Sitcom Cliches: Let's Go Bowling!

Through the years, some plot lines have been seen over and over again. Bringing the characters bowling is one of those. Here's nine of the more "striking" sitcom episodes that went bowling!

1. The Golden Girls

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In this First season episode, the girls enter a bowling tournament which splits them in teams of two and reveals the competitive side of Rose. They also have wonderfully matching bowling shirts that a Williamsburg hipster would die to find in a thrift store today.

2. Parks and Recreation

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While Leslie Knope is campaigning, she has a "get to know Leslie bowling event" primarily to win over the vote of one citizen. It's one of the most recent bowling episodes I can remember, but then again, it is set in Pawnee, which is kind of like being stuck in the '80s.

3. Roseanne

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With at least two bowling episodes that I can vividly remember, I prefer the episode a few seasons in where Dan and Arnie struggle to bring their bowling team out of last place. It's also the first episode where Darlene meets David!

4. Designing Women

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The women all went bowling to get in good with a prospective client. Trying to "fit in," Mary Jo acts like a foul mouthed and vulgar bowler and the potential client is revolted and winds up hiring a group of gay men who are good sportsmen. Note: It must have killed some of the gay men to go bowling since your shoe size is printed right on the back of the shoe.

5. Malcolm In The Middle

This was a pretty popular episode where it showed how one trip to a bowling alley turns out when you go with Dad and how it turns out when you go bowling with Mom. For me, I always preferred going bowling with Dad- because he would give me sips of his beer when no one was looking.

6. Curb Your Enthusiasm

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In this early episode, we get a healthy dose of Larry's idiotic tendencies and neurosis as his shoes are stolen at the bowling alley and he confronts the person who took them. That's what you get for not renting a locker you cheapskate!

7. Married With Children

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Al takes Peggy to Bowlarama for her birthday where he hopes to beat his arch rival's high game score of 220. Al beats the score, but minutes later, Peggy bowls a perfect game (300), destroying Al's chauvinist self-esteem! Ah, The Bundys are a family that looks like they give birth to their kids in a bowling alley!

8. Night Court

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The gang forms a bowling league and Harry gets distracted from the bowling match by a sexy woman. It's Funny that most people who frequent bowling alleys look like the type you would find in front of Judge Harry Stone on Night Court.

9. The Flintstones

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Fred rushes off to the Bedrock Dance Academy to sign up for ballet lessons because he thought his rhythm was off in his bowling game. Later, Fred Flintsone gets the nick name "Twinkletoes." Funny, I had the same nickname in high school.