History BottleEpisode / LiveActionTV

** [[Recap/DoctorWhoS40E3Boom "Boom"]]: Since the Doctor almost immediately stands on a land mine that will [[spoiler: cause him to explode if he moves even an inch]], the entire episode aside from the opening takes place in the small crater where he is stood.

* [[Recap/DoctorWhoS40E3Boom "Boom"]]: Since the Doctor almost immediately stands on a land mine that will [[spoiler: cause him to explode if he moves even an inch]], the entire episode aside from the opening takes place in the small crater where he is stood.

* ''Series/{{Titus}}'' is almost nothing ''BUT'' bottle episodes, the design of the show typically focuses on a primary story taking place in RealTime or an ExtremelyShortTimespan while using a FramingDevice of Titus in the Neutral Space (a [[DeliberatelyMonochrome black and white room]] he uses to narrate the episode) to facilitate a {{Flashback}} or CutawayGag. This made the main largely take place in one location in front of a StudioAudience and the cutaways are quick one-shot bits filmed earlier in the week, thus was economical even by {{sitcom}} standards. It's the episodes taking place with a SpecialGuest, a lot of extras or exotic locations (having to build a snowy cliff face or the support structure of a bridge) that were a little more pricey than normal.

* ''Series/{{Titus}}'' is almost nothing ''BUT'' bottle episodes, the design of the show typically focuses on a primary story taking place in RealTime or an ExtremelyShortTimespan while using a FramingDevice of Titus in the Neutral Space (a [[DeliberatelyMonochrome black and white room]] he uses to narrate the episode) to facilitate a {{Flashback}} or CutawayGag. The filming style focused on the main story in front of a StudioAudience and the cutaways are typically one-shot bits filmed earlier in the week, thus was economical even by {{sitcom}} standards. Thus it's the episodes taking place with a SpecialGuest, a lot of extras or exotic locations (having to build a snowy cliff face or the support structure of a bridge) that were a little more pricey than normal.

* ''Series/{{Titus}}'' is nothing '''''BUT''''' bottle episodes, though sometimes it's two joined rooms rather than just one room and it does cut away to Titus in the Neutral Space.[[note]]the black-and-white room in which Creator/ChristopherTitus narrates the episodes, explaining a certain situation or giving insight on an event that just happened (often comedically; but sometimes dramatically).[[/note]] Other than that, a typical episode of Titus usually has two settings, the five main actors,[[note]](Christopher Titus {[[AdamWesting as himself, essentially]]}, Zack Ward {Dave}, David Shatraw {Tommy}, Cynthia Watros {Erin}, and Stacy Keach {Ken Titus})[[/note]] and maybe some recurring supporting characters[[note]](Amy, Titus's sister Shannon, Erin's DysfunctionalFamily {Nora, Merritt, Kim, and Michael}, Juanita {Titus's violent, manic-depressive schizophrenic mom}, and/or Kathy {Ken's bitchy nurse fiancee})[[/note]] or one-shot characters.

* Most episodes of the Mexican sitcom ''Series/ElChavoDelOcho'' are this, taking place in "La Vecindad" with occasional scenes inside Doña Florinda's or Don Ramón's apartments. There were also occasional episodes (or in some cases, single scenes) set in the school that El Chavo, Quico (before Carlos Villagrán left the show), and La Chilindrina attend. There was however, one two-part location episode where the characters are on location in Acapulco.

** "The Trial" (series 4, episode 5) is set entirely in the Meldrews' home and might be the most extreme example in the series as it features no actors other than Richard Wilson (though Doreen Mantle as Mrs. Warboys can faintly be heard over the phone at one point), much like the ''Hancock's Half-Hour'' example above.

* Several episodes of ''Series/TheTwilightZone1959'' were either filmed in a small space ("[[Recap/TheTwilightZoneS2E39NervousManInAFourDollarRoom Nervous Man in a Four Dollar Room]]" was filmed in a single room with a minimal cast), filmed with a minimal cast (the PilotEpisode had Earl Holliman walking around a deserted town asking "[[Recap/TheTwilightZone1959S1E1WhereIsEverybody Where Is Everybody?]]" for nearly the entire duration), or filmed only with two people (in "[[Recap/TheTwilightZoneS3E66Two Two]]", Creator/CharlesBronson and Creator/ElizabethMontgomery are the only two soldiers at war after WorldWarIII has vaporized everyone else). "[[Recap/TheTwilightZoneS5E125TheLastNightOfAJockey The Last Night of a Jockey]]" takes all honours, however -- set entirely in one room, with a cast of ''one'' (Creator/MickeyRooney).

* ''Series/MalcolmInTheMiddle'': "Blackout" is the only episode in the whole series to take place in a single location, being entirely shoot within the family's home and its backyard. In addition, with the exception of the three Dutch girls brought over by Malcolm and Reese, the only featured characters are the family themselves, with no other extras whatsoever showing up.

* ''Series/MalcolmInTheMiddle'': "Blackout" is the only episode in the whole series to take place in a single location, being entirely shoot within the family's home and its backyard. In addition, with the exception of the three German girls brought over by Malcolm and Reese, the only featured characters are the family themselves.

* ''Series/MalcolmInTheMiddle'': "Blackout" is the only episode in the entire series to take place in a single location, being entirely shoot within the family's home and its backyard. In addition, with the exception of the three German girls brought over by Malcolm and Reese, the only featured characters are the family themselves.

