See Gag run. Run Gag run!

[on:]

What are some of your favorite running gags on televison shows? I'm not sure how to explain what a running gag is, but an example of a good one is Dr. Zoidberg's poorness. I guess it's just a little joke that you need to have seen multiple episodes of the show to get. If you watch one episode of Futurama, for example, you may not understand why Zoidberg would be eating garbage, but if you see multiple episodes, you will most likly understand that it's because he's poor.

A few of my favorties:
David Letterman's hairpiece
Zoidberg's poorness
Cartman wanting "ten million dollars" on southpark
Superman refrences on Seinfeld

[Reply #1 on:]

Garfield's definition of a running gag:
If something isn't funny, keep doing it.  Eventually, it becomes a running gag.

Some of my favorites:
Norm's entrances, on Cheers
Klinger's cross-dressing, on M*A*S*H
Ed and Mike's ten buck bets, on Ed
G'Kar's attraction to human women, on Babylon 5
Mako-chan saying that every boy she sees looks just like her old boyfriend, on Sailor Moon
Dorothy playing the piano to wake Roger up, on The Big O
Miroku asking every girl he meets if she wants to bear him a son, on Inuyasha

[Reply #2 on:]

Dom DeLouise: Can you help me?  I'm lost!
Kermit: Have you tried Hari Krishna?
- -
Kermit: Boy, is he lost.
Boozehound: Maybe he should try Hari Krishna.
Kermit: Oh great, it's a running gag.
- -
Sign: LOST?  TRY REVERAND HARRY KRISHNA

-The Muppet Movie

EDIT: And while we're at it, from the same movie:

Different Boozehound Whose Girlfriend Is Flirting With Kermit: Keep away from him.  You'll get warts.
Kermit: That's a myth.
DBWGIFWK: Yeah, but she's my "myth"!
Kermit: No, no, myth!  Myth!
Carol Kane: (walking into frame) Yeth?
- -
Charles Durning: Yes but we're expanding, frog.  Expanding!  Just like you frogs expand, don't you frogs expand?
Kermit: That's a myth.
Charles Durning: A what?
Kermit: Myth!  Myth!
Carol Kane: (Coming from behind billboard) Yeth?

[Reply #3 on:]

I forgot to mention Scooby-Doo.  That show is just one big running gag.

[Reply #4 on:]

Seinfeld-Kramer doesn't have a job and scemes in order to get money.
Family Guy-Stewie wants to kill Lois
Friends-Chandler is married, yet he shows so many signs of homosexuality.

[Reply #5 on:]

i'm quite fond of the fash show. some gags are a bit crap, but it is the undisputed king of running gags. the whole ted and ralph thing for one. not forgetting 'chinci chinci chinquenta quenta quenta quenta quenta quenta quenta pentos'
'schorchio!'

[Reply #6 on:]

Jerry hating Newman in Seinfeld.
Eric making Star Wars references in That 70's Show.
Al Bundy avoiding sex with Peggy (is she really THAT bad?)

[Reply #7 on:]

Al Bundy and his endless run-ins with fat women in the shoe store (actually makes me happy my job odesn't involve people)
The way Chandler speak (Could that be any funnier?)
Humphrey Appleby's bureaucrat-babble in "Yes, (Prime) Minister"
Pretty much every running gag on Blackadder

[Reply #8 on:]

Master Shake destroying the TV is always fun. So is Sealab exploding.

[Reply #9 on:]

 

Originally posted by Teral:
The way Chandler speak (Could that be any funnier?)

Chandler reminds me of myself in ways that amuse and frighten me.

2...

[Reply #10 on:]

 

Originally posted by Teral:
Pretty much every running gag on Blackadder

Am I jumping the gun, or are the words "I have a cunning plan" marching with ill-deserved confidence toward this conversation?
 

Bugger, I really can't think of any other decent ones not already mentioned 

[Reply #11 on:]

Blackadder's endless Insults towards Baldrick and urge to become King in series 1.

[Reply #12 on:]

The "Joel goddard likes asain men" one on conan.

