Over the years, sitcoms have aired some of the most illogical, ridiculous, and over-the-top schemes on TV screens, but some stood out more than others. The title of situational comedy was often applied by shows rather literally and highlighted the creativity and sneakiness of some of the best TV characters of all time. The types of plans, however, were often varied.

Some were so harsh or impacted others so heavily that they turned into awful sitcom betrayals, for example. Others came from pure intentions, however, and resulted in several of the best sitcom romances of all time. Whether they were good, bad, or simply baffling, the best sitcom schemes were always ridiculous, without fail.

10

Sophia Tries To Sell Bottled Water From Her Garden Hose

The Golden Girls – Season 3, Episode 2 “One For The Money”

In The Golden Girls episode “One for the Money,” Sophia devised a bizarre plan to make some quick money. While competing with her friends in an odd competition, Sophia decided to sell bottles of water filled from her garden hose purely because the girls agreed it tasted good. Throughout the episode, Sophia reminded the girls of their own get-rich-quick schemes, although none of theirs were as far-fetched as hers. Although little culminated from Sophia’s idea, it was still baffling she believed it’d be a success in the first place.

There were so many legalities and red tape issues behind Sophia’s plan that it was simply impossible. In no normal world would anybody be able to use a tap to sell bottled water. However, The Golden Girls wasn’t the first to try this storyline, as one of the best sitcoms of all time, Only Fools and Horses, also aired a similar episode. What was a bit out of character, however, was that Sophia did this at all. Sophia loved to point out the stupidity in her friends, so it made no sense that she thought this concept was clever.

9

Maeby Making Out With George Michael

Arrested Development – Season 1, Episode 1 “Pilot”

A running joke about the Bluth family in Arrested Development was that incest seemed acceptable, and this started from its pilot. Although cousins Maeby and George Michael hadn’t seen one another in years, barely recognizing the other at first, Maeby immediately started plotting ways to get attention from her parents as soon as she arrived back in Orange County. Hilariously, her first thought was that she and George Michael should make out to make the rest of the family freak out, as opposed to taking a moment to think through the endless other options that were more logical.

While Maeby’s idea was ridiculous, it highlighted just how naive she was. It was wild that Maeby saw no issue in kissing her own cousin, especially right in front of the entire family and on a boat in the middle of the sea. What was also brilliantly funny, although it made Maeby look even more foolish, was that the Bluths offered no reaction. Maeby swung big with her revenge against Lindsay and Tobias, but she also missed just as significantly.

8

Lois’ Cancer Scare

Malcolm In The Middle – Season 7, Episode 22 “Graduation”

In one of Malcolm in the Middle’s best episodes, “Graduation,” the boys revealed the very worst thing they had ever done to Lois. As Malcolm and Reese prepared to finish high school and to fly the nest, the two of them and Dewey reflected on the various hijinks and escapades they’d constructed throughout the show’s 7-season run. The boys’ biggest tool against their mother, or the “nuclear option,” as they called it, was an X-ray. Years previously, they’d astonishingly convinced Lois she had cancer with the fake image, simply to avoid backlash over their bad grades.

Although Malcolm and his brothers got away with this, it was still wild that they were able to achieve it in the first place. Malcolm was a genius, granted, but it was illogical that three kids somehow managed to create a false X-ray. The plan was also overly extreme, regardless of how hard Lois was on her sons. While it was funny that a ludicrous scheme was even thought of, let alone executed, it was very cruel that Malcolm, Reese, and Dewey were so negative about their mother that they tricked her into thinking she had a life-threatening condition.

7

Sheldon’s Fake Cousin, Leopold

The Big Bang Theory – Season 1, Episode 10 “The Loobenfeld Decay”

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Sheldon Cooper was prone to crafting some absurd plots in The Big Bang Theory, but his most peculiar happened in the episode “The Loobenfeld Decay.” In order to avoid attending Penny’s terrible and poorly performed play, Leonard made an excuse. But in typical Sheldon style, the socially inept genius began overthinking and felt that a better lie was needed. Therefore, Sheldon created a fake cousin called Leopold and told Penny that they were taking part in his intervention. However, Sheldon’s need to constantly improve upon his plot triggered a domino effect.

As Sheldon’s lie became more convoluted, the weirder it was that Penny believed it. Even though she wasn’t the smartest character in The Big Bang Theory, it was still bizarre that Sheldon’s overly detailed explanation never made Penny question anything. This episode was one of many times that Sheldon drove himself to insanity, but this time, it truly was his own fault. His ridiculous scheme was hilarious initially, but the longer it carried on, the more frustrating it became.

6

The Lorenzo Von Matterhorn

How I Met Your Mother – Season 5, Episode 8 “The Playbook”

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Barney Stinson’s Playbook in How I Met Your Mother was jam-packed with outrageous plots that fooled all manner of women in New York into sleeping with him, but the most over-the-top was the “Lorenzo Von Matterhorn.” The show’s famous womanizer spent the entirety of the season 5 episode “The Playbook” sitting in McClarens in a scuba suit, which drew a significant amount of attention to him. Hilariously, the gang recounted a story to Barney’s latest target during this, which ended up being his plan in the first place. The lengths Barney went to in establishing Matthehorn’s backstory were wild.

Barney quickly got the ball rolling on his latest play by using fake websites, an exotic name, and a well-timed comment to Lily. It wasn’t unusual for his setups to be overly complex or intricate, but Barney’s plan for sex heavily relied on coincidences and his knowledge of his friends. Sadly, he also used his breakup with Robin to fuel the fire. After the gang’s newest acquaintance spent all evening hearing about Barney’s sleazy ways, an emotional speech about him and Robin convinced the woman to give him a chance, which was the most ridiculous thing about this scheme.

