Staff Recommendation #40: Psych

On the surface, comedy and murder mysteries are not two genres that seem tailor-made to compliment one another. But there's something about combining the serious with the silly that can make for fantastic storytelling, and if you want a prime example of that concept in action, look no further than the USA series Psych.

The show tells the story of Shawn Spencer, a guy whose freewheeling ways chafe against the rigorous lessons drilled in him by his father, a Santa Barbara police detective. Despite his determination to avoid following in his dad's footsteps, Shawn can't keep from using his own well-honed powers of observation to call in tips to the police for various unsolvable crimes. But when his astute observations seem a little too on the nose, Shawn finds himself a suspect in the very case he was trying to help solve. Panicking, Shawn blurts out the first thing he thinks of: he knows all these details because he's psychic.

It says something about the character that the police find it easier to believe that Shawn's psychic than to credit this irresponsible trickster with a natural affinity for crime solving. But then, that seems to suit Shawn just fine, as he finagles his way into becoming an official consultant to the Santa Barbara Police Department while also opening his own private psychic detective agency.

Roped in for the ride are Gus, his lifelong best pal who is reluctant (at least at first) to get involved in such shenanigans; and Shawn's dad, now retired, who is none too amused at his son's new profession. But Shawn needs all the help he can get to keep the truth from being discovered by Detectives Carlton Lassiter (who can't stand Shawn from the moment they meet) and Juliet O'Hara (who seems a little more inclined to give Shawn the benefit of the doubt). Luckily for Shawn, his sense of humor is as well-developed as his powers of observation, both being important skill sets when you're a fake psychic -- and a real detective.

The show ran eight seasons, making it a daunting task to know precisely where to begin. So if you'd like to start with a sampling, allow me to recommend a few of my favorite episodes:

- Tuesday the 17th (Season 3)

By the show's second episode, Psych had fun setting their mysteries in quirky places (a Civil War reenactment, a reality show set, and a comic book convention, to name but a few). But by Season Three, the show began to push the creative envelope, changing up not just the settings of the story, but the genre of the episodes themselves.

Tuesday the 17th is arguably the first episode where Psych blends its humorous procedural roots with another genre entirely -- in this case, horror movies. Shawn and Gus are called in to find a missing camp counselor at a closed summer camp, only to find themselves being stalked by a psychotic killer (in proper Friday the 13th fashion). The episode retains its signature humor as it plays and twists the tropes of the horror/slasher genre, which sets the stage for a recurrence of genre-bending episodes.



- Extradition: British Columbia (Season 4)

To make a mystery story work, you need a great detective -- but you also need a great villain. This episode introduces one of my favorites: Pierre Desperaux, an international art thief (played with great mischief and humor by Cary Elwes). Being a thief, rather than a murderer, Desperaux's more trickster than bad guy, and Shawn and Gus must decide exactly how far they can trust such a man. That is, when they're not working themselves out of the trouble that Desperaux continually manages to get them into.



- Dual Spires (Season 5)

Series star James Roday (who also wrote a fair few episodes of the show) is a huge fan of Twin Peaks and was the one to pitch the idea of a Psychified version of that show. The result was "Dual Spires," an episode which pays faithful homage to the David Lynch series while still telling an entertaining story in its own right.

Shawn and Gus travel to Duel Spires after receiving a mysterious email invitation to a local festival, only to find themselves trying to solve the mystery of "Who Killed Paula Merral?" ("Paula Marral" being an anagram of "Laura Palmer," of course.) The episode included seven of Twin Peaks' original cast members, including Ray Wise (Leland Palmer), Lenny Von Dohlen (Harold Smith), Sherilyn Fenn (Audrey Horne), and Laura Palmer herself -- Sheryl Lee.



- Right Turn or Left for Dead (Season 7)

A long-running theme of the show was Shawn's ongoing struggle to decide whether or not he should (or could) come clean about his decidedly un-psychic abilities. When the fallout finally hits, things go … rather poorly.

