Can you guess the classic TV show by its bottle episode?
All these memorable episodes take place in just one location.
Over the years, television has developed many tropes and styles. One of these is the "bottle episode." It refers to any single episode of a television show that is confined to one location.
For some shows, like sitcoms, this is an easy task because they don't use many locations anyway. For others, like police procedurals, it is a drastic break from the norm and stands out from the usual episodes.
Do you remember any single-locale episodes of your favorite shows? Take this quiz to see if you can recognize which shows these bottle episodes belong to.
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In the episode titled “Light Duty,” the two main characters are stuck working the front desk of the police station because one of them has an injured wrist. What show is this episode from?
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Which series had an episode titled “O.R.” and was shot entirely in the operating room?
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This show pioneered the bottle episode trope with classics like “Balance of Terror,” “The Naked Time” and “The Enemy Within.”
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This show had an episode where a mysterious device appears and broadcasts a cryptic warning of doom. The characters must have their memories scanned to find out who sent the message. This episode took place mostly in the same room and was also a clip show, with footage from previous episodes padding out its run time.
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The episode called “A Coffin Too Frequent” involves the main characters witnessing a séance in their living room performed by a mad scientist and his goon. What show was it on?
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This 1990s sitcom had one episode called “The Dinner Party” where two main characters plan a classy but increasingly complicated soiree. It takes place entirely in one character’s apartment.
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“A is for Aardvark” is an episode of a 1960s fantasy sitcom where a normal man gets a taste of magic powers after being stuck in bed with an injury. It all happens inside the main characters’ house and was directed by classic film star Ida Lupino!
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Two characters get stuck in the back room of a bar in this episode called “Two’s a Crowd.” They end up drinking the copious amounts of alcohol that surround them and one character reveals his difficult upbringing in a rare serious moment for this otherwise irreverent show.
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Instead of a bottle episode, this show had an entire bottle season! All of season one took place in the characters favorite bar.
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An episode titled “The Squeeze” featured two detectives questioning a suspect. It is a single-location trope that is still used in modern police procedurals. What show did “The Squeeze” belong to?
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An episode of this show titled “One More Pallbearer” takes place almost entirely in a fake bomb shelter set up as a ruse by scheming millionaire.
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“Caged Fury” takes place predominantly in a storage room after two characters get locked in, missing the 4th of July bicentennial party. What show was it?
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One self-contained episode of this ‘90s sitcom, titled “The Chinese Restaurant,” featured the main characters waiting for a table at, yes, a Chinese restaurant.
Can you guess the classic TV show by its bottle episode?
Your Result...
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Your mind wasn't stuck on this quiz!
Some would have said that a lot of guessing went into this but I'd say that it was done with more well thought out reasoning than guessing.
The trope was introduced/pioneered by "The Twilight Zone".
"Five Characters in Search of an Exit". Season 3/Episode 14, December 22, 1961.
These questions had you a little corked. - I disagree. After 9 down the hatch, I'm pretty sure the cork was popped LOL