5

The Study Group’s Chicken Finger Empire

Community – Season 1, Episode 21 “Contemporary American Poultry”

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The study group’s domination over Greendale by controlling the school’s chicken finger supply in the Community season 1 episode “Contemporary American Poultry” was one of their most intelligent plots. As they conducted themselves like mob bosses of a crime family, the study group manipulated and melded their fellow students at their whim, using the benefits of Abed being the cafeteria’s cook to their advantage. While clever, it was still ridiculous. The study group’s authority resulted in higher grades, attention from love interests, and even a pet monkey, which was rather extreme.

Exchanging food for total control was quite unrealistic, although the lack of logic was what made this story so funny and enjoyable. The power struggle between Jeff and Abed, who both were determined to lord over the others as the leader of the scheme, created even more chaos. Although it was obvious that the group’s dominance was brilliantly devised, it was odd that each of the Community characters was so committed to the idea, especially as it required a lot of time and effort to execute, so much that it wasn’t realistically possible to attend classes alongside.

4

Dwight Schrute’s Fire Drill

The Office – Season 5, Episode 14 “Stress Relief Part 1”

The cold opening in The Office episode “Stress Relief Part 1″ saw Dwight Schrute execute one of the most ludicrous and extreme fire drills ever, both on TV and in real life. Dwight set off a sparkler in a trash can and used a blow torch on a door handle to send his colleagues into a panic, purely as none of them had listened to his safety demonstration. Dwight’s survival skills and need to protect others were prominent character traits of his in every season of The Office, but making his coworkers listen this way was another level for him.

As Dwight was the safety advisor, he should have known better than actually to start a fire. Safety was hugely important to Dwight, so this sequence was quite out of character for him. It was baffling that he thought his idea would work, but even more so when The Office cast took too long to notice the smoke filling the room. Dwight allowed things to get increasingly worse, to the point that everyone was trapped inside and feared for their lives. Dwight’s plot was petty but also dangerous, as Stanley suffered a heart attack in the midst of it. ​​​​​​​

3

The Janitor Trains A Crow To Steal A Pen From J.D.

Scrubs – Season 5, Episode 12 “My Cabbage”

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The Janitor’s pranks in Scrubs were nothing short of masterpieces, and while many were complex, one of his simplest schemes was also his most ridiculous. After deciding to keep a crow that wandered into Sacred Heart as a pet, the Janitor named the bird Sanchez and realized that his newest accomplice was useful in his ongoing, often one-sided, feud with J.D. The Janitor used Sanchez to irritate everyone, but J.D. especially. J.D. left his wallet at home, so Carla gave him a 100-dollar bill, which Sanchez swiftly stole.

The bird returned later in the episode to cause more trouble and took Dr. Cox’s only pen immediately after he begrudgingly loaned it to J.D. However, what was so great about this concept was how silly it was. Usually, the Janitor made himself known when torturing J.D., but this time, he stayed on the sidelines. The sheer stupidity of J.D. announcing a crow burgled him was incredibly funny, let alone the fact that the Janitor took the time to train Sanchez just to make everyone’s day a little more frustrating and confusing.

2

Smuggling Marijuana In A Toy Train

Trailer Park Boys – Season 7, Episode 9 “Going Off The Rails On A Swayzie Train”

All the best episodes of Trailer Park Boys featured some intriguing yet comical schemes, many of which caused Ricky, Julian, and Bubbles to land back in jail again. However, the funniest and most intricately complicated was when they tried to smuggle marijuana across the Canadian border in a toy train. Rather than using people or cargo transit, the guys decide to use a model train named the “Swayzie Express” to harbor the drugs. Despite its incorrectly spelled name, the late actor Patrick Swayze had no connection to the toy.

After a series of crazy events, the boys faced off against several groups of law enforcement bodies at the border, which highlighted just how unbelievable the plan was. The idea was so wild and nonsensical that it worked, but it was still an unusual practice. The Trailer Park Boys boys knew drug dealing better than anyone, so it was refreshing to see them get creative when their normal methods weren’t possible. Hilariously, they were caught, but it was still brilliant to see them at least try to make their most ridiculous scheme work.

1

The Gang Does Extreme Makeover: Home Edition

It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia – Season 4, Episode 12 “The Gang Gets Extreme: Home Makeover Edition”

It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia famously saw the gang enact several wacky plans regularly, and many were often stupid, heinous, or even cruel. While there were several extravagant schemes the gang created throughout the show, none ever met the same standards as their interpretation of the TV show Extreme Makeover: Home Edition in the season 4 episode “The Gang Gets Extreme: Home Makeover Edition.” This was one of the worst things the gang ever did in It’s Always Sunny because they not only destroyed the home of the innocent Jaurez family but also held them hostage.

Between Dee’s terrible Spanish translation, which made the Jaurez’s think they were terrorists, Mac’s cultural makeover, and Dennis and Charlie’s forced credit card debt, the gang completely ruined the lives of the recently immigrated family. What was both concerning and hilarious, however, was that the gang thought they were capable of renovating an entire house by themselves. After they watched one episode, the gang believed they could replicate what a team of hundreds normally did, which was baffling. Thankfully, the Juarez’s left unharmed physically, but they were likely traumatized by the endeavor.