I consistently enjoyed watching the show expand its storytelling techniques the longer it was on the air, but I was particularly impressed with this Season 7 episode, which employed a storytelling tactic rarely seen outside the realms of science fiction: a splintered timeline. As Shawn grapples with the sudden fallout of his exposed secret, an unexpected taxi ride leads him to discover a badly-injured woman by the side of the road -- a person in desperate need of his help.

But the scenario plays out in two timelines, and, in the other, Shawn's secret stays safe -- but there's no one to help the injured woman, whose eventual murder comes to Shawn's attention when he's called in to investigate. Lives are on the line in more than one sense, and the resulting story is one of the most unique episodes of a procedural I've ever seen -- and a creative look at the ways in which our choices have the most unexpected, and powerful, of consequences.



- The Yin/Yang Trilogy (Seasons 3-5)

Psych is not the only show to combine comedy with the mystery procedural, but, being chock-full of murder and mayhem, it generally keeps a sense of serious stakes beneath the show's fun and frivolity. In a handful of episodes, those high stakes come to the forefront -- as best exemplified in the three episodes centered on Mr. Yang, Santa Barbara's resident serial killer.

Serving as the season finales of seasons three through five, Shawn finds himself the focus of Mr. Yang's psychotic puzzle-games -- on an increasingly personal level, as Yang targets Shawn's friends and family alike. The darker subject material allowed the writers and actors to show us other sides of these characters, while giving added weight to what we already know about them. Plus, Mr. Yang ended up being not only one of my favorite Psych villains -- but one of my favorite fictional baddies of all time.



- A Nightmare on State Street (Season 8)

Written by James Roday, the penultimate episode of Psych is one of their all-time weirdest (I mean that as a high compliment). The episode has the unique distinction of being fan-chosen -- it was filmed after the script's synopsis won the most votes in an online contest pitting it against two other possible episodes.

The fans chose well. The episode sees Gus seeking "dream therapy" (the original title of the episode) for a series of recurring nightmares filled with zombies, monsters, and the Texas Chainsaw Massacre house. The story neatly interweaves with the episode's requisite mystery, but the murder Gus and Shawn are trying to solve takes a backseat to the more pressing problem of Gus's nightmares. Many of the scenes are shot in a style befitting a horror film -- it's one of the most artistically-done episodes of Psych's run, stylistically-speaking -- which intertwines brilliantly with Gus's struggles to come to terms with how rapidly his life and circumstances are changing around him.

Most shows find it difficult to address the emotional fallout of the major changes their characters face in a series finale, mostly because it's hard to explore the issues of a final episode when there are no more episodes to do so in. Psych solves this problem by devoting their next-to-last episode to that very fallout; when the final episode gives our characters a happy place on which to end their current story, the happiness feels earned as a result.



- The Musical

Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Scrubs, That '70s Show, Grey's Anatomy, Ally McBeal, Northern Exposure, Oz … Doing a musical episode has become something of a rite of passage for many television shows. For a show like Psych, which excels in satire and homages, it would almost have been odder if they hadn't done a musical episode at some point in their run.

Psych: The Musical was done as a standalone special, airing during the show's seventh season. The songs were written by showrunner Steve Franks (along with show composer Adam Cohen) and manage to both pay homage to Broadway musicals while also perfectly encapsulating the spirit of the show. (Not to mention, they're quite catchy.)

Read more about the musical here.

From the Catalog

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Request the book Psych's Guide to Crime Fighting For the Totally Unqualified

-- Post by Ms. B 

Laugh and the World Laughs With You

In celebration of comedian Eddie Izzard's recent birthday (February 7), we're here to offer you a highly subjective list of a few of our favorite comedians. Let them tell you a little bit about themselves -- in their own words:


-- Mike Birbiglia

"Growing up, I was discouraged from telling personal stories about insignificant things. Like, I wouldn't make the soccer team, and my father would say, 'Don't tell anyone.' And I would say, 'They're gonna know when they show up to the games and I'm not on the team and I'm crying."

