from listener recommendations, focusing on the episode Blue Rat. With the show's recent-ish resurgence following Sean Lock's untimely death, does this tower block sitcom deserve all the belated praise that came its way? And does Perry Benson steal the episode from Benedict Wong and Sean? Tune in to find out.
SS095 - Count Arthur Strong [Halloween Special]
October 22, 2022 02:39 - 1 hour - 79.8 MBCount Arthur Strong returns to the Showdown for a Halloween Special in which Jeffers nominates Stuck in the Middle (series 2, episode 4) in which Arthur appears to be a mad killer, having kidnapped a scamster plumber. This ep of Count Arthur might be horror at its most hilarious, with Steve Delaney in top form, delivering a great script.
SS094 - Taxi
August 27, 2022 07:47 - 58 minutes - 67 MBTaxi is nominated by Steve for the episode 'Reverend Jim a Space Odyssey'. This highly decorated sitcom is sure to impress Jeffers, with a killer cast including Judd Hirsch, Marilu Henner, Tony Danza, Andy Kaufman, Danny DeVito and of course Christopher Lloyd.
SS093 - My Hero
July 09, 2022 05:53 - 1 hour - 75 MBMy Hero is nominated by Jeffers who thinks that Thermoman's series 4 episode 'The Living Dead' can impress Steve. Thermoman's secret identity hits a hitch when George Sunday 'dies' publicly, while Mrs Raven becomes the world's finest (and most evil) hypnotherapist. Both of these events are causing major problems for Janet. And then George gets cremated! How will they get out of this one? My Hero ran from 2000 to 2006, starring Ardal O'Hanlon as George, with Emily Joyce as Janet, and Gera...
SS092 - Eric Chappell writer special
June 05, 2022 10:18 - 1 hour - 71.6 MBEric Chappell is the subject of our first 'writer special' in which we talk about his methods and the many sitcoms he penned including Rising Damp, Home to Roost and others. Steve selects an episode of 'Fiddlers Three' to investigate.
SS091 - Black Books
April 25, 2022 07:35 - 58 minutes - 67.2 MBBlack Books gets a second nomination from Jeffers for the series 2 epsiode 'Blood', where Bernard's new bookshop restaurant, Manny's high-street ambition and Fran's relatives all go into the cooking pot to make Sitcom Luxury Pie. But will Steve find it tasty enough for the Hall of Fame? Black Books stars Dylan Moran, Bill Bailey and Tamsin Greig. Bllood was written by Andy Riley and Kevin Cecil, with Dylan Moran.
SS090 - The Secret Diary of Desmond Pfieffer
March 20, 2022 12:36 - 56 minutes - 65.3 MBThe short-lived 'Secret Diary of Desmond Pfeiffer' is brought in by Steve, to compare this USA-made historical comedy to its earlier UK rival Blackadder. Did Desmond's adventures deserve to be cancelled? It sure didn't harm the actors' careers much, as Jeffers and Steve find out when they investigate. Does Niblett hold a candle to Baldrick? Is Desmond as quick-thinking and cunning and vindictive as Edmund? And how good is Booger as a guest star?
SS089 - The Goodies
February 20, 2022 05:56 - 50 minutes - 58.2 MBThe Goodies' classic 1977 Christmas episode 'Earthanasia' is nominated by Jeffers for a Hall of Fame spot. Will the doomsday-scenario adventures of Bill Oddie, Graeme Garden and Tim Brooke-Taylor be hilarious enough to convince Steve? And in any case, will the Muppets suffer? Twitter: @SitcomShowdown Theme tune 'Billy Blues' by texasradiofish (c) copyright 2015. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial (3.0) license.
SS088 - Blackadder 3
December 10, 2021 12:42 - 1 hour - 70.4 MBBlackadder the Third gets its inevitable nomination from Steve, who claims that the episode 'Amy and Amiability' is the greatest sitcom episode of all time! It's hard to argue against that when you look at the talents of Rowan Atkinson, Ben Elton, Richard Curtis, Miranda Richardson, Tony Robinson and Hugh Laurie all combining to create a classic masterwork.