* ''Series/{{Underground}}'' does this with Episode 2.06, "Minty". The episode consists of Harriet Tubman giving a speech to a crowd of Philadelphia abolitionists in a presentation hall. Outside of a few questions and interruptions from the crowd, the entire episode is her and only her speaking, with none of the other main characters present or involved and none of the modern-day sound track played. At the end she's talking to the crowd, but the camera is framing her face [[LeaningOnTheFourthWall as if she's talking to the viewers through the screen]] for the last lines.

* ''Series/AgentsOfSHIELD'': "[[Recap/AgentsOfSHIELDS7E09AsIHaveAlwaysBeen As I Have Always Been]]" takes place almost entirely on ''Zephyr One'', which is caught in the temporal equivalent of a NegativeSpaceWedgie due to a malfunctioning time drive, only leaving this setting to show how some villains are faring in TheStinger.

* ''Series/{{Castle}}'':

** "Night of the Dead Living" from the same season similarly stayed in the station house. Both of these episodes are substantially more TruthInTelevision, however, as they depict, in fairly realistic terms, events from the non-fiction book of the same name that inspired the show. Not that it didn't also help to save money.

* Episode 4 of ''Series/{{Psychoville}}'' features only David and his mother attempting to avoid getting caught by a police inspector in a flat in Hammersmith, London. It's an homage to Creator/AlfredHitchcock's ''Film/{{Rope}}'' (with nods to ''Film/{{Psycho}}'' and ''Film/{{Frenzy}}'') and mostly consists of two long continuous shots joined by a concealed edit.

* ''Series/TheLastOfUs''[='s=] third episode, "[[Recap/TheLastOfUs2023S1E3LongLongTime Long, Long Time]]," spends all but the first few minutes in one set and features a grand total of five actors, with headliners Creator/PedroPascal and Creator/BellaRamsey shunted to one side in favor of an episode-long focus on the romance between side characters Bill and Frank (guest stars Creator/NickOfferman and Creator/MurrayBartlett). It is not only the highest-rated episode of the season, but has been praised as one of the greatest episodes of television ''period''.

** ''Series/StarTrekStrangeNewWorlds'', the {{prequel}} to ''TOS'', joins the fun with ''half'' of its 10-episode first season requiring one-or-less new sets. That said, [[Recap/StarTrekStrangeNewWorldsS1E08TheElysianKingdom Episode 8]] is the only true Bottle Episode, taking place exclusively on the ''Enterprise'' (albeit one that has undergone some heavy redressing to support its 'FairyTale come to life' theme).

** ''Series/StarTrekEnterprise'': "[[Recap/StarTrekEnterpriseS01E16ShuttlepodOne Shuttlepod One]]" plays it straight, taking place almost entirely in the titular shuttlepod, with a few short scenes taking place on ''Enterprise'' herself, and only featuring the main characters. (And a bottle of Kentucky bourbon, making it a literal "bottle episode".) On the other hand, breaking the usual pattern of ''Trek'' bottle shows, "[[Recap/StarTrekEnterpriseS02E05ANightInSickbay A Night in Sickbay]]" takes place almost entirely in sickbay and frequently appears in "Worst Ever" lists.

** In the fifth episode, where Kieren is absent for most of the episode and the episode focuses mostly on Simon. Nearly the whole episode rakes place at Norfolk, with a few bits and pieces in Roarton.

%%* Any episode of ''Series/{{Merlin|2008}}'' that centres on Gaius will be that season's BottleEpisode.

** Series VII's "[[Recap/RedDwarfSeasonVIIDuctSoup Duct Soup]]" was almost entirely set in the air ducts of the ship and only features the four regulars. They put the episode together at the last minute to replace the unproduced episode "Identity Within", which was too expensive to film, and therefore had to keep to a minimum for new sets.

* ''Series/TheRoyleFamily''. There are only two sets, the living room/dining room (with attached hallway that is occasionally seen) and the kitchen. In the show's original three series they'd ''at most'' go upstairs for a scene once a season. This is averted with the one off specials, which tend to spend very little time in the Royle household. It is often regarded as a startlingly funny and well observed portrait of (a now slightly dated version of) British domesticity.

** "No Exit" contains three sets bottled by the Secret Service after a possible toxic breach is declared. The President, Debbie and Charlie were sealed in one area with a Doctor and Agent Butterfield, Kate with Josh, Will with Toby, Leo with Abby and CJ with Donna. Notably, except for the group with the President, and the CJ/Donna match, which were fairly amiable, all of the other bottled pairs had spent the majority of the season growing increasingly angry with each other. Also notable because when you lock each of them in one room on a Sorkin production, you lose the abiliuy to {{pedeconference}}.

** There was also ‘Bored On Board Onboard’, which is set on the pre-existing sets of the Waverider & Constantine's house, and features the characters getting stuck in a dangerous [[WinToExit]] scenario when Constantine uses his magic to liven up the board game they're playing to pass time until the Waverider is fixed.

* Series/LegendsOfTomorrow has "Here I Go Again". The action stays on the Waverider, and because it features a [[GroundHogDayLoop time loop]], we visit the same Waverider sets repeatedly. It's ADayInTheLimelight for new Legend [[DefrostingIceQueen Zari]], and except for [[GenreSavvy Nate]], who offers [[PaintingTheFourthWall advice]] on [[TimeCompressionMontage how to cope when stuck in a loop]], most of the other Legends' roles are [[OutOfFocus minimal]].