Mike Birbiglia's comedy has appeared several times on NPR, and his Sleepwalk With Me story -- in which he recounts the time he sleepwalked his way out of a two-story hotel window -- went on to become a best-selling book, as well as a film. He also runs an online blog, My Secret Public Journal, where you can read his humor essays and stay up-to-date on upcoming shows.

You can hear his sleepwalking story on NPR's website.

"I wake up at 4:30 am to jump on a plane, which is that part of the morning before the earth even exists. Before they've even programmed the Matrix. You walk out of your apartment and the road isn't even there. You walk out of your house, and there's just a guy with a laptop who yells, 'We need a road, stat!' 'How 'bout a building, Tank!'"

Request What I Should Have Said Was Nothing from the Catalog



-- Ellen DeGeneres

"All we have is the here and now. That's why procrastination feels so right. Procrastinate now; don't put it off!"

Before her long-running daytime talk show and acting career, Ellen Degeneres started out as a stand-up comedian. She gained acclaim for her observational humor in the early 80s, appearing on The Tonight Show With Johnny Carson in 1986 (Carson reportedly likened her to Bob Newhart). She's hosted the Oscars, the Emmys, the Grammys, won 13 Emmys and 14 People's Choice Awards -- and voiced the forgetful fish Dory in Pixar's classic animated film Finding Nemo.

"Have you ever heard somebody sing some lyrics that you've never sung before, and you realize you've never sung the right words in that song? You hear them, and all of a sudden you say to yourself, 'Life in the Fast Lane?' That's what they're saying right there? You think, Why have I been singing 'wipe in the vaseline?'  How many people have heard me sing 'wipe in the vaseline?' I am an idiot."

Request Ellen DeGeneres: Here and Now from the Catalog



-- Eddie Izzard

"It's the cutting edge of politics in a very extraordinarily boring way."

Born in England, Eddie Izzard's comedy incorporates world history, politics, religion, languages, and film study into his comedy (I was first introduced to his stand-up when a college linguistics professor showed us a few clips from Izzard's shows). But when your Henry VIII sounds like Sean Connery and you've got Death Star Stormtroopers sipping tea and waving flags, the resultant show is anything but dry. Izzard's humor effortlessly juxtaposes the everyday with the truly quirky, and the result is wholly unique.

"We stole countries! That's how you build an empire. We stole countries, with the cunning use of flags. Just sail halfway around the world, stick a flag in. 'I claim India for Britain.' And they're going, 'You can't claim us; we live here! There's five hundred million of us!' - 'Do you have a flag?' - 'We don't need a bloody flag, this is our country!' - 'No flag, no country! You can't have one. That's the rules that I've just made up!'"

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-- Louis C.K.

"People on planes are the worst. They get off the plane, they come to your house, and they tell you about their whole flight experience. 'That was the worst day of my life!  I had to sit on the runway for forty minutes!'  For forty minutes?  Oh, my God, really?  What happened then??  Did you fly through the air, like a bird, incredibly?  Did you soar into the clouds, impossibly?  Did you partake in the miracle of human flight, and then land softly on giant tires that you couldn't even conceive how they put air in them??  How dare you! Complaining about flying! 'I had to pay for my sandwich --' YOU'RE FLYING!  You're sitting in a chair in the sky!  You're like a Greek myth right now!!  [You think] air travel is too slow?  [It's] New York to California in six hours!  That used to take thirty years!"

Combining his self-deprecating humor with his observations on modern society, Louis C.K. manages to make us laugh at our own shortcomings, as well. Releasing his annual stand-up shows on his website, LouisCK.net, he is also the creator, head writer, and star of the hit FX series Louis. 

"So then my doctor's like, 'Well, okay. How far into a meal do you typically realize you're full and stop eating?' And I'm like -- 'I don't stop eating when I'm full. The meal isn't over when I'm full. The meal is over when I hate myself.'"