SS087 - The Young Ones
October 31, 2021 06:15 - 57 minutes - 66.3 MBThe Young Ones 1984 episode 'Nasty' is the Halloween special for 2021 in the Sitcom Showdown Hall of Fame. We enjoy some scares with Rik, Vyvyan, Neil and Mike, but hold a grudge against Alexei Sayle for crimes against live comedy! Twitter: @SitcomShowdown Theme tune 'Billy Blues' by texasradiofish (c) copyright 2015. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial (3.0) license.
SS086 - AP Bio
October 10, 2021 04:28 - 53 minutes - 61.5 MBAP Bio is nominated by Steve for the Hall of Fame. Will this modern school-based sitcom graduate into the big leagues? It all depends on the quality of the teaching! Twitter: @SitcomShowdown Theme tune 'Billy Blues' by texasradiofish (c) copyright 2015. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial (3.0) license.
SS085 - Ted McGinley
June 23, 2021 10:50 - 57 minutes - 66 MBTed McGinley is nominated for the Sitcom Showdown Hall of Fame, giving us a chance to chat about his work in Happy Days, Married With Children, Hope & Faith, The Love Boat and more!
SS084 - Geoffrey Palmer
May 29, 2021 12:13 - 51 minutes - 59.6 MBGeoffrey Palmer is inducted into the Sitcom Showdown Hall of Fame in this 'actor spotlight' special! The star of Butterflies and Executive Stress also had a terrific role in The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin, which Steve investigates.
SS083 - Trial and Error
May 06, 2021 21:41 - 58 minutes - 67.4 MBTrial and Error, the 2017 sitcom and murder mystery mockumentary, is nominated by Jeffers for the Hall of Fame. Will Judge Steve rule favourably on the case? Any sitcom with John Lithgow and Sherri Shepherd (plus Jayma Mays and Steven Boyer) should be just fine, surely? Twitter: @SitcomShowdown Theme tune 'Billy Blues' by texasradiofish (c) copyright 2015. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial (3.0) license.
SS082 - Yes Minister
March 21, 2021 03:13 - 41 minutes - 48.4 MBYes Minister gets its second selection, as the listener-nominated episode 'Whisky Priest' is the subject of a Sitcom Showdown inquiry. Thanks to Mrs Natural. Twitter: @SitcomShowdown Theme tune 'Billy Blues' by texasradiofish (c) copyright 2015. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial (3.0) license.
SS081 - Seinfeld
December 18, 2020 04:35 - 49 minutes - 57.3 MBSeinfeld's classic Festivus episode 'The Strike' gets the Christmas nomination from Steve in 2020 for the Sitcom Showdown Hall of Fame. It's a tightly-woven tale of bagels, two-faced dates, Festivus poles and Elaine's Atomic Subs. Pull up a spot at the table with Jerry, Kramer, Elaine and George to see if they get to deck the Hall! Twitter: @SitcomShowdown Theme tune 'Billy Blues' by texasradiofish (c) copyright 2015. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial (3.0) lice...
SS080 - Hogans Heroes
November 29, 2020 08:37 - 56 minutes - 64.6 MBHogan's Heroes gets a nomination by Jeffers for the 1965 episode 'German Bridge is Falling Down'. Will he need an elaborate scheme to smuggle Hogan, Klink, Schulz and the boys into the Hall of Fame? Or will Steve let Hogan's Heroes stroll right in? Twitter: @SitcomShowdown Theme tune 'Billy Blues' by texasradiofish (c) copyright 2015. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial (3.0) license.
SS079 - Wellington Paranormal
October 16, 2020 09:16 - 43 minutes - 50.5 MBWellington Paranormal's spooky second-season opener is nominated by Steve for Halloween month 2020 and his job is to convince Jeffers that the New Zealand comedy cops can save the day. This fresh mockumentary sitcom from the minds of Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi has officers Minogue and O'Leary (led by Sgt Maaka) trying to solve some coastal disappearances, and finding the mighty Taniwha ... the 'not Ness monster!'
SS078 - Dads Army
September 13, 2020 08:55 - 50 minutes - 58.4 MBDad's Army is nominated by Jeffers for the 1973 classic 'The Deadly Attachment' featuring Philip Madoc in a great guest-star role. Will Steve agree that this much-loved WW2 comedy should enter the Hall of Fame?
