VERY VERY: Family Ancestry

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 Family Ancestry!

This Week's Episodes

227 #3 "Family Hero" (First Aired: September 28, 1985)

Mary helps Brenda with a family ancestry assignment for school and discovers that they are related to a Civil War corporal.

This is an early episode of 227 and only the second episode I've ever seen of the show (the other was a later one for Very Very Snowbound earlier this year). I think it's clear that the actors are still finding their characters and dynamics with each other. This episode would probably play a little different now because there probably wouldn't be nearly as much of an emphasis on the ancestor wearing a dress. But it was 1985, so it is what it is. This episode is an interesting plot but the execution is only so-so which is probably due in part to being so early in the run.

The Addams Family #5 "The Addams Family Tree" (First Aired: October 16, 1964)

When a classmate of Pugsley and his father make fun of the Addams, Gomez hires a genealogist to find ancestors they can brag about.

It's interesting that some of this episode is about ancestry because that's the basis of the ensemble in musical adaptation of The Addams Family. It seems like this episode had an impact on the development of the musical. One thing that's interesting about this episode is the Addams do seem to care what others think, which is not always a trait they have. The great Frank Nelson, a frequent guest star on I Love Lucy, makes a nice impact as the father of Pugsley's friend. But how many times in the series does a guest star get spooked by Thing or Lurch or Kitty?

Head of the Class #12 "The Way We Weren't" (First Aired: December 17, 1986)

While working on an essay contest for New York City, Mr. Moore encourages the class to look at their family history and some surprising information is discovered.

I've only watched episodes of Head of the Class here and there but I like it's take on being the anti-Welcome Back Kotter with its focus on a gifted class. That allowed it to make some interesting choices with content even if it occasionally veered a little into the preachy territory. This episode doesn't get too preachy but there's also not a whole lot of humor. It feels in some ways like being part of the actual class, and I'm not sure if that's a compliment or a problem. This episode first goes after Thomas Jefferson years before he became more controversial but Mr. Moore's explanation of the situation probably wouldn't be scripted the same way in 2023.

The Office #179 "Andy's Ancestry" (First Aired: October 4, 2012)

Nellie tells Andy that he is distantly related to Michelle Obama without realizing that means his ancestors were probably slaveowners.

I am not a fan of the final couple seasons of The Office by any means and a big reason was how they tried to make Andy like Michael Scott. This episode, while quite funny at times, is one of the worst examples of it because this is completely a story that feels like it was written for Michael (and Steve Carell would have been much funnier with it). It's a funny concept though so it at least has that going for it unlike other episodes towards the end of the run. But this episode is best known for "Asian Jim" (played by Randall Park) at the beginning of the episode - an all-time great Jim prank on Dwight.

Best Episode: Head of the Class

None of these are really great episodes. The Office is in its rough final years and the other three aren't all that funny so I went with the best plot even if the laughs are light.

Best Fit for the Theme: 227

It seems like 227 is the episode that deals with ancestry for the majority of the episode and it dominates the dialogue and plot.

Standout Performer: Robin Givens, Head of the Class

Runners-Up: Rainn Wilson (The Office), Marla Gibbs (227)

Tomorrow: The Friday Five - Top 5 TV news stories of the week!