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-- Post by Ms. B 

Staff Recommendation #37: "Becker"

I like sit-coms, as you've probably gathered. I've mentioned several of my favorites in previous posts: The Big Bang Theory, Frasier, Everybody Loves Raymond. 

But I've never actually mentioned my favorite of all sit-coms, and that is the 1998-2004 CBS series Becker.

Becker and friends. 

(It's an unusual picture of Becker: he's smiling.)

Before Dr. Gregory House, there was Becker. A brilliant Harvard Med School graduate who was a rising star in the world of medical research, John Becker gave it all up to open a small family practice in the Bronx. His office is run by Margaret, a good-humored and no-nonsense registered nurse, and Linda, an office assistant whose airhead nature is, fortunately, offset by her big heart.

Aside from the doctor's office, Becker spends plenty of time at a nearby diner. There, we meet Jake, Becker's best buddy, who lost his sight in a car accident when he was a teenager, and Reggie, who serves as both the diner's owner and staff. There's other supporting cast members, too: the patients, the customers, and the people of the neighborhood -- all who, as often as not, end up on the receiving end of one of Becker's tirades.

Because oh, are there tirades. While we're never exactly certain what made Becker turn his back on his rising career in the big leagues for the smaller prospects of an obscure family practice, we can at least be sure his fellow researchers weren't sorry to see him go. If there's one thing you can say about Becker, it's that he is, to put it kindly, an opinionated soul:


"The world is full of idiots, and someone needs to point it out to them or they will never know."

"The [New York City] Marathon just gets my hopes up. At first it seems like 20,000 idiots are leaving the city, but then they just make a big loop and come right back."


"What is the matter with you people?!  This is a movie!  You're here to listen to the actors talk!  That's why the seats face the screen, and not each other!"

"Romance is like the cheese in the mousetrap -- it baits you into position so the cold, metal bar of reality can come down and snap your neck."


"I never told you to shut up."
"You hung up on me once!"
"So I didn't have to tell you to shut up."

"I have this friend -- well, we aren't really friends. We just share custody of an ex-wife."

"If you and I were the only people on the face of the Earth, that would be the only thing we'd have in common."


"That's the problem with the world!  Everybody says, 'Everybody does it,' so everybody does it!"

"Someday you'll look back on this and laugh!"
"Maybe I will. But before then, I will kill you. And then I'll use my powers as a physician to bring you back to life. And then, I will kill you again."


Like Dr. House, it's an almost cathartic experience to watch Becker rant and rave about life's little indignities, which are unfailingly hilarious and utterly relatable. But if there was no more to Becker than frustrated outbursts and angry tirades, I doubt the show would've hooked me. What really made Becker special to me is that our title character has a far bigger heart than his gruff exterior would lead one to believe.

For all his anger, Becker is a guy who genuinely cares -- not just for his patients, but for the friends he's managed to find who can tolerate his rather abrasive personality. (Reggie and Company are all pretty adept at simply ignoring him, which is generally the best tactic for dealing with Becker when he's in full-rant mode.) Many episodes give us an example of Becker acting out of genuine compassion: baby-sitting a neighbor's kids for the evening when she's got nowhere else to turn, quietly paying for a patient's specialist care out of his own pocket, lending a gruff but sympathetic ear to his friends as they navigate through their own struggles. Becker may be an opinionated soul -- but his friends find him worth the rough edges.

Becker himself was not the only engaging character. My personal favorite was Reggie, a former model who's back in New York after inheriting her dad's diner -- and, with it, her dad's most faithful customer: Becker himself. Reggie is a smart, independent thirtysomething who is also confronting the reality of her life not quite turning out the way she had expected it to, and we see her struggle to decide what she really wants for herself and her future.

Real depth of character extended to the rest of the cast and storylines, and such real-world issues as poverty, the AIDs epidemic, race, ableism, and political correctness were tackled throughout the show's six-season run. With its ability to balance the serious with the satirical, the weightiest of issues with the simplest of day-to-day routine, the result was a unique blend of philosophy and fun that I've rarely encountered in other sit-coms.

