Best Sitcom Background Jokes

This gag isn't subtle, but it is an amusing background joke. Almost every episode of Bob's Burgers uses this.Bob's BurgersBob's Burgers features a different pun or wordplay under the "Burger of the Day" sign in the restaurant. Bob's puns stay family-friendly, while Louise tries to sneak in inappropriate jokes.

Writers have created almost 218 different puns so far. You can find a full list of Burger of the Day gags here.here.

Viewers were shocked when "Out on a Limb" (S2E11) ended with Buster Bluth losing his hand to a "loose seal." Writers teased this moment nearly 11 episodes prior. Starting in Season 2, subtle hints appeared in dialogue or background across episodes leading to the reveal—usually involving a "hand" or a "seal."

Buster uttered the line, "I never thought I'd miss a hand so much." Another clue is Buster sitting on a bench marked "Army Officer," where his body blocks letters to read "Arm Off."

The Good PlaceThe most devoted gag involves the fake paradise, "Neighborhood 12358W," or "The Good Place." The town looks like an ordinary, idyllic neighborhood (despite the frozen yogurt shops), but the restaurants all have overly punny names. This points to it not being heaven.

Some names include: Rice to Meat You, Corn You Dig It, A Game of Cheese, Udon Own Me, Lady and the Scampi, and many more punny names. Read the full list here.here.

Arrested DevelopmentArrested Development is known for subtle background gags.398Thirty-nine-eight of these sight gags have been pointed out. A common recurring gag shows blue paint appearing over the Sudden Valley model home.

Tobias covers himself in blue paint when auditioning for the Blue Man Group for callbacks. For two seasons, blue paint hides over the model home, especially when Tobias decides to "blue" himself.

Alienese is a language created by the brilliant writers of Futurama. Alienese appears mostly in the background since the pilot episode (it shows in the opening credits). Each Alienese instance spells an actual phrase or joke; fans figured this out after they deciphered the entire language.decipheredA second, complex version of Alienese appeared later, but fans solved that too.

Alienese also appeared inThe Simpsonsduring a parodyof the showLost.

CommunityCommunity shows extremely subtle sight gags. One episode features this. Fans who spot the Beetlejuice joke get a reward for their focus. Beetlejuice (from the movie Beetlejuice) appears only when his name is spoken exactly three times. Starting Season 1, the name "Beetlejuice" appears once per season until Season 3.Abed helps deliver a baby entirely in the background.Fans who noticed the Beetlejuice joke earned rewards for their commitment. On the third proclamation, a character dressed as Beetlejuice shows up behind Annie. The writers built up this three-second punchline over three years. It paid off.Beetlejuice, obviously) appears if his name is spoken exactly three times. Starting in Season 1, the name "Beetlejuice" is uttered exactly one time per season until Season 3.

On the third proclamation, a character dressed as Beetlejuice appears behind Annie. The writers built up this three-second punchline over three years. It was worth the effort.

Similar to Tobias Fünke on Arrested DevelopmentCraig Pelton is introduced as the dean of Greendale Community College. He seems normal at first. However, the dean shows strange, repressed sexuality through his growing Dalmatian collection, which arouses him in odd ways.

The dean's Dalmatian collection grows alarmingly large. Most of it shows in Pelton's office background in scenes.

Michael Scott's plasma TV is the funniest gag from the dinner party episode, "Dinner Party" (S4E09). Jan throws a Dundie award into the TV, breaking it. Fans of The Office constantly reference this scene.The OfficeViewers missed that the joke in The Office did not end there. In Season 5, the TV appears in Michael's house, still cracked.

The TV appears again in the "Garage Sale" episode (S7E18). Michael puts the TV for sale on his table. It remains unfixed.

One of the longest gags inFriendsA subtle gag involves a small, magnetic drawing board. It often needs a pause to figure out. The Magna Doodle first appeared in "The One With the Hypnosis Tape" (S3E18) and has been on Joey and Chandler's apartment wall since.

It started as Joey and Chandler leaving notes for each other. It quickly became a background gag showing different drawings or messages throughout the series.

Los Dias y Las Noches de Monsignor Martinez(The Days and the Nights of Monsignor Martinez) is a telenovela—a LatinAmerican soap operaruns in the background of someKing of the Hill Episodes. The show features a Catholic mercenary named Monsignor Martinez (voiced by Mike Judge, of course). He regularly slays transgressors inside a church. His catchphrase is "Vaya con Dios (Go with God)." Regular viewers get excited to see the program.

Fox reportedly produced a spinoff series about Monsignor Martinez but never aired. One VHS copy of the pilot episode exists but has not been released.

Pawnee, IN (specifically the government buildings), paints murals showing town history. Pawnee lacks much historical pride. Most murals show very cruel and racist events, mostly showing harm to the town's Indigenous population.

Leslie admits some murals are offensive. Many more appear behind Pawnee City Hall. Find a full list of murals here.Parks and Recreation appears here..

Each season, Mr. Peanutbutter uses his 'favorite' sign company to print banners for many events. The company always misinterprets Mr. Peanutbutter's orders. They print the banner with Mr. Peanutbutter's instructions, making it funny every time.

Mr. Peanutbutter should switch companies eventually. He still insists on giving them many chances.

Seinfeld is listed.Seinfeld humor lacks subtlety. Many fans missed a long, clever reference to Superman. Jerry Seinfeld is a big Superman fan. He made recurring jokes about Superman merchandise—action figures, fridge magnets, comic books—and he actually said "Superman."Seinfeld is listed.Seinfeld referenced Superman much more often than people thought.

An urban legend claimed a hidden Superman reference appeared in every Seinfeld episode. This claim is now false.Seinfeld is listed.A list proved the urban legend untrue. Eventually, a list was compiled.This is the list.Over 40 different Superman references have been found to this day.