VERY VERY: Cooking

Back in the mid-1990s, Nick at Nite ran a programming block on the weekends called "Very Very Nick at Nite," which looked at four episodes with a similar theme. Now I will look at four sitcom episodes from across the decades that have a similar plot or theme. This week's topic is Very Very Cooking!

This Week's Episodes

The Andy Griffith Show #43 "The Pickle Story" (First Aired: December 18, 1961)

Andy and Barney scheme to keep Aunt Bee from knowing how terrible her homemade pickles are, but that backfires when she wants to make more and enter them in a contest.

This is such a fun episode that's so well crafted. It amazes me how much mileage a well-written 1960s sitcom, like this one, could get out of a really simple plot that would probably be a "C" story at best in today's world. Instead, the story takes a whole bunch of turns and the potential resolution just keeps changing as Andy and Barney keep getting foiled with their planned resolution. The simplicity of the plot but the complexity of the details within the plot make for a very entertaining episode.

F Troop #28 "Too Many Cooks Spoil the Troop" (First Aired: March 29, 1966)

After their cook is transferred from Fort Courage, Agarn takes over as cook so that he and O'Rourke can sell excess supplies to the Hakawi tribe. 

So many things are cringeworthy in F Troop in 2023 especially when it comes to their dealings with the Native American tribe. So that makes for a questionable end to the episode. However, the episode is mostly about the shenanigans of Agarn being a cook. Even then, it didn't seem to play up the humor as much as it could. It is an interesting contrast to The Andy Griffith Show though where this episode is low on plot and high on repetitive jokes. More of the 60s sitcoms were like F Troop, Andy Griffith was one of the outliers. 

Friends #191 "The One with the Cooking Class" (First Aired: May 2, 2002)

After receiving a bad review for her restaurant, Monica confronts the critic but then she and Joey end up in a beginning cooking class. Pregnant Rachel is upset when Ross wants to go on a date. Phoebe helps Chandler prepare for a job interview.

Like most Friends episodes, there are plenty of plots within the episode so this one isn't completely about cooking. That being said, there are a lot of funny plots including the more infrequent pairings of Monica and Joey and Chandler and Phoebe. The Monica/Joey story is the cooking one and there are some funny moments. While Monica is a lot to take in this episode, it is within her character and fitting to the plot. Joey's sheer excitement at being a star student (and the great tag scene in an acting class) give Matt LeBlanc some great moments.

The Odd Couple #14 "They Use Horseradish, Don't They" (First Aired: January 7, 1971)

Felix deals with a bad back while entering a cooking contest but then has more to contend with when Oscar gives away his secret recipe to a competitor.

The Odd Couple really had a good sense of itself and the dynamics of its main characters early on in its run. This is only partway through the first season and Tony Randall and Jack Klugman are already firing on all cylinders. Jack Klugman is especially strong here but I think that's partly because I find Oscar to be a much more likable and interesting character even in an episode like this, where he's clearly in the wrong.

Best Episode: The Andy Griffith Show

As I mentioned above, this is just really an expert episode. It's so well-crafted and so funny. It takes a small situation and makes it full of funny plot twists and moments.

Best Fit for the Theme: F Troop

"Cooking" is a broad topic but the F Troop episode seems to have the most actual creation of food happening during the episode so I'll give it to Agarn's exploits.

Standout Performer: Frances Bavier, The Andy Griffith Show

Runners-Up: Jack Klugman (The Odd Couple), Andy Griffith (The Andy Griffith Show)

Tomorrow: The Friday Five - Top 5 TV news stories of the week
Next Thursday: Very Very Home Stakeout!