Besides, we've all got a little bit of Becker in us.

"Just when I think God couldn't screw me any further, He gets out the old Black & Decker and twists a little harder!"

"Interesting. You're being persecuted by a God you don't believe in."

"That's why He's after me, Margaret."

Request the first season of Becker from the Catalog

-- Post by Ms. B 

Laughter: The Instant Vacation

Despite living in Pennsylvania all my life, I am not a winter person. Of course, I'm hardly alone in that: with below-average temperatures, and sunset falling around 5:30 p.m., it can be hard not to get a bit down as the winter season rolls in.

So what's the best way to beat the winter blues?  Laughter, as they say, can be the best medicine. Read on for some recommendations of my personal favorite comedies -- guaranteed to make the cold dark of winter seem just a little bit brighter.



-- Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)

"And there was much rejoicing." Arguably the funniest film outing from the Monty Python comedy trope, the movie's a loose retelling of King Arthur's quest for the Holy Grail. It allows for a marvelous collection of history-flavored skits that cover everything from witch hunts and Black Plague to sword duels and arranged marriages. There's also a song-and-dance number and a Trojan Rabbit. It's really not to be missed.

Request Monty Python and the Holy Grail from the Catalog



-- The Princess Bride (1987)

"Is this a kissing book??" In many ways, The Princess Bride has a similar flavor to Monty Python and the Holy Grail, with the routines taking jabs at fairy tales (instead of history). But the story of The Princess Bride has a stronger structure and gets layered more deeply, letting most of the humor come directly from the characters. The fairy tale plotline is framed as a bedtime story being read by his grandfather to his under-the-weather grandson, giving an additional twist (and plenty of extra humor) to the set-up.

Request The Princess Bride from the Catalog



-- The Emperor's New Groove (2000)

"You threw off my groove!" Kuzco is a spoiled Incan emperor whose royal advisor accidentally transforms him into a llama. Teamed up with a good-hearted farmer (whose house Kuzco was was about to knock down to make way for his new palace), Kuzco has to learn how to find a little humility ... or risk remaining a llama forever. It would be a straight-up buddy comedy if not for the abundance of sight gags, sly references, and snappy dialogue -- making this unusual Disney animated movie a film that borders on satire.

Request The Emperor's New Groove from the Catalog

-- Galaxy Quest (1999)

"By Grabthar's Hammer ... what a savings." Jason Nesmith and his actor pals haven't had a real acting gig since the cancellation of their cult-classic sci-fi series Galaxy Quest. These days, they eke out a living with convention appearances and publicity stunts -- all the while growing increasingly frustrated with Jason, who seems to think he's really as important as his on-screen alter ego, Captain Taggart. But when a group of fans show up who turn out to be literally out of this world, Jason and his Galaxy Quest crew suddenly find themselves in the center of an intergalactic adventure that they're not quite prepared for. You don't have to be a Star Trek fan to appreciate this clear Star Trek satire -- but if you're a Trekkie, this is not one to be missed.

Request Galaxy Quest from the Catalog

-- The World's End (2013)

"Face it, we are the human race and we don't like being told what to do!" When Gary King was in high school, he and his four best friends attempted "the Golden Mile," an infamous pub crawl across their hometown of Newton Haven, England. Now, some twenty years later, Gary's decided to put the gang back together to complete the Golden Mile once and for all. But as it turns out, it's not so easy to go home again -- particularly when your hometown just might be the center of the upcoming alien apocalypse!  The trappings sound like a sci-fi take on The Hangover, but nothing could be further from the truth; instead, it's a delightfully quirky and surprisingly sweet movie that's all about growing up and finding your way out in the "real world" past high school.

