Running gag

The running gag is a popular hallmark of comedy television shows and movies. A running gag is an amusing situation or line that constantly reappears through the course of a movie or television series.

Running gags are often in the form of a response to commonly used words or phrases.

Examples of running gags

• In Airplane!, Dr. Rumack (Leslie Nielsen) responds to sentences containing the word "surely" with "Don't call me Shirley".
• In Monty Python's Flying Circus, episode 15, the constant appearances of the Spanish Inquisition. ("Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition!")
• Also in Monty Python's Flying Circus, a knight in full armour often used a rubber chicken to hit people over the head; this was used as a bridge between scenes, mainly during the first season.

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