In episodic television, a bottle episode or bottle show is an episode 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, in which the only the main character Victor Meldrew (Richard Wilson) appears.
The hospital drama series ER contains several bottle episodes. Season 3 episode 15, The long way around, takes place in a convenience store, where nurse Carol Hathaway is a customer. An armed robbery takes place and after a shooting, the robbers take the customers and the owners hostage, killing one of the store owners. One of the robbers is later shot by the police. In season 8 episode 16, Secrets and lies, five people (Luka Kovac, Abby Lockhart, Susan Lewis, John Carter, and Michael Gallant) are sent to a sexual harassment class after making fun in the trauma room about a dominatrix patient's bag of tricks. The mediator of the class is very late and the five kill time while waiting in the classroom, discovering hidden sides and important insights about each other.
Seinfelds "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 "[broken] new 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 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.