Request The World's End from the Catalog

-- Post by Ms. B 

A Friend Like Him

I don't think I ever before realized what a huge fan I am of Robin Williams. It shouldn't surprise me: I grew up on his movies, and he was the first actor I can ever remember being pleased to see onscreen. I knew I liked his comedy; what I didn't realize until this week was how much of an impact his art has really had on me. His comedy was as brilliant as it was full of hope, reminding us (or, at least, reminding me) what a powerful force laughter can be. Despite his own internal struggles, his presence made the world a bit more bright.

Williams's fans didn't know him (though, like all great comedians, he made you feel like you did). We'll miss him all the same. In honor of his humorous, heartwarming, and unforgettable career, we present a (highly subjective) list of five of his most memorable onscreen roles:



-- An Alien

For a lot of fans, he'll always be Mork. First premiering on ABC in 1978, Mork & Mindy was a four-season sitcom following the adventures of the alien Mork (from Ork), and his human pal Mindy.

An unlikely spin-off from Happy Days, the series was Williams's first major acting role and owed much of its success to Williams's improv abilities. (The writers eventually began leaving gaps in the script where Williams could start improvising.) It was wildly popular upon its debut, earning the number-three slot in the ratings only behind Laverne & Shirley and Three's Company.

While subsequent seasons saw a decline (due, most likely, to a change in direction and an altered time slot), the show remains a staple in television pop culture. It also cemented Williams as a major comedic player, launching a Hollywood career that would last over three and a half decades.

- Request Mork & Mindy: The Complete First Season from the Catalog



-- A Doctor

It's often difficult to know exactly what category to put Williams's films into. Is Good Morning, Vietnam a comedy or a drama?  How about the cult classic The Fisher King?  Williams excelled at finding a balance between comedy and pathos in nearly all of his roles, seamlessly blending together humor and heart in the characters he portrayed.

Perhaps this can be best be seen in the 1998 film Patch Adams. Starring Williams in the title role, the movie was loosely based on the real-life story of Dr. Hunter "Patch" Adams. After spending some time in a mental hospital being treated for depression, Adams discovers that humor goes a long way towards helping his fellow patients. Upon release, he starts work towards a new career path, enrolling as the oldest first-year med student at the Medical College of Virginia -- with the goal of becoming a doctor who uses medicine and humor to heal his patients.

While perhaps leaning a bit too severely towards pathos in several scenes, the film nonetheless stays committed to a story about the importance of laughter in our lives.

- Request Patch Adams from the Catalog



-- A Cartoon

Robin Williams had a talent with voices. Despite lending his voice to several animated characters over the years, nowhere are his vocal talents more evident than in Disney's 1992 classic Aladdin.

Williams voiced the Genie, the wise-cracking, wish-granting inhabitant of the magic lamp discovered by the title character. The hilarious, memorable performance that Williams delivered is made all the more impressive by the fact that all but a handful of his lines were ad-libs.

His vocal talents allowed the Genie to be as skilled at improv and impersonations as the actor behind him. (Genie's celebrity impersonations throughout the film include Arnold Schwarzenegger, Ed Sullivan, Groucho Marx, Robert De Niro,  Rodney Dangerfield, and Jack Nicholson.) The result was a character that, while animated, is unmistakably and undeniably Williams.

- Request Aladdin from the Catalog

-- A Pirate

Steven Spielberg's 1991 film Hook had its share of critics. A sequel of sorts to J.M. Barrie's classic tale of Peter Pan, Hook asks the question of what would happen if Peter Pan, the Boy Who Never Grew Up, did just that. Having left Neverland, the Lost Boys, and his childhood memories behind, "Peter Banning" is now a hard-hitting lawyer and married father of two kids -- just about as far from being Peter Pan as someone could ever be. At least until Captain Hook (played by the fantastic Dustin Hoffman) returns and kidnaps Peter's two children, Jack and Maggie. Now Peter has no choice but to return to a life he left behind -- although he's going to need a lot of help, and just a little bit of faith.