[Reply #13 on:]

Star Trek DS9: Odo and Quarks rivalry, Bashirs and O'Briens Friendship.

Family Guy - Stewie wants to kill Lois.

Star Trek TNG: The Pokergames.

[Reply #14 on:]

-The Fast Show's "with my luck, I'll probably..."-gags, the Inca-South-Americans appearing out of nowhere at random and starting to play really crappy music

-Morn (the bar toad) from DS9 who is never seen talking, though other characters often refer to having conversations with him.

-Zoidberg who thinks he's popular or rich when he's not

-Cartman's constant "jew" comments on Kyle

[Reply #15 on:]

Oh yeah, On almost every episode of "the tom green show" he poured milk all over his side host..

[Reply #16 on:]

The pub getting burned down in World Of Pub.

[Reply #17 on:]

There's a running gag somewhere in The Rita Moreno (sp?) Episode of the Muppet Show.
Fozzie keeps answering the phone and it keeps back firing.
"It's Las Vegas"
"It's the Fire Department"
Priceless.   

[Reply #18 on:]

That reminds me, Fozzie getting stuff thrown at him when he does his jokes. And those two old guys on the balcony always upstage him.

[Reply #19 on:]

My top 3.
3.The Top 10 list on David Letterman.

2.The Couch Gag on The Simpsons.

& THE ALL TIME #1!!!

1.The Biggest Lifetime Achievement Of Al Bundy on "Married With Children." (2 touchdowns in a single game of high school football.) Sad. Yet you don't feel like TOTAL shit when you laugh at it.

And other great ones are of course Stewie wanting to kill Lois. It's Ironic and instantly priceless. and I think the oldest one I can think of is Scooby-Doo and the fact that they do nothing but solve mysteries for money yet they are always hungry. JACK UP THE FEE YOU FUCKING HIPPIES!
Ohh and look at the original Star Trek for gods sakes Shattner had a monolouge in every episode and for... gods sakes... why does... he.. talk like that.

(Slurm will kill me for that but HE REALLY DOES SOUND LIKE THAT!)

*Edit*--another great gag "The chalkboard from the Simpsons" (Thanks Nixorbo!)

Hell even the whole Bible Jesus Loving of Ned Flanders is one hell of a running gag.

[Reply #20 on:]

The dolphin noise in every single episode of Clone High

Every episode of Clone High is "a very special episode."

The chalkboard gags in the Simpsons (shame on you, Don, for mentioning the couch gags but not the chalkboard ones).

[Reply #21 on:]

The "Cartman trying to kill Kyle" running gag on South Park was funny... for a while, but they really over-used it in Season 7. I think that last time it was funny was in 703 when he tried to murder him with a wiffle bat. After that, it just got old and over-used.

However, a rarely used running gag in South Park that I DO like is the fact that whenever Cartman's on a scary theme park ride, he always goes "Ah, I'm so scared!" in an excited way. That cracks me up every time I hear it, just because he has to remind himself that he's scared. 

[Reply #22 on:]

Ohh my. I'm gonna bawl. How could I have forgotten the holy board of chalk. Where I got my name. "I am not The Last Great Don" (My favorite chalk board gag)___for reasons of self interest)

SHAME ON ME!!!
*I'm gonna go to my corner and cry now.*

[Reply #23 on:]

every episode of clone high sucks

what's with all the muppet mentions? Muppets rock, don't get me wrong. Did everyone get the DVD collection for X-mas or something?

[Reply #24 on:]

Home Improvement, when Tim always screws up the sayings Wilson tells him. Also all the different ways they hide Wilson's face.

[Reply #25 on:]

Pinky And The Brain....
"What are we gonna do tomorrow night Brain....?"

"The same thing we do every night Pinky...."

"Try to take over the WORLD....!!!111one"

[Reply #26 on:]

 

Originally posted by HawkingHole4001:
There's a running gag somewhere in a Muppet Show episode, I think it's Rita Moreno.
Fozzie keeps answering the phone and it keeps back firing.
"It's the Bank"
"It's the Special Effects Department"
Priceless.   

