Clip show
Horror author Stephen King once described Hell as "doing the same thing over and over again". With that definition in mind, clip shows are possibly the closest thing to Television Hell you'll encounter outside of a Fox affiliate.
Clip shows are episodes of television programs comprised of, yes, clips from previous episodes cobbled together to fill twenty-odd minutes. The execution of these clips shows can be varied. In some instances, the clips are introduced via a framing device, usually featuring characters observing the clips for whatever contrived reason. These framing devices are some times created through original animation and some times awkwardly slapped together using redubbed animation from various episodes.
If clip shows offer at least one admirable quality, its that they typically feature characters from the series observing their own past adventures and providing commentary and insight on the events. The "commentary" can run the gamut of amusing and profound to dull and irritating.
For whatever obscene reason, clips shows are immensely popular in Japan. Over half a dozen can be created for a single season, while others are released direct to video and even theatrially. America is not immune to clip show syndrome by any means, some times creating our own as DVD pack-ins released with selected toys and some times creating brand new ones to replace ones created for Japanese-produced Transformers animation.
See also
- A good time to go make a sandwich.
