The S1E1 Podcast

"Son of a Critch" is a Canadian sitcom that premiered in 2023 on CBC. Based on comedian Mark Critch's bestselling memoir, the series follows him as an 11-year-old growing up in 1980s St. John's, Newfoundland. He possesses an "old soul" that makes him seem mature beyond his years, yet he remains vulnerable to the classic pitfalls of adolescence. Mark is often left feeling like an outsider in his ow...

"True Originals" is an unaired sitcom pilot produced for UPN in 2003. The comedy follows a group of eccentric twenty-somethings that work at a nostalgia and collectibles shop. This pilot is legendary in Hollywood circles because of the incredible ensemble of future stars it featured right before they broke out, and how its failure directly shaped TV history. Famously this pilot is directly respons...

“Brockmire” is a comedy that aired on IFC from 2017-2020. The show stars Hank Azaria as Jim Brockmire, a legendary baseball announcer whose spectacular on-air meltdown sends his career into a decade-long tailspin. After years of self-destruction, he gets a second chance calling games for the Frackers, a minor league team in Morristown, Pennsylvania. As he struggles to stay sober and rebuild his re...

“My Two Dads” is a sitcom that aired on NBC from 1987-1990 about two friends turned rivals who need to reunite to raise a 12-year-old girl after her mother passes away. The series explored an unconventional family dynamic years before non-traditional households became a common television theme. What could have been a gimmicky setup instead became a surprisingly warm sitcom about friendship and the...

"Emeril" is an NBC sitcom that premiered in 2001 and starred celebrity chef Emeril Lagasse as a fictionalized version of himself. Set behind the scenes of a successful television cooking show, the series was a workplace and family comedy rolled into one, attempting to cash in on Emeril's massive Food Network appeal at the time. Despite boasting a talented cast and the popularity of Emeril Lagasse...

The Bob Newhart Show was a sitcom that aired on CBS from 1972-1978. The series stars Bob Newhart as Dr. Robert Hartley, a Chicago psychologist balancing the eccentric personalities of his patients with the equally colorful characters in his personal life. Unlike many sitcoms of its era, The Bob Newhart Show relied less on broad slapstick and more on sharp writing and dry wit. Many fans consider Th...

“Hank” was a sitcom that premiered in 2009 on ABC. The show starred Kelsey Grammer as Hank Pryor, a CEO whose lavish lifestyle comes crashing down after he loses his job and is forced to leave Manhattan behind for the small town of River Bend, Virginia. There he attempts to reconnect with his wife, kids, and a more grounded way of life. The series leaned heavily into the classic fish-out-of-water...

The Goldbergs was an ABC sitcom that aired from 2013-2023. The show was based on the childhood of show creator, Adam F. Goldberg. Equal parts family comedy and time capsule, The Goldbergs packed nearly every episode with references to ’80s movies, music, trends, and the kind of parenting style that probably wouldn’t survive today. Critics and audiences embraced the series for its mix of heart and...

"Where I Live" is a sitcom that aired on ABC's TGIF block in 1993. The series follows Doug (Doug E. Doug), a Trinidadian-American teenager navigating life in Harlem alongside his best friends Reggie (Flex Alexander) and Malcolm (Shaun Baker). Inspired by Doug E. Doug’s own upbringing, the show navigates school, family expectations, and the everyday chaos of city life, with laid-back humor that gav...

"Significant Mother" is a comedy that premiered on The CW in 2015. Starring Josh Zuckerman as Portland restaurateur Nate Marlowe, the series kicks off when Nate returns home from a trip to discover that his recently divorced mother Lydia is now dating his longtime best friend and roommate Jimmy. Now Nate has to come to terms with the horrifying realization that his best friend may become his stepf...

Malcolm in the Middle: Life's Still Unfair is Hulu's 2026 revival of the iconic sitcom. The series finds an adult Malcolm (Frankie Muniz) still navigating through his life's struggles, only now from the perspective of a parent and overworked professional. The show brings back the beloved original cast, including Bryan Cranston as the ever-eccentric Hal and Jane Kaczmarek as the formidable Lois. In...

Animal Control is a workplace sitcom that premiered on FOX in 2023. The series follows a specialized squad of Seattle-based officers whose jobs are complicated by the fact that the animals they rescue are often less erratic than the humans they assist. Starring Joel McHale as Frank Shaw, a sarcastic former cop. The show uses his encyclopedic knowledge of wildlife as a comedic foil to his social fr...

