Sitcom Episode Face-Off:Happy Days vs Punky Brewster

Hello my friends, welcome back as I take two episodes of different series with the same plot and see which did it better. I haven't done one in awhile because after doing a few I couldn't decide on any other good matches. But then I was thinking of these for a famous scenes article and realized they are so damn similar, why not match them up? So here we go. Today let's talk about two very light shows which managed to get serious at times. In this case it involves characters getting into serious accidents (both offscreen of course).

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So let's go over "RICHIE ALMOST DIES" (subtle) from Happy Days season 5 episode 18 and Punky Brewster "I Love You, Brandon" from season 1 episode 18. Yeah I didn't make a mistake they were both Episode 18, weird. Oh and by the way I had to change the categories a bit for this.

Sitcom Face-Off:Cheers vs Friends (re-match)

It’s been a little over eight years since I did one of my favorite articles, a face-off pitting Cheers against Friends. The problem with that article is that I really didn’t know everything about Cheers. I’d seen episodes of course, and like them, but there were tons of episodes I had never seen and story arc’s I had completely miss. Now don’t get me wrong, I still remember what a struggle it was to decide which show was better. But I have to admit my analysis was not as accurate as it should have been. Now that I have watched EVERY episode and am not completely caught up, would my opinion on those categories change? That’s why we’re here my friends as I present a special Sitcom Face-Off rematch :

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Cheers premiered in 1982 and was on until 1993. It was a show about a bunch of people who hung around a bar, where they can get away from the stress of the real world and be among friends. A year after Cheers went off the air, Friends premiered in 1994. it lasted until 2004 was about six friends who hung around a coffee shop, stuck at the point in life where you aren’t sure where you’re going in terms of jobs and relationships. These are both good shows which were massive hits, but which is superior?

Category 1:
Sam vs Monica

I always pair up the two main leads but man is that hard here. Talk about two different people! Sam is a womanzier, an alcoholic and a former Red Sox relief pitcher. Monica is a chef, an anal retentivce clean freak who has to have everythibg her way, and a mother hen. If you’ve read my episode guide you know I have issues with Monica and the way the character fit whatever the show wanted her to. One episode she a mother hen. The next she was being all cutsey and silly. The next she was crazt competitive. The character never felt complete to me,right down to Courtney Cox’s constanly altering appearance. Sam was pretty much the same chgaracter. Oh sure he was older and wiser as the series went on, but he still had an eye for the ladies. The thing that set Sam apart from other sitcom womanizers, like Dan Fielding or even Joey, was class. You always felt like he treated these women with respect. Sure maybe it was a show, but it’s still more classy then saying “How you doin?” to every woman. Sam was the center of the show and it showed. He was also allowed to be awae of his flaws unlike Monica who always exoected everyobe else around her to change for her.

WINNER-CHEERS

Special Episode Face-Off:The Naked Time (TOS) vs The Naked Now (TNG)

Hello my friends, welcome back as I take two episodes of different series with the same plot and see which did it better. I did a few of these awhile back before I had trouble coming up with new episodes. But I decided this one would be fun. When Star Trek-TNG first premiered they decided to homage the original Star Trek by following up, so to speak, on one of their most popular episodes. Was it a bad idea? Well, yeah…but let’s discuss it anyway!

Now let me make on thing clear. Usually when I do these I am trying to decide which episode was better. But of course, that’s a no brainer here. While the “winner” is obvious that doesn’t mean we can’t run through the episodes and note the similarities. And there are some things I thing TNG did better. Also since it’s not a sitcom going to break the episodes down differently than I have done it in the past. Plus TNG has a five act structure not a four like TOS so I will keep the ending separate.











TEASER:

 

TOS:The Enterprise orbits plant that is going to breakup and they are to retrieve a science team. Spock and Joe Tormolen beam down to a planet in environmental suits to find all the scientists dead. Not only that, but they were frozen in place like they didn’t care. One even frozen to death fully clothed in a shower! When Joe takes his glove off, he gets infected with something. Spock then reports all scientists are dead.

TNG:The Enterprise rendezvousing with a ship that had been monitoring the collapse of a supersize star. But when they hail the ship, the crew is clearly irrational. Then an explosion on the ship as the hull is blown out. On the the other ship it looks as if the crew were oblivious to what was happening as they died. Geordi accidentally comes into contact with a victim while Riker reports that all crewmen are dead.


VERDICT:Both episodes set the mood but what kills me that is that even though they beamed down in environmental suits, meaning someone knew they may need to protected from something, Joe proceeds to take his glove off and touch a surface. On TNG we see more of the victims and how they died and Geordi getting infected makes sense. Tormolen taking his glove off is just plain stupid.


