21 of the Best Running Jokes in TV History

Truly, no one is more long-suffering than a TV fan whose series has been running for at least three or four seasons. It’s probably getting staler than last year’s candy corn, but as long as those advertising dollars keep rolling in, they’re going to keep making it. And what are you going to do, just not watch a TV show?

Enter the running gag, the crumbs thrown by the writers to the loyal fans who have been there since day one. Whether it’s out in the open or even more rewarding for hiding in the background, it’s a little dopamine hit that keeps you just buzzed enough to decide against finding something more fulfilling to do with your time.

There’s an art to a running joke, though. You can’t just keep telling the same joke over and over — it’s got to be the right joke, played with just the right frequency, and it’s got to be a fresh new take every time. That’s why, when user Kevbot1000 asked r/AskReddit, “What’s a running joke on a series that never stopped being funny?,” not everything made the cut.