The Adventures of Pete & Pete is a surrealist masterpiece of 90s television that aired on Nickelodeon from 1993 to 1996. The series follows the lives of two brothers both named Pete. The show transformed mundane childhood struggles into epic, cinematic battles against the "International Adult Conspiracy". The world of their hometown of Wellsville was populated by characters like Artie, the Str...

"Raising Hope" is a sitcom that aired on FOX from 2010 to 2014. Created by Greg Garcia of My Name Is Earl fame, the series follows 23-year-old Jimmy Chance, a well-meaning but aimless pool cleaner living with his parents. His life is turned upside down after a one-night stand with a wanted felon results in a baby girl named Hope. When the mother is sent to the electric chair, Jimmy decides to rais...

"Stumble" is a mockumentary-style workplace comedy that premiered on NBC in November 2025. The series follows Courteney Potter (Jenn Lyon), a high-octane, fourteen-time national champion cheerleading coach whose career at a prestigious college ends abruptly after a viral scandal involving a team party. To salvage her reputation and chase a record-breaking fifteenth title, Courteney takes the only...

Buddies is a short-lived sitcom that aired on ABC in 1996, serving as a direct spin-off of the massive hit Home Improvement. The series followed Dave (Dave Chappelle) and John (Christopher Gartin), two best friends and business partners trying to get their video production company off the ground in Chicago. The series is often remembered more for its behind-the-scenes drama than its on-air run, sp...

Quick Draw is a Western comedy that premiered on Hulu in 2013. The show follows Sheriff John Henry Hoyle (John Lehr), a recent Harvard graduate who attempts to bring the "cutting-edge" science of forensics to the Wild West. The show’s most distinctive feature was its largely improvised dialogue, which gave the historical setting a fast-paced, modern, and often absurdist comedic energy. Critics and...

The Sinbad Show is a sitcom that aired on FOX from 1993 to 1994, during the height of the titular comedian’s stand-up fame. The series centers on David Bryan (Sinbad), a carefree bachelor who must trade his lifestyle for the responsibilities of fatherhood after he adopts two orphaned siblings. The show’s DNA was built on Sinbad’s high-energy storytelling to navigate the hurdles of modern parenting...

The Beverly Hillbillies is a landmark television sitcom that aired on CBS from 1962 to 1971. The series follows the Clampett family who find themselves overnight millionaires after oil is discovered on their property. With their newfound wealth the family decides to uproot themselves and head to Beverly Hills. The humor stems from the constant cultural clash between the Clampetts' backwoods simpli...

Going Dutch is a comedy that premiered on FOX in January 2025. Starring Denis Leary as the loudmouthed and arrogant U.S. Army Colonel Patrick Quinn, who finds himself reassigned to a remote base in the Netherlands after his General hears an unfiltered rant at his expense. Far from the war zones of his past, Quinn is punished with a command position at the "least important Army base in the world",...

D.C. Follies was a syndicated comedy series that ran from 1987 to 1989 that was created by Sid and Marty Krofft. The show featured puppet caricatures of real-life celebrities and politicians, spending their free time hanging out at a bar. Unlike traditional sitcoms, the series relied on things like topical humor and musical numbers, with human celebrity guests occasionally interacting with the pup...

Toast of London is a British comedy series that originally aired on Channel 4 in 2012. Created by and starring Matt Berry who plays the eccentric Steven Toast, a pompous and perpetually frustrated voice actor navigating the peculiarities of show business. The series is known for its theatrical tone, and almost dreamlike reality. Critically, Toast of London was widely praised for its originality an...

"The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins" is a show that premiered on NBC in January 2026. The series follows Reggie Dinkins (Tracy Morgan), a former NFL superstar running back whose career was destroyed after getting banned for life from the league for betting on his own team. Desperate to reclaim his former glory Reggie hires Arthur Tobin (Daniel Radcliffe), a disgraced, high-brow British filmmaker...

Just the Ten of Us is a sitcom that aired on ABC from 1988 to 1990. The show was developed by Steve Marshall as a spin-off of Growing Pains. The series follows high-school coach Graham Lubbock (Bill Kirchenbauer), who relocates his large family from New York to California after taking a job at an all boy Catholic school. Now the Lubbock's will deal with the chaos and culture shock of the move mixe...

Miracle Workers is a TBS comedy series that aired from 2019-2023, created by Simon Rich and based on his book What in God’s Name. The first season is set in Heaven, where God (Steve Buscemi) has grown bored and cynical about humanity and decides it might be time to wipe Earth off the board entirely. Standing in the way of total annihilation are two low-level angels—Craig (Daniel Radcliffe) and Eli...