Aha! Now I remember, there's a great running gag in the episode with Peter Sellers, where Bunsen keeps teleporting everyone around only Kermit doesn't know what's going on and it's driving him mad.

 

[Reply #27 on:]

Farscape- Not exactly a running gag, but the many appearances of 'Harvey' are great and I look forward to them every time. The fact that he's always referencing a film (i.e. Resevoir Dogs, Dracula, etc) makes it even better.

The Young Ones- Neil constantly being forced to work while everyone else tells him they hate him. Tragic, but also funny. Oh, and the Balowski family are great too ("I'm not really mad y'know!" )

Shooting Stars- This gameshow is essentially one giantic collection of running gags, all of which are great! I love Dove from Above and Rowland Cox the Sweaty Fox (lured into the studio by the promise of alcohol). And Matt Lucas as George Dawes is fantastic! EDIT- Now I think about it, I'll add: Johnny Vegas' drinking, Johnny Vegas' stupidity, Johnny Vegas' feud with Will Self, the probing questions about Ulrika Johnson's sex life and Vic Reeves' leg-rubbing for the female guests.

[Reply #28 on:]

 

Originally posted by Teral:
Humphrey Appleby's bureaucrat-babble in "Yes, (Prime) Minister"

We got Yes Minister on DVD for Dad over X-Mas, i really like Bernard's constant picking-apart of each conversation. EG (Not exact quote):
Minister: We need to take to this with a sledge-hammer, to cut through the red tape.
Bernard: You can't cut through tape with a sledge-hammer, Minister.

[Reply #29 on:]

• Blackadders insults
• Cartman's ignorant jew insults
• Cartman taking over Kenny's lines after he went to heaven
• Cartman's mom
• Pinky and The Brain: "Pinky! Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

And i cannot resist the urge to post a few non-TV running gags:

• The noodle incident
• Chris the Ninja Pirate and Donkey's romance.
• Pies, of course
• The Jams' constant revolting and overthrowing of governments
• Wee Bull's "non-speech"

And that's enough of that... for now!

[Reply #30 on:]

 

Originally posted by Lurrr:

The Young Ones- Neil constantly being forced to work while everyone else tells him they hate him. Tragic, but also funny. Oh, and the Balowski family are great too ("I'm not really mad y'know!" )

"Laugh laugh I nearly went to Ethiopia.......second class of course...."

[Reply #31 on:]

 

Originally posted by Pikka Bird:

• Cartman taking over Kenny's lines after he went to heaven

That wasn't really a running gag - it was just an ongoing plot that stretched over 4 consecutive episodes. Still, you did list some pretty funny stuff.

[Reply #32 on:]

Yeah, I know that. So it just accelerated to a... jogging (?) gag. I still loved it.

[Reply #33 on:]

I think it was going to be a running gag at first, but then they decided to stop it with episode 615.

[Reply #34 on:]

Upon watching "Professor Caos" for the umpteenth time, I think that Jimmy's speech impedament is pretty funny too, though that could be considered more of a character trait than a running gag.

[Reply #35 on:]

I like characters that you always hear about, yet never see, like Nile's ex-wife on Fraiser.

[Reply #36 on:]

Although it only happened in one episode, I loved the running gag in one of the Treehouse of Horror Simpsons episodes where Willie got an axe in his back in every story. I wish they'd have continued that to the later Halloween specials...

[Reply #37 on:]

Star Trek TNG: The Pokergames.

Also edited my above message.

[Reply #38 on:]

I think we all have sinned. How could we have forgotten about Benders obsession with his own ass?

[Reply #39 on:]

 

Originally posted by Beamer:
Although it only happened in one episode, I loved the running gag in one of the Treehouse of Horror Simpsons episodes where Willie got an axe in his back in every story. I wish they'd have continued that to the later Halloween specials...

how about the running gag in the anthology of interests where Leela murders Amy. If only they had been allowed to make more!