TVSquad

The bar mitzvah is a Jewish rite of passage, the time in a boy's life when he becomes a man -- symbolically -- by reading from the Torah. When a girl does the ritual, it's called a bat mitzvah. I mention all this because in TV, the bar/bat mitzvah has been the catalyst for some wonderful episodes, mostly on sitcoms.

The Simpsons celebrated Krusty the Klown's bar mitzvah in the episode "Today I Am A Klown," which was a variation on one of the all-time great sitcom bar mitzvahs of all time: the episode "Buddy Sorrell, Man and Boy," on The Dick Van Dyke Show. Square Pegs shared "Muffy's Bat Mitzvah" with viewers, and this past season, Curb Your Enthusiasm's Larry David used his friend Jeff Greene's daughter Sammi's bat mitzvah to announce that he never put a gerbil up his butt.

Do not adjust your web browser. You are now entering the Retro Squad, where we are reviewing past episodes of classic TV shows.

(S06E14) It's awfully hard to pick a standout episode from a comedy like Frasier that lasted eleven seasons. There are so many that stand out for different reasons.

I picked 'Three Valentines' because:

• It is a good example of classic Frasier foibles
• Niles's cold open is a masterpiece in physical comedy, something we don't often see in Frasier episodes
• The performances are top-notch: sensitive, masterful, spot-on
• This episode is an example of perfect timing being a key to a sitcom's success
• It is filmed in three acts, each allowing the characters featured to play up to their strengths perfectly.

Do not adjust your web browser. You are now entering the Retro Squad, where we are reviewing past episodes of classic TV shows.

Welcome back to TVSBTTHB (TV Squad Behind the True Hollywood Biography). For 11 years the bar simply known as Cheers was the place to go. Not only did everyone know your name (particularly if it was 'Norm'), but you were able to get a beer, a story about major league baseball's heyday, some homespun wisdom, a bunch of needless trivia from a postal worker, and perhaps a beer thrown into your face by a hormonal waitress who seems to have been very pregnant. When you left your wallet would be lighter, but a smile would crease your face.

Yet, once the last beer was sold and the final patron walked out the door the employees and patrons of that Boston bar disappeared into its narrow and winding streets, people have been asking the folks here at TVSBTTHB whatever happened to Sam, Diane, Norm, Cliff, and the rest of the Cheers gang. Now, after digging through mounds of beer kegs, Hungry Heifer napkins, and undelivered mail, we have discovered what happened to these folks who seemed to spend all of their waking hours in the bar.

The "big" shows are over, and now the typically low-key summer TV schedule begins. Oh sure, there are some real gems in there that are still airing or will start soon, but overall the excitement is nothing like the September-through-May period. Maybe people are ... gasp ... going outside to enjoy the sun?

It's been two years since we first delved into the world of Retro Squad, so we're back now with what we believe is a better format. Rather than pick a few shows and only review one season from each throughout the summer, we're doing theme/show weeks. These weeks will not only have standout episode reviews from any past season, but we'll have themed lists, Vs., interviews and videos. There are only so many weeks in the summer, so we can't cover all of your favorites, but I think there's something for just about everyone here. Check out the schedule below, after the jump.