SS077 - Stephanie Cole
August 16, 2020 08:07 - 49 minutes - 57.2 MBStephanie Cole is the fourth actor to feature in a Sitcom Showdown special, earning a spot in the Hall of Fame for her superb work in Waiting for God (featured), Open All Hours, Keeping Mum and much more!
SS076 - David Haig
July 12, 2020 04:49 - 46 minutes - 54.5 MBDavid Haig becomes the third actor to be chosen for tribute in Sitcom Showdown's Hall of Fame. He is lauded for his all-time hilarious performance as Detective Inspector Grimm in The Thin Blue Line (1995) but in this podcast episode we look into 'Keeping Mum' where David co-starred with Stephanie Cole. Twitter: @SitcomShowdown Theme tune 'Billy Blues' by texasradiofish (c) copyright 2015. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial (3.0) license.
SS075 - Space Force
June 28, 2020 06:51 - 58 minutes - 67.5 MBSpace Force gets a nomination from Steve who appreciates this brand-new sitcom's quality cast, sumptuous visuals and crafted scripts. But is it funny? And can its ninth episode 'It's Good to be Back on the Moon' get into the Hall of Fame? Let's see if Malkovitch, Carrell and crew have the right stuff. Twitter: @SitcomShowdown Theme tune 'Billy Blues' by texasradiofish (c) copyright 2015. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial (3.0) license.
SS074 - Married With Children
June 13, 2020 08:36 - 43 minutes - 49.9 MBMarried With Children gets its second nomination for 'Married With Aliens' from its fifth season. Can Al Bundy, Peg, Kelly and Bud (plus aliens) get into the Hall of Fame once again? Jeffers thinks so, but he may be high on the powerful emanations from Al's socks... Twitter: @SitcomShowdown Theme tune 'Billy Blues' by texasradiofish (c) copyright 2015. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial (3.0) license.
SS073 - Mad About You
May 31, 2020 08:31 - 37 minutes - 43.6 MBMad About You is the second sitcom to have the dubious honour of being nominated for the Hall of Shame, for the episode 'Bing Bang Boom'. Steve suggests that this really does qualify as an example of a one-star episode from an otherwise much-loved sitcom. Is it possible that Paul Reiser and Helen Hunt laid an egg? Twitter: @SitcomShowdown Theme tune 'Billy Blues' by texasradiofish (c) copyright 2015. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial (3.0) license.
SS072 - Still Open All Hours
May 17, 2020 11:35 - 1 hour - 75.8 MBIn this first-ever 'Hall of Shame' version of the podcast, Jeff nominates an episode of Still Open All Hours to show that even a classic David Jason & Roy Clarke sitcom can produce one-star clunkers.
SS071 - What We Do in the Shadows
April 30, 2020 12:27 - 50 minutes - 58.7 MBWhat We Do in the Shadows is the sitcom nominated this time, with Steve suggesting this vampire comedy has Hall of Fame potential. Let's see if the powers of producers Taika Waititi, Jemaine Clement and Paul Simms, along with a cast including Matt Berry and Natasia Demetriou, can rise to the occasion! Twitter: @SitcomShowdown Theme tune 'Billy Blues' by texasradiofish (c) copyright 2015. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial (3.0) license.
SS070 - The Mighty Boosh
April 25, 2020 10:04 - 52 minutes - 60.4 MBThe Mighty Boosh is nominated for the Hall of Fame by Jeffers for their series one episode 'Electro' (2004). Will the adventures of Vince Noir and Howard Moon slip into the hallowed hall like a warm kitten? That's up to Steve, the spirit of sitcom. Twitter: @SitcomShowdown Theme tune 'Billy Blues' by texasradiofish (c) copyright 2015. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial (3.0) license.
SS069 - Loved By You
March 31, 2020 13:40 - 46 minutes - 53.3 MBLoved By You - the UK version of Mad About You - is selected by Steve to be inspected as part of the cross-Atlantic sitcom swap month of March 2020. Is this transplanted remake as bad as you's expect? It can't be any worse than the partially dodgy audio quality from our hosts as they try a spot of remote recording forced by lockdown... Twitter: @SitcomShowdown Theme tune 'Billy Blues' by texasradiofish (c) copyright 2015. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial (3.0) ...
