Long-running sitcoms are forced to come up with plenty of episodes, and this means that one or two are bound to come up which stretch the limits of credibility. Weird episodes like these tend to stand out amid a show’s run, for better or worse. In most cases, absurd episodes which make no sense are hard to care about. However, there are some clever shows which intentionally create surreal episodes to shake things up.

Sitcoms often create their weirdest episodes when they are trying to do something a little out of the ordinary. Series finales, big guest appearances and misjudged bottle episodes can often drift into the absurd. Episodes which make no sense don’t just destroy the emotional stakes, they can also impact the comedy by shattering the suspension of disbelief. Most sitcoms would never happen in real life, but episodes which break the rules of a show are particularly annoying.

10

Seinfeld – “The Finale”

Season 9, Episode 24

Seinfeld‘s controversial finale was one of the least popular episodes of the show. The two-part ending brought back plenty of characters from the show’s run for brief cameos, but the episode relied too heavily on callbacks. Aside from its repetitive jokes, the finale drew criticism for its strange plot, which sees the four main characters arrested and put on trial for failing to step in when they see a man being mugged.

Seinfeld gets a lot of its humor from observing the bizarre minutiae of everyday life. Jerry Seinfeld’s stand-up comedy works in much the same way. Instead of sticking to this winning formula, the finale invents a fictional law just to drag the characters through a nonsensical trial. Rather than the characters being punished for any of the questionable things they do throughout the show’s nine seasons, they are sent to prison for breaking a law which doesn’t exist.

9

Brooklyn Nine-Nine – “Casecation”

Season 6, Episode 12

The plot of “Casecation” isn’t any weirder than any other episode of Brooklyn Nine-Nine, but it makes no sense from a character point-of-view. The episode follows Jake and Amy watching over a comatose mobster in hospital to make sure that nobody can get to him. As they have plenty of time to kill in the hospital, they start to debate whether they want to have children at some point.

Amy Santiago is organized in every aspect of her life. She sleeps with a life plan at the head of her bed, and she loves nothing more than planning things with a color-coordinated binder. It makes no sense that she wouldn’t ask Jake his views on having children before getting married to him. It also stretches belief that Jake would agree to have children so quickly based on the way he and Amy handle a bomb threat.

8

It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia – “Mac & Dennis: Manhunters”

Season 4, Episode 1

Many of the best episodes of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia feature the gang cooking up wild schemes, but some of their ideas are particularly shocking and absurd. While it isn’t so unusual to see them selling gasoline door-to-door or faking a baby’s funeral, most of their plans are motivated by money. This isn’t the case for Mac and Dennis’ manhunt, which seems to be motivated by an unsettling lust to tap into their animalistic desires.

It isn’t entirely clear what Mac and Dennis plan to do with Rickety Cricket if they ever manage to catch him. They may only be after the thrill of the chase. Either way, “Mac and Dennis: Manhunters” is one of It’s Always Sunny‘s weirdest episodes. The subplot features Charlie and Dee obsessing over the taste of human flesh, so the episode manages to fit in two absurd narratives.

7

New Girl – “Prince”

Season 3, Episode 14

Prince had an uncompromising and unique mystique that bordered on the surreal. His guest appearance in New Girl was a huge surprise, but he didn’t change at all to fit in with the tone of the show. Instead, the entire show changed to accommodate his personal style. When Nick and Jess first see Prince, they scream in excitement. This moment may sum up how the writers felt about Prince’s appearance too.

Prince’s character in New Girl plays off his public persona. He is a wise guru of love who guides Jess when she is facing a crisis. His appearance comes at an important moment in Jess and Nick’s relationship, and it’s a strangely inorganic way for Jess to resolve her issues. Prince floats into the world of New Girl like an ethereal spirit, fixes what needs to be fixed, and departs.

6

Arrested Development – “In God We Trust”

Season 1, Episode 7

Practically every episode of Arrested Development features one or two utterly implausible moments, but these are explained away by the simple fact that the Bluth family are completely absurd. “In God We Trust” is one of the few episodes which proves that the world around them is just as strange, which shakes up the dynamic of the show. Arrested Development‘s Bluth family may only be as weird as those around them in some cases.

