Big Bang Theory, "The Spectral Inheritance Principle"

Howard inherits a mansion from his rich uncle under the condition that he stay there for the whole night. Did we mention that the house is haunted? The rest of the gang agrees to stay the night with him in order to disprove the existence of spooky scary ghosts. The Big Bang Gang™ splits into groups to investigate the paranormal happenings. Sheldon and Leonard eat a comically large sandwich then hide in a vase after Howard’s dead mother chases them through the non-euclidian upstairs hallway. Penny and Cousin Leroy fall through a trap door into a cellar full of corpses. Howard is mysteriously absent throughout most of the episode. 

Mr. Robot, "eps2.10_c0rp0rat10ns-man.mp4"

Elliot struggles to fit in with society, burying his face in a black hoodie while creepily staring at people on the subway. Realistic hacking showcasing an actual command line terminal are displayed as the show’s writers confuse plot twists with story and character development. The camera pans around to show creator Sam Esmail who proceeds to shout, “WAKE UP SHEEPLE! IT’S THE CORPORATIONS MAN!” while cashing a check written out to him by the corporations, man.

American Horror Story: Spooky Scary…uh, Boarding School, "Bonestorm!"

Strong female leads stand around waiting for Ryan Murphy to give them something to do as vampires, werewolves, monsters, zombies, murderers, perverts, drug dealers, different murderers, ghosts, ghost murderers, exorcists, math teachers, and psychic alien witches show up and do nothing to impact the season’s story arc.

Big Bang Theory, “The Snowy Crystallization”

Plans to attend Dragon Con get put on ice as Cousin Leroy and Penny convince the gang to instead hit the slopes. Leonard tries to impress Cousin Leroy by pretending he’s an expert skier, which leads to a horrible accident causing him to spend the rest of the trip in a full-body cast at the ski lodge. Howard scores a date with a woman he met on the ski lift. Sheldon says “Bazinga" a bunch of times while the laugh track drones on. Penny and Cousin Leroy hit it off while tearing up the mountain. Howard cuts the trip short after his date goes missing.

Big Bang Theory, “The Free Market Socialization”

An ordinary trip to the mall gets a little wacky when the group goes their separate ways. Trying to impress Cousin Leroy, Leonard agrees to get a matching tattoo. Afraid of needles, Sheldon decides to hit up the arcade where he causes a ruckus over the Star Trek: The Next Generation Pinball machine’s continuity errors. At the food court, Penny tries to convince Howard to ask out the young woman at the cookie store. Amy’s mysterious absence from work causes the police to begin an investigation. 

Big Bang Theory, “The Fizzy Lifting Launch”

Things get a little sticky when Howard helps Amy dispose of a crate of surplus monkeys by sending the beasts to space using his new rocket powered by Diet Cola and Mentos. Sheldon and Leonard enlist the help of Raj’s cousin Leroy to track down a copy of ET for the Atari 2600 in the desert. Penny goes on a blind date with the Ghost of Albert Einstein, but confuses him for “Weird Al” Yankovic. Raj ponders his existence in a dark cell between rounds of torture.

Big Bang Theory, “The Dual Interrogationing”

Things get a little rough for Raj when the TSA decides to turn him over to the Department of Homeland Security. Before taking him to Gitmo, they grant his request to call Leonard to clear this whole thing up. Sheldon hangs up Leonard’s phone when Penny reveals that she likes the Star Wars prequels better than the original trilogy. Sheldon and Leonard use “enhanced” interrogation on Penny while the government uses actual enhanced interrogation against Raj—further eroding away his rights. Howard attempts to grow a beard with wacky results.