The
running gag is a popular hallmark of comedy television shows and movies. A running gag is an amusing situation or line that constantly reappears through the course of a movie or television series.
Some examples of running gags
- In Airplane, Dr. Rumack (Leslie Nielsen) responds to sentences containing the word "surely" with "Don't call me Shirley".
- In Gilligan's Island, ...
- In Match Game, a question frequently has the phrase "he was so xxxx", and the audience replies "How xxxx was he???", and the host finishes reading the question.
- In Monty Python's Flying Circus, episode 15, the constant appearances of the Spanish Inquisition. ("Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition!")
- Also in Monty Python's Flying Circus, a knight in full armour often used a rubber chicken to hit people over the head; this was used as a bridge between scenes, mainly during the first season.
- In The Naked Gun series ...
- In Pinky and the Brain, Brain tries to take over the world in every episode, but always fails in some humorous way.
- In Police Squad, ...
- In Seinfeld, ...
- In South Park, Kenny suffers a gruesome death in every episode.
- In the You Don't Know Jack computer games, Tootie is never the right answer.
- In Groo the Wanderer