SS068 - Payne
March 23, 2020 13:08 - 1 hour - 71.6 MBPayne, the USA version of Fawlty Towers, is Jeffers' choice this episode. In March 2020 we're looking at sitcom reworkings in other continents, and this 1999 imitation of Fawlty Towers is a notorious one, even with John Larroquette and JoBeth Williams doing the best they can. Let's find out how payne-ful it is! Twitter: @SitcomShowdown Theme tune 'Billy Blues' by texasradiofish (c) copyright 2015. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial (3.0) license. Thanks texasradi...
SS066 - Norsemen
January 27, 2020 10:21 - 51 minutes - 59.2 MBThe Nordic sitcom 'Norsemen' is nominated for the Hall of Fame by Steve, who goes to bat for the 'village & pillage' adventures of vikings in the 8th Century. Twitter: @SitcomShowdown Theme tune 'Billy Blues' by texasradiofish (c) copyright 2015. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial (3.0) license. Thanks texasradiofish!
SS065 - Fawlty Towers
January 13, 2020 08:32 - 1 hour - 55.8 MBFawlty Towers gets its second nomination for the Hall of Fame, for the episode 'Communication Problems', starring the formidable Mrs Richards. Surely any example of this all-time classic sitcom from John Cleese and Connie Booth is a dead cert winner, just like Dragonfly ... (or is that Nitwit?) Twitter: @SitcomShowdown Theme tune 'Billy Blues' by texasradiofish (c) copyright 2015. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial (3.0) license. Thanks texasradiofish!
SS064 - Rising Damp
December 22, 2019 01:17 - 42 minutes - 48.6 MBRising Damp's 1975 Christmas episode 'For the Man Who Has Everything' is nominated for the Hall of Fame by Steve, who is impressed by the fast-talking Leonard Rossiter and his castmates.
SS063 - NewsRadio
December 14, 2019 06:28 - 54 minutes - 63.4 MBNewsRadio gets its second nomination for the Hall of Fame, thanks to Jeffers putting up the festive episode 'Xmas Story' from season 2. Steve gets to decide whether the Christmas adventures of Dave Nelson, Lisa Miller, Jimmy James, Matthew and the crew of WNYX will be able to deck the Hall with bouts of funny. Twitter: @SitcomShowdown Theme tune 'Billy Blues' by texasradiofish (c) copyright 2015. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial (3.0) license. Thanks texasradio...
SS062 - Arrested Development
November 30, 2019 04:03 - 55 minutes - 64.1 MBArrested Development is nominated for the Hall of Fame by Steve, trying to get Jeffers on the Bluth family hype train about a decade later than most. Twitter: @SitcomShowdown Theme tune 'Billy Blues' by texasradiofish (c) copyright 2015. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial (3.0) license. Thanks texasradiofish!
SS061 - 3rd Rock From The Sun
November 09, 2019 10:44 - 51 minutes - 59.2 MB3rd Rock From the Sun is nominated by Jeffers, who believes this 1990s alien-based yet Earth-bound sitcom is a Hall of Fame lock. Series 1, episode 10 (Truth or Dick) is selected for scrutiny by Steve, whose vague memories of 3rd Rock are generally positive, so this could mean success for Dick, Sally, Harry and Tommy! Twitter: @SitcomShowdown Theme tune 'Billy Blues' by texasradiofish (c) copyright 2015. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial (3.0) license. Thanks te...
SS060 - Night Court
October 28, 2019 08:26 - 49 minutes - 57.3 MBA 'Night Court' Halloween episode is selected by Steve, to check out the un-spooky legal adventures of Judge Harry, Bull and the lawyers. It's a little funny and a lot emotional when Harry's cheeky urchin pal Leon returns to the fold and turns things upside down! Twitter: @SitcomShowdown Theme tune 'Billy Blues' by texasradiofish (c) copyright 2015. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial (3.0) license. Thanks texasradiofish!