10 Tired Sitcom Clichés That Really Need To Die
4. Guest Stars
When it’s done well, a sitcom guest spot can be great, bringing in a well-known actor to have a bit of fun as an original character, or affectionately mock themselves. But a lot of the time, it’s pretty bad.
In the simplest possible terms, guest stars mean bums on seats, which means more ad revenue. It's why The Simpsons has completely devalued the idea of having guest stars in recent years, with only two of the last season’s twenty-two episodes not including a celebrity guest.
The best kind of guest star is one who throws themselves into things, rather than it just being the main characters fawning over them for twenty minutes, or them only being there to snare bigger ratings. Like Britney Spears’ minor two-episode guest spot in How I Met Your Mother being put front and centre on the DVD cover.
Compare the difference between some guest stats on The Simpsons. In 1991, Dustin Hoffman appeared in The Simpsons under a pseudonym as Lisa's substitute teacher, and it was a bittersweet episode that ended with the now famous “You are Lisa Simpson” moment.
Twenty-one years later, Lady Gaga guest starred in a heavily promoted role as herself, that ended with her singing a duet with Lisa in front of the entire town. Only one of them is good.
Bonus Points If: The guest star isn’t an actor or other kind of performer.