WINNER-TNG

Sitcom FaceOff-The Office vs The Big Bang Theory

One of my favorite regular articles was my sitcom face-off’s where I paired two sitcoms together to see which was better. I haven’t done one of these in ages. Why? Because I ran out of shows. I had a rule of doing one show one time, and I simply ran out of shows and/or matches. However, one show I love that I never did was The Big Bang Theory. I was waiting for it to end, and am still kinda waiting. Until May 16th anyway. But i think the time has come to finally give this show some attention. But what to match it to? I have argued it could be a “Friends” rip off but haven’t I talked enough about that show? I needed another good show which matched up enough to compare them. It took awhile, seriously, but I finally remembered a great ensemble show which does kind of match. So let’s have a face off with :

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It’s no secret which one I liked more than the other here, but I promise to be fair with this analysis. As always, this is just opinion and for fun. The office premiered in 2005 and was on until 2013. The Big Bang Theory premiered in 2007 and is wrapping up this year. These shows have pro’s, and some major con’s, but which is better?












 

CATEGORY 1:Michael Scott vs Sheldon Cooper

Sheldon and Michael are surprisingly similar characters. They both refuse to accept the effects that their actions have on others. With Michael, it’s his sense of humor which is nonexistent. But don’t tell him that. With Sheldon, it’s his total lack of social graces and his insistence that people do and act how he thinks they should. They both had lonely childhoods with no friends. But where Sheldon decided he didn’t need friends, Michael craves them. So much so that he does everything he can to be the most popular person in the room, even if it hurts others. So who is the better character? Well as I’ve said before. Michael Scott pissed me off. I just couldn’t like him in a “love to hate” way because it never felt like he learned anything. And when he did realize people didn’t react the way he wanted, he would pout about it. Sheldon was a little more open minded to the fact that there were rules about “social conventions” he may not be aware of. He would accept it when he was explained why things he said were wrong, and if he wronged a friend he would apologize. Plus as the series went on he tried to do better, even getting married eventually. I know Michael would marry and move away but did his character ever really evolve? The reason both these characters work is because you know there is a real person underneath the obnoxious stuff who does care for his friends. I just think it comes across a little better with Sheldon then with Michael. I know people might think I should have compared Dwight to Sheldon, and there are similarities but honestly think Dwight is all on his own. He craves authority and that’s all he knows, Sheldon craves knowledge. More on him below.
WINNER-THE BIG BANG THEORY

Sitcom Episode Face-Off:Everybody Loves Raymond vs King of Queens

Hello my friends, welcome back as I take two episodes of different series with the same plot and see which did it better. So let’s say you have two sitcoms based around the fact the husband is a lazy idiot. These shows also have cranky, bitchy wives who love to complain about the fact their husband is a lazy idiot. Then suppose they decide to do the same story about how the lazy idiot husband is also totally useless in an emergency. Yeah let’s play a game of who’s the worst husband as we discuss :

 



I am comparing “What Good Are You” from Everybody Loves Raymond’s 5th season to “Oxy Moron” from King of Queens Season 4. Both of these came along in 2001 (ELR in Jan, KOQ in Nov…seriously what is it with these shows blatantly stealing idea from each other?) when each series was at their peak, and basically tell the same story. But which did it better?



 
ROUND 1:BASIC PREMISE

On Raymond, Debra coughs on a piece of fruit while Ray watches TV. Even though she wasn’t really choking she is still angry because Ray did nothing to save her. Any other guy would have not let it bother him, but this is Ray of course.

Sitcom Episode Face-Off:Brady Bunch vs Cosby Show

Hello my friends, welcome back as I take two episodes of different series with the same plot and see which did it better. So what happens when a sweet family shows tries to tackle a tough subject? Chances are it will be a bit lukewarm, but two episodes managed to do it well and remain memorable. Those episodes were from:

  


I am comparing “Where There’s Smoke” from The Brady Bunch’s second season to “Theo and the Joint” from The Cosby Show’s first season. They both basically tackled the same issue, except that it wasn’t plain old cigarette’s Theo got caught with. But we’ll dicuss that as we go. So which show tackled this better?



        

ROUND 1:BASIC PREMISE

On Brady, Greg gets caught smoking by Jan and Cindy. After promising he will never do it again, a pack of cigarettes falls out of his jacket pocket. On Cosby, Claire accidentally knocks over Theo’s book and a joint falls out. Is it really his?

WINNER-Peer pressure makes more sense than how Theo gets stuck with the joint (more on that coming). Brady Bunch wins makes more sense.

Sitcom Episode Face-off:Night Court vs Murphy Brown

Hello my friends, welcome back as I take two episodes of different episodes with the same plot and see which did it better. Today the always important debate on free speech gets tackled by :

 





























I am comparing “It’s a Joke” from Night Court’s 8th season to “Brown and Blue” from Murphy Brown’s 3rd season. These episodes aired within months of each other in 1990 on different networks. At the time Andrew Dice Clay was making headlines for his raunchy and offensive act which many, women especially, insisting Clay should be banned from his shows and not allowed to perform. Though while you can find someone offensive they will always the right to say what they want, even if it is garbage. So these two shows decided to their spin on the Clay story and tackle the subject of freedom of speech in their own ways. Which was better?


 



BASIC PREMISE:On Night Court a shock comedian appears in the courtroom when a reverend tries to claim the man’s act is obscene and should be banned. On Murphy Brown, Murphy reluctantly takes on the task of interviewing a shock comic. Can she make it through the interview?

