Best episodes of the best sitcoms.

I don't know about you guys, but I find it hard giving shows a good chance. Some shows like Black Books start out with a real strong first episode.
Other shows like Not Going out only get going a few episodes in.
Other shows Take a few seasons. The problem is, I don't doubt that all your favourite sitcoms are great, but if I struggle to get through the pilot, I might be unlikely to give the show a good go.

So my question is, what are the best episodes of your favourite sitcoms?

These are some of my favourites:

UK
Blackadder S3E1 Dish and Dishonesty
Fawlty Towers S2E2 The Psychiatrist
Father Ted S3E6 Kicking Bishop Brennan up the arse
Red Dwarf S8E5 Krytie TV
Black Books S1E1 Cooking the Books
Man Down S1E2 Two Bags of Mince
IT Crowd S1E2 Calamity Jan
The Mighty Boosh S1E8 Hitcher
Coupling S2E1 The Man with 2 Legs
Hitch Hikers Guide - From the start
Mr Bean - Mr.bean in Room 426

AU
Lano and Woodley S2E2 The Pool
Upper Middle Bogan S2E7 All You Can Eat

US
Sienfield S5E21 The Opposite
Fraiser S3E13 Moon Dance
Simpsons S6E9 Homer Bad Man
Sarah Silverman Program S2E1 Bored of the Rings
South Park S19E2 Where my Country Gone?

Only Fools And Horses - "The Jolly Boys Outing"

Blackadder - "Private Plane"

Dad's Army - "Asleep In The Deep"

Fawlty Towers - "Waldorf Salad"

Porridge - "A Night In"

One Foot In The Grave - "The Trial"

Steptoe And Son - "The Desperate Hours"

Men Behaving Badly - "Watching TV"

Absolutely Fabulous - "Hospital"

Red Dwarf - "Back To Reality"

The Office - "Training"

Hancock's Half Hour - "The Radio Ham"

The Young Ones - "Sick"

The Thin Blue Line - "Yuletide Spirit"

The League Of Gentlemen - "Welcome To Royston Vasey"

I'm Alan Partridge - "To Kill A Mocking Alan"

Bottom - "Hole"

Gimme Gimme Gimme - "Stiff"

Goodnight Sweetheart - "Rites Of Passage"

Black Books - "Blood"

The IT Crowd - "The Work Outing"

Some good choices!

I've just watched The Radio Ham. Love it.

Blackadder - "Private Plane"

Yes, Minister - "The Moral Dimension"

Red Dwarf - "Back To Reality"

Porridge - "A Night In"

The Young Ones - "Bambi"

Bottom - "Smells"

Dad's Army - "Sons Of The Sea"

Fawlty Towers - "Hotel Inspectors"

IAP - "To Kill A Mocking Alan"

OFAH - Best Grandad episode: "Who's A Pretty Boy"; Best (30min) Albert episode: "The Longest Night"; Best 50min episode: "Stage Fright"; best special: "The Jolly Boy's Outing"

The Mighty Boosh - "The Legend Of Old Gregg"

The New Statesman - "Three Line Whipping"

Steptoe & Son - "Desperate Hours"

Agree with you on The Young Ones - Bambi and Woozie's Steptoe "Desperate Hours" ***

As for the Hancock, I think Blood Donor just edges it for me - so many great lines in it that resonate with me of that period, so well observed by S&G.

*** Bit of trivia I gleaned from a book I read about Steptoe and Son, that I may have mentioned elsewhere , but James Devlin who played Rossiter's sidekick escapee was just pipped to the post by Brambell for the part of old man Steptoe.

Blackadder - the dictionary one
Father ted - tentacles of doom
fawlty towers - basil the rat
Bottom - Gas
Steptoe - divided we stand
Peep show - the dog barbecue one
Young Ones - Nasty
The Office - the training day one
Some mothers - the one where they destroy the hotel bedroom

You're like me, I can't remember titles.
Young Ones - Bambi Gascoigne
Bottom - Ferris wheel
Some Mothers - Stuck on tower block roof
Hancock - Radio Ham
WEHTTLL - Christmas special fancy dress
Steptoe - Water bed or film 2
Rising Damp - German uniform
Fawlty Towers - Psychiatrist
Dad's Army - Clock Tower
Alf Garnet - Film 1
Love the Neighbour - Film
Allo Allo - Herr flick in bondage
OFAH - Denzils Budgie
AYBServed - The manikin goes haywire
Office - Quiz night
Porridge - Christmas special in infirmary - no way out?
Blackadder - Withcfinder pursuivant
Father Ted - Milkman
Good Life - Rotavator
Extras - Aladdin
Ran Nesbitt - first Christmas special

Some Mothers - Stuck on tower block roof

Huh??

Rising Damp - the one where rigsby goes without food for a bet

Steptoe & Son...the one with the central heating.

Blackadder-Ink and Incapability

Steptoe and Son-Men of Letters

Only Fools-Chain Gang

The Good Life - The Windbreak War

Red Dwarf - Gunmen of the Apocalypse

Fawlty Towers - The Germans

Quote: lofthouse @ 26th December 2015, 2:54 PM GMT

Some Mothers - Stuck on tower block roof

Huh??

View original

SOME MOTHERS - STUCK ON A TOWER BLOCK ROOF

Quote: Alfred J Kipper @ 26th December 2015, 5:39 PM GMT

SOME MOTHERS - STUCK ON A TOWER BLOCK ROOF

View original

Wasn't that the one where he was a window cleaner in a tangle with a cradle very high up on the side of a tower block? I remember all the fuss re insurance and unnecessary risk Michael Crawford was taking. Did seem a bit dodgy at the time, doing his own stunts as he did.

Quote: Paul Wimsett @ 26th December 2015, 4:15 PM GMT

The Good Life - The Windbreak War

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Or this one, yes, will have to fish out the boxset to play them both. Hard to choose best GL ep, they are nearly all excellent without being too showy or slapsticky.

Quote: Hercules Grytpype Thynne @ 26th December 2015, 5:45 PM GMT

Wasn't that the one where he was a window cleaner in a tangle with a cradle very high up on the side of a tower block? I remember all the fuss re insurance and unnecessary risk Michael Crawford was taking. Did seem a bit dodgy at the time, doing his own stunts as he did.

View original

That's the one, wouldn't even be done with stunt men now, by the beeb. sigh. All the funnier for looking real and dangerous, As Crawford later said it was.

Funny you should ask this. I did an IMDB list of my top 10 favourite sitcom episodes a few days ago:

http://www.imdb.com/list/ls031394667/

(if you can't be bothered to look, OFAH: The Jolly Boys' Outing was number 1)

Am I the only one who thought Knowing me knowing you, was better than I'm Alan Partridge? I probably need to give it all another watch.