http://robertdavidsullivan.typepad.com/my_weblog/2012/01/top-100-sitcom-episodes-of-all-time-introduction.html

At their best, sitcom episodes work as short stories or parables. They catalogue social conventions (see Seinfeld in particular) and present “what would you do?” situations in which the characters usually, but not always, react according to their most prominent personality traits.