I’ll spare you the rant on how Night Court sucked at this time because it stopped being funny, and just judge the episode on its own merits. Ok so let’s break the plot down. Since these show’s offer a different structure (Murphy Brown is three acts opposed to Night Court using the standard two). I may have to tweak the categories a bit.

Sitcom Episode Face-off:Brady Bunch vs Fresh Prince

Hello my friends! Since my sitcom face-off’s have kind of dried up, I decided to come up with another idea. Rather than general comparisons between series, I will take two episodes of different shows with the same plot and see which did it better. Now obviously this would work better in a video show but I will try to be a detailed as I can and of course the episodes are available elsewhere to see for yourselves


You may remember back at Christmas I talked about how Family Matters had an episode with the same plot as a Growing Pains episode. That happens a lot in sitcoms, since there are only so many stories creators can come up with. However in that case the Family Matters episode sucked while Growing Pains did a decent job with the story. Of course that may be because the writer or writers were better or were less afraid to take a risk. Sometimes the writers know they are writing cliche so try to spin it another way, with varying degrees of a success.  Today I want to compare two very similar episodes of :




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So which episodes are we discussing today? I was reminded in my last article of the Davy Jones episode of the Brady Bunch “Getting Davy Jones”, and realized what a stunning similarity it had to the Fresh Prince episode “Twas the Night Before Christening” featuring Boyz II Men. It even followed the same structure! But who told the better story?


Before I even begin, yes the Fresh prince episode is a Christmas episode but I don’t feel like waiting until next December to do this. What I will do is break the story down and try to determine which series handled it better. In the end I will tally up the winner and determine the better episode. And of course, as always, this is just for fun and completely my opinion.

       

SPECIAL Face-Off:Superman Returns vs Man of Steel

Many people say that you can’t compare the new Superman movies to the Christopher Reeve movies. That the Reeve films, while great, belong to a different time. Ok, fair enough. So let’s just compare the last two movies.



While I have discussed Man of Steel I haven’t really said anything about Superman Returns. I was so disappointed with it I never even acknowledged it in past articles except to trash it. But…maybe I am being to hard on it. I mean it had it’s moments and it’s even possible that Superman Returns is a better Superman movie than Man of Steel. Man of Steel, on the other hand, I expected to hate and while flawed I ended up liking things in it more than I expected to. Though there were things about I did not like!



Which is really the better Superman movie? Let’s see if we can figure that out as today I present my first movie related face-off (obviously following the sitcom face-off format), as we have :

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Superman Returns came out in 2006 and did not do so well. It was so badly received that the next movie was a total reboot, Man of Steel of course came out last year. Some loved it, others did not. But which was better? And yes I know I am not the first to do this kind of comparison.  I’m doing it anyway and of course all opinion feel free to disagree.

Sitcom FaceOff-Mr.Belvedere vs ALF

Well folks, I think it's finally happened. I think I have finally snapped. Why else would I come up with the craziest sitcom face off ever :

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 Well, they are a little alike. They are both shows about a boring family being shaken up by a stranger who appears out of nowhere. Not enough? I'm doing it anyway! Mr.Belvedere came along on ABC in 1985, Alf on NBC in 1986. They are two cheesy, corny, over the top 80's shows that were not critically acclaimed....but we loved them! But, which one was better?
 

Sitcom Face Off-Newhart vs Coach

I've been wanting to talk about Coach for a long time, but had trouble finding a show to pair with it. Not that Coach is so special it can't be compared with anything. But which way to go? It's a slapstick sitcom with very broad visual gags. It's a romantic show with Hayden and Christine's on and off relationship. It's a show about a neglectful father spending time with his daughter and learning how to relate to her. It's also an ensemble comedy with a quirky cast of wacky characters. It's a show about a coach who loves his job and has so much passion for it that he takes a ragtag team and turns them into national champions. On top of all that, the show could tackle serious issues once in awhile and be dark at times. This is why I had so much trouble pairing it with something (that, and I despise the obvious match Evening Shade).

So after searching I finally found a suitable match. Coach was created by writer/producer Barry Kemp, who also created a little show called Newhart. These shows had lots of little things in common so this made sense. (by the way he also worked on Taxi but we will discuss that another day).  So here it is my friends--

 

  

Newhart aired on CBS (1982-1990), Coach on ABC (1989-1997). Both these shows have good characters who are unique and memorable. But, which is better?

 

SPECIAL Face-Off - Peanuts vs Garfield

I have decided to settle once and for all who were the better characters. Were they the Peanuts gang, or Garfield and co who have been going strong for 35 years! This is a grudge match of epic proportions!

As you may guess I am using the format of my sitcom face-off's, with some tweaks of course. I have confessed my love for Garfield before but promise this will be fair.

Peanuts was created by Charles Shulz in 1950. Garfield was created by Jim Davis and premiered in comics in 1972. Both have been enormous successes with a long lasting and enduring appeal. But which is truly better?