Splitsider

Since 1961, only 10 American TV series have aired for only a single episode. If there is a God, that list will soon increase to 11 when ABC decides to LISTEN TO EVERYONE EVER and cancel Work It, quite possibly the worst sitcom — nay, show — of all-time. Of the 10 (soon-to-be 11?!?), half are either dramas (1993's detective series South of Sunset and 1997's Lawless starring former-NFL linebacker Brian Bosworth), reality shows (2005’s The Will and 2008’s Secret Talents of the Stars), or Etc. (2009’s Osbournes Reloaded).

For a show to last just a single episode, well, that's impressive. I mean, that's half as long as [...]

Let's hope his $750,000 trailer comes equipped with a box of cashmere tissues, because Ashton Kutcher is going to be mildly-to-moderately upset to hear that Modern Family is the #1 scripted show on TV. Modern Family is also the season's biggest audience gainer, gradually pulling in 4.64 million more households. Personally, I'm going to give this win to little Rico Rodriguez. Seriously, that kid is 11 years old and consistently kills it. He's like a baby Frasier!

It’s tough enough for TV writers to make viewers laugh for 22 minutes — to extend an episode’s length to 44 minutes, even spread over two weeks, that’s just downright crazy. But every so often, a sitcom plot will be spread over two episodes (with the occasional “To Be Continued” thrown in for good measure), oftentimes with mixed results. Below we choose twelve of the best two-part episodes, some season-ending cliffhangers, some series finales, and some that work as a two-part story arc. And don't worry: some Simpsons, too.

A few weeks ago I watched Michael Scott throw his self-bought “World’s Best Boss” mug in the garbage, and as he replaced the mug with his new “World’s Best Boss” Dundee, I thought to myself “Jeez, this is a great show. [Sniffle].”

There are two important things to note here. Firstly, the [sniffle] was not just in my thoughts: I was crying. All Michael Scott ever wanted was to be good at his job, to be a good boss, and to watch him finally, humbly set that trophy on his desk simply broke me down. In that moment Michael Scott was more than just a character completing his arc on [...]

Whatever happened to predictability? The milkman, the paperboy, evening TV…and the following Theme Song Composers? (I'm only choosing people who are still alive, because, well, the “Where Are They Now?” wouldn’t be much fun if the person’s dead.) Here's a rundown of the people who wrote and recorded the songs that kicked off everything from Full House to Seinfeld to Clarissa Explains It All.

I remember what I thought when someone told me I should watch How I Met Your Mother. Firstly, what does that title even mean? And wait, what? It’s a network sitcom? And there’s a LAUGH TRACK? Ugh. Not for me. My comedy taste was more alternative — I watch Adult Swim for Pete’s sake.

Reluctantly, I picked up the first season on dvd on clearance and sat down one weekend. They had me at the pilot episode. Now seven seasons deep, How I Met Your Mother (or HIMYM to the insiders), has been one of the most consistently funny and touching show in my rotation. The first six seasons [...]

Iron your Peter Pan collars and get out your ukulele, Fox has picked up Zooey Deschanel's New Girl for a whole season. After this week's episode drew high ratings comparable to those of the show's premiere, New Girl becomes the first fall show to get a back-nine order, which is fancy talk for bringing the New Girl's number of ordered episodes to 24. Just enough time for all of those roommates to fall secretly in love with her. Oh, Jess!

Whether your dad is gay or straight, we're all going to need him to stop humiliating us and wait in the parking lot. Sean Hayes' NBC sitcom is reportedly in the process of landing Rescue Me co-creator Peter Tolan and Tolan's writing partner Michael Wimer. Tolan will write and executive produce the show, which follows a gay couple as they raise a 12-year-old. The show, being produced by Universal Media and Sony Pictures, is still in development, but so far strikes me as a gay-oriented version of Two And A Half Men, but without the whole "getting crushed underneath a train" part.

Like sands through the hour glass, so has Cheech Marin joined Rob Schneider's sitcom. Marin will play Schneider's father-in-law Fernando, and I'm going to just put this out there: I predict that Fernando will immediately find Rob lacking as both a son-in-law and human being in general.

They call him Bickelhaupt. First name John. He's a "re-recording mixer," you know the old Hollywood type. Only thing dirtier'n his pockets is his recording studio. He moseyed on into my office first thing Monday morning, slapped my secretary across the face and poured the both of us a scotch – neat.

He took his cigar out of his mouth. "What's the word on the New York Magazine article, Cantor? How much do they know?" Then he took another cigar out of his mouth. He was storing a bunch of them in there, I guess.

I shook my head real slow and lit a cigarette. "Jig's up, Bickelhaupt. [...]

Rob Schneider is…an exasperated sitcom dad! Rob Schneider's new CBS sitcom is slated to air midseason, according to Deadline. Based on Schneider's real-life experience marrying into a Mexican-American family, the show has been picked up for a six episode run, in addition to the aforementioned tweaks being made to the the pilot (casting Cheech Marin, etc). Oh, also Rob's character is a federal judge who swaps bodies with a new-born infant. Presenting…the Honorable Judge Baby Dad! Some part of you really wanted to believe that was true, didn't it? I know, me too.

More so than drama or sci-fi pilots, which get a full hour (minus commercials) to establish a premise and introduce all their characters, sitcom pilots have an even more Herculean task to accomplish — they've got to do all of this while staying consistently funny with only 22 minutes to pull it off. That's why some of the greatest sitcoms of all time aren't yet fully developed by the time they hit the airwaves, spending a few weeks to find their groove, develop characters, and figure out what works. Take Seinfeld and The Simpsons, two of the most influential and beloved TV comedies of all time, as examples of [...]

Over the last few years, single-camera comedies like 30 Rock and Community have soaked up critical praise, while multi-camera sitcoms patiently bided their time over at CBS (and, you know, were watched and beloved by millions of people). However, with the announcement of several multi-camera comedies at the network upfronts, it seems like the format is making a comeback across the board. While CBS has been keeping the hope alive, NBC, Fox and ABC had only one multi-camera shows between them this past season (ABC's Better With You, which has since been canceled). However, with the addition of Fox's I Hate My Teenage Daughter, NBC's Whitney and [...]