“In God We Trust” follows a “Living Classics” pageant, in which local people recreate famous paintings in real life. This is a little strange to begin with, but the fact that George can be released from prison for the day to compete in the pageant is even weirder. It makes no sense that he would be granted this release for such an inconsequential event, and the entire episode hinges on his attempted escape.

5

BoJack Horseman – “Fish Out Of Water”

Season 3, Episode 4

As a show about a talking horse trying to revive his failing career in show business, BoJack Horseman is pretty absurd to begin with. The show kicks things up a notch in the season 3 episode “Fish Out of Water,” which provides a glimpse into a different world. All the aquatic animals which could never be seen in BoJack’s Hollywoo are seen living at the bottom of the ocean as BoJack attends an underwater movie festival.

“Fish Out of Water” has a strange plot, but its entire approach is completely surreal too. It plays out with barely any dialogue at all, and the water allows characters to drift around. This unusual atmosphere heightens the absurdity of the plot, but it all still relates to BoJack’s character arc. “Fish Out of Water” is one of the best episodes of BoJack Horseman, even if it asks the audience to take a few leaps.

4

Scrubs – “His Story III”

Season 5, Episode 19

There aren’t many Scrubs episodes which aren’t narrated by J.D., so they each tend to stand out. None of these special episodes are stranger than “His Story III,” which is narrated by the Janitor after he locks J.D. in the water tower on top of the hospital for an entire day. The Janitor, played by Neil Flynn, is one of the show’s oddest characters, so showing an entire episode from his perspective is an unusual treat.

The weirdest thing about “His Story III” isn’t the Janitor’s internal monologue, or the way he uses a patient with locked-in syndrome as his personal diary. The weirdest thing is the basic premise that he can kidnap J.D. and lock him in a water tower without facing any repercussions. The Janitor’s pranks are one of the best recurring gags on Scrubs, but this one is potentially lethal, so it marks a massive escalation.

3

The Office – “The Farm”

Season 9, Episode 17

The Office struggled to forge a new identity after Steve Carell left the show, and “The Farm” is the perfect example of an episode which tries too hard to reinvent the wheel. “The Farm” was a backdoor pilot for a spinoff show focusing on Dwight and his family trying to run the family farm. Fortunately, this bad idea was never picked up. Like many sitcom spinoffs, it’s a weird premise that’s only tangentially related to the main show.

The Office is getting a spinoff years later, and it will hopefully be much better than the idea that “The Farm” outlines. “The Farm” is less grounded than most other episodes of The Office. The strangeness of the Schrute family is best enjoyed in small doses, but an episode that features Mose and Zeke so prominently has none of the relatable human comedy that makes The Office so popular. It also makes no sense how easily Dwight convinces his siblings to abandon their lives to run a beet farm.

2

Peep Show – “Holiday”

Season 4, Episode 5

Peep Show is a masterpiece of cringe comedy, and it works so well because it’s so excruciatingly relatable. The two main characters represent the absurd extremes of human depravity. Everyone can see themselves as either a boring, stick-in-the-mud Mark, or an irresponsible, lazy Jez. “Holiday” pushes these associations to their limits. It’s one of the show’s best episodes, as well as one of the weirdest.

Every decision that Mark and Jez make in “Holiday” is the wrong one. This is nothing out of the ordinary for Peep Show, but the show rarely goes so far. The humor of “Holiday” derives from the sheer absurdity of their choices, and the way they construct a neat little trap for themselves. This ends with Jez eating a dog, right in front of the owners, two people who he barely knows. The genius of this episode is that the impulse remains relatable, even when the act itself is utterly surreal and disgusting.

1

Friends – “The One With The Sharks”

Season 9, Episode 4

Monica and Chandler’s relationship in Friends builds slowly throughout the show’s run. Then, in the ninth season, “The One With the Sharks” has them acting as if they don’t know each other at all. After a misunderstanding in a hotel room, Monica convinces herself that her husband has a secret fetish for sharks. This makes for a fun episode, but it makes no sense for her to behave in this way.

Friends is relatively grounded. The show has its quirks, but there aren’t many moments which stray into the absurd. Even when surreal things do happen, like Ross dressing as a giant armadillo, these moments aren’t meant to be anything more than funny distractions. “The One With the Sharks” turns one of these weird moments into an emotional plot point, as Monica and Chandler are brought closer together by the misunderstanding.