Bottle Episode

In episodic television, a bottle episode is produced cheaply and restricted in scope to use as few regular cast members, effects and sets as possible. Bottle episodes are usually shot on sets built for other episodes, frequently the main interior sets for a series, and consist largely of dialogue and scenes for which no special preparations are needed. They are commonly used when one script has fallen through and another has to be written at short notice, or because of budgetary constraints. Bottle episodes have also been used for dramatic effect, with the limited setting and cast allowing for a slower pace and deeper exploration of character traits and motives.

Use

The term "bottle show" was coined by Leslie Stevens, creator and executive producer of 1960s TV series '' The Outer Limits'', for an episode made in very little time at very little cost, "as in pulling an episode right out of a bottle like a genie". The earliest known use of the term "bottle ''episode''" dates from 2003.

Bottle episodes are sometimes produced to allow as much of the budget as possible to go to the more expensive episodes of the season. Scott Brazil, executive producer of ''The Shield'', described bottle episodes as "the sad little stepchild whose allowance is docked in order to buy big brother a new pair of sneaks". They can also be used to incorporate major current events into the flow of a long-running series, such as the episode of ''The West Wing'' following the September 11 attacks, or the episode of '' Chicago Fire'' in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Examples

The BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' has a tradition of "two-hander" episodes stretching back to 1986, which consist of a dialogue between two characters, typically in a single location.

The BBC sitcom ''One Foot in the Grave'' has a bottle episode in the fourth series, in February 1993, where only the main character Victor Meldrew ( Richard Wilson) appears.

''Seinfeld''s " The Chinese Restaurant" was refused by NBC numerous times, almost causing Larry David to leave the show. The episode is viewed as a classic and said to have " rokennew ground" for both the show and sitcoms.

The ''Mad About You'' episode "The Conversation" (season 6, episode 9) was a single-shot bottle episode, originally shown on broadcast TV in 1997 with no interruptions. During the credits, Paul and Jamie are watching a TV show and he comments on how difficult it is to do a single-shot, 20-minute scene, and she insists that "It's their job!"

The third-season premiere of ''The West Wing'' was delayed by the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in the United States. When the season did return, the first episode was a bottle episode titled "Isaac and Ishmael", in which the main cast paid tribute to those affected by the attacks and informed viewers about what to expect from the delayed premiere. Set almost entirely in the White House Mess Hall, the main characters explore the motivations and nuances of terrorism.

The popularity of the ''Friends'' bottle episode "The One Where No One's Ready" led the producers to create at least one bottle episode in each season.

The bottle episode on ''Brooklyn Nine-Nine'', " The Box", is rated as one of the best by its viewers.

In a seventh season episode of the American comedy television series ''Parks and Recreation'' titled " Leslie and Ron", Leslie Knope and Ron Swanson are locked in a room together overnight to force them to deal with their rivalry.

Several early episodes of ''The X-Files'' were conceived as bottle episodes, including "Space", " Darkness Falls" and the well-received "Ice", although these ran over budget.Lowry, pp.121–122Edwards, p.71Goldman, p.94Edwards, p.45

Bottle episodes from ''Star Trek: The Original Series'' (''Star Trek: TOS'') are known for occasionally becoming popular with fans. Examples include "Charlie X", "Journey to Babel", " The Changeling", "Elaan of Troyius" and "Is There in Truth No Beauty?". The phenomenon has persisted to a lesser extent in later incarnations, with "Duet" ('' Star Trek: Deep Space Nine'') being celebrated as " guably one of the best episodes of ''Deep Space Nine'' and a jewel in the entire ''Trek'' canon".

The third story of ''Doctor Who'', ''The Edge of Destruction'', was a bottle episode created in different circumstances from most. The series had been picked up for thirteen episodes by the BBC
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