The movie received heavy criticism for being saccharine and too plot-heavy. Those who grew up with the film, however, remember it as a fun and fantastical adventure romp, with a Peter Pan who had a sense of humor even before he found his way back to Neverland. (His battle of wits with Lost Boy Rufio, which Williams ad-libbed much of, brings a smile to my face to this day.)

- Request Hook from the Catalog

-- A Dad

Last September, CBS debuted The Crazy Ones, a single-camera comedy created by David E. Kelley (of The Practice and Ally McBeal fame). The show starred Williams as Simon Roberts, an advertising executive who oversaw his own ad agency. His business partner?  Sydney Williams, his daughter (played by Sarah Michelle Gellar).

Divorced and estranged from Sydney's mom, Simon did his best to be a part of Sydney's childhood but missed out on more than a few important moments. The show focused on Simon's efforts to strengthen his relationship with Sydney -- and Sydney's willingness to connect back. The show had a delightfully comedic supporting cast, but the story never lost its focus on Simon and his daughter, and their sometimes-crazy, sometimes-hilarious, but always-poignant relationship.

- Click here for more about The Crazy Ones

Other Robin Williams performances from the Catalog (click to request)

-- Good Morning, Vietnam

-- Dead Poets Society

-- The Fisher King

-- Moscow on the Hudson

-- Mrs. Doubtfire

-- Awakenings

-- What Dreams May Come

-- Jumanji

-- Good Will Hunting

-- Robin Williams: Live on Broadway [stand-up]

-- Robin Williams: Weapons of Self Destruction [stand-up CD/DVD]

From actor Christopher Reeve's memoir, Still Me:

"As the day of the operation drew closer, it became more and more painful and frightening to contemplate. ... At an especially bleak moment, the door flew open and in hurried a squat fellow with a blue scrub hat and a yellow surgical gown and glasses, speaking in a Russian accent. He announced that he was my proctologist, and that he had to examine me immediately. ... it was Robin Williams. For the first time since the accident, I laughed. My old friend had helped me know that somehow I was going to be okay."

"Comedy is acting out optimism."
-- Robin Williams

-- Post by Ms. B

Staff Recommendation #24: Ya Gotta Love Raymond

The holiday season is all about family: spending time with the people who mean the most to us, sharing good times and memorable moments. Even when those special people drive us absolutely insane.

With the holiday season drawn to a close, now might be a good time for a little storytelling catharsis. I can't think of a show that would better fit that bill than the hit sit-com Everybody Loves Raymond.

Everybody Loves Raymond is the story of Ray Barone, a sports writer who lives in Long Island with his wife and three kids. His parents (and his older brother) also happen to live nearby. Right across the street, in fact. "Tha-a-a-at's right."

Throughout its nine-season run, the show offered an in-depth look into what family is really all about -- the highs, the lows, and the downright crazy. So if your holiday season was filled with family and you need a bit of a recharge, check out our list of recommended Raymond episodes: one from each season. And remember: It's never just about the can opener. (See Season 4's episode "The Can Opener" for more about that.)

Click on the Seasons' DVD links to request that season from our Catalog!



The Game - Season One [DVD]

"We haven't talked for thirty-five years!"

"I didn't want to interrupt."

What to do when the cable's out?  The family decides to break out "Scruples," a board game designed to bring out the truth. Of course, as anyone in a family could tell you, a little truth goes a long way.



Marie’s Meatballs - Season Two [DVD]

"Given everything that I do around here, why do I care so much that I can't make spaghetti and meatballs for my husband as good as his mother?"

"Because you're a good wife."

"… Don't you ever, ever call me that again."

Debra's determined to learn to cook. Of course, that's hard enough to do without outright sabatoge.



No Fat - Season Three [DVD]

"A recipe for tofu turkey?"

"It looks good, huh?"

"... I would rather eat that page."

Marie's making an effort to serve healthier meals to herself and her family -- even if it means a low-fat (and, to the guys' way of thinking, utterly tasteless) Thanksgiving. This episode gives new meaning to showing support through "thick and thin."



