Star Trek: The Next Generation used bottle episodes so that it could spend more on special effects in other episodes. 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 premiere of the
third season of The West Wing was delayed by the
September 11 attacks in the United States. When the series did return, "
Isaac and Ishmael" offered a bottle episode where 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. Other notable shows that have shown bottle episodes include
Mad About You,
Parks and Recreation,
Breaking Bad,
Girls,
Community,
Frasier,
Mongrels ,
BoJack Horseman, ''
Grey's Anatomy, and Chicago Fire''.
"Bottle Episode" as title Variants of the term "Bottle Episode" have been used as a title for at least three episodes of American TV series, none of which was actually a bottle episode as defined above, but instead having stories involving physical
bottles. "
The Bottle Episode" (
Supergirl, 2020) and "
Bottle Episode (But Not a 'Bottle Episode')" (
Harley Quinn, 2025) both take place in the
DC Comics multiverse and involve different versions of
Brainiac, a supervillain who shrinks cities and stores them in bottles. The plot of a 2024 episode of
The Simpsons titled "
Bottle Episode" concerns bottles of wine. ==See also==