The Christmas Picture - Season Four [DVD]

"I think you've made a wonderful gift choice. You have a lovely family."

"You haven't met everybody yet."

Ray's finally figured out the perfect gift for his mother: a family portrait photo. Too bad it involves the family.



The Wallpaper - Season Five [DVD]

"What happened?!"

"Grandma and Grandpa stopped by."

Ray and Debra's complaints about their in-laws barging into the house have always been a mere turn of phrase. Until now.



Lucky Suit - Season Six [DVD]

"He's the FBI, Ma!  I wasn't applying for a job at the Gap!"

One of Marie's best qualities is her desire to help her family. Unfortunately, it's one of her worst qualities, too. Like when she decides to help her eldest son with his job interview. By faxing a letter to his interviewers.



Meeting the Parents - Season Seven [DVD]

"'No good can come from family'?"

"HER family."

When in-laws collide!  Robert and Amy are getting married. Their parents are meeting for the first time. It's always a little rocky when two families take their first steps to getting to know one another – but when one of those families are the Barones, "rocky" doesn't quite cover it.



The Bird - Season Eight [DVD]

"We promise to protect your people and treat you with kindness."

"Lies. They're gonna screw us."

Robert and Amy are adjusting to marriage, and their families are adjusting to each other. Their "first Thanksgiving" cumulates in a family holiday pagent that seems to sum up the tension on both sides pretty well. Luckily, food does wonders to bring people together.



The Finale - Season Nine [DVD]

"Hey, Ray, it's a little crowded in here."

"Maybe we should get a bigger table."

It was a scare that only lasted thirty seconds – but that's enough time for the family to realize how much they all mean to each other. With the final episode of the series, the finale shows us what this story's been about all along: the fact that, as crazy as they drive us, we love our family.

Well. Most of the time, anyway.

Also From the Catalog:

-- You're Lucky You're Funny: How Life Becomes a Sitcom - by Phil Rosenthal. A memoir from the showrunner on the stories behind the scenes of Everybody Loves Raymond.

-- Exporting Raymond [DVD] - Phil Rosenthal oversaw a nine-season run of one of the most successful American television sit-coms of all time. Turns out there's a Russian production company that's interested in doing their own version of Raymond. This documentary follows Rosenthal overseas as he tries to break the culture gap and prove that, when it comes to family, some stories are universal.



-- Post by Ms. B

And Now For Something Completely Different ...

On October 5, 1969 the people of England had the opportunity to see a show quite unlike any other. That show was Monty Python's Flying Circus. It would run for a total of four seasons and go on to make millions of people all over the world laugh.

The group was made up of five Englishmen (Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, Michael Palin) and one American (Terry Gilliam). Cleese and Chapman knew each other from Cambridge University, where Idle also attended. Palin and Jones were friends and collaborators from Oxford University. Gilliam was an artist with an eye for the surreal. Through their work on The Frost Report and other shows, they came to admire each other's talents.

When they decided to start working together, Barry Took, a comedy consultant for BBC Television, helped them get their own show. The BBC were a little reluctant at first, so they only committed to 13 episodes. Theirs wasn't the first sketch comedy show in history, but it had a decidedly different take on the format. Instead of punch lines or conclusions, the sketches would often end with the actors (the writers playing most of the parts) simply walking away, ending in the middle or just flowing right into the next bit. Interspersed between sketches were crazy and wacky animations from the mind of Terry Gilliam.

It took awhile for the show to reach America, but when it did their popularity spread. I'm not sure when I was introduced to this brilliant show, but it was probably some time while I was in high school in the 1980s. I've been a fan ever since!

The internet is full of websites with lists of the best Python sketches, but most fans have their own favorites. Here are mine, in no particular order. I would try to explain them, but it's not easy and that would take the fun out of it. Enjoy!



-- Argument Clinic (1972)






-- The Dead Parrot (1969)






-- The Lumberjack Song (1969)






-- Spam (1970)






-- The Philosopher's Football Match (1972)





-- Post by Tracy