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** In "Sissy Boy"; Ben asks both Dr. Katz and Laura to hit him to prove he's strong enough for the military.; Katz is hesitant but Laura has no reservations about doing it, and in fact asks "Again?" after she slugs him. Later, Todd the video store clerk wants to hit Ben as part of a deal to let Ben use the restroom, turning this into a RunningGag.
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* PottyFailure: In "Sissy Boy", Ben has to use the bathroom but Todd the video store clerk won't let customers use it. But he strikes a deal with Ben: If he can punch him, he'll look the other way. Ben asks to be hit in the ass, because it's the most padded part of his body. However, the instant Todd hits him, Ben remarks, "I peed."
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* VomitIndiscretionShot: In "Pullman Square", guest Ed Crasnick had a routine about how a relative would take photos of people throwing up after going on The Rotor, and actually had a "throw-up gallery". Photos of people vomiting are displayed.
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* {{Mondegreen}}: Invoked by guest Laura Kightlinger. She once dated an Irish guy and because of his thick accent, she often thought he was saying something else:
--> '''Laura''': (as the Irish boyfriend) Always complaining about how bad your life is; why don't ya change it? You know you're the author of your own fate. (as herself) And I was like, "God, he's right! I ''am'' the otter of my own fat!"
--> '''Laura''': (as the Irish boyfriend) Always complaining about how bad your life is; why don't ya change it? You know you're the author of your own fate. (as herself) And I was like, "God, he's right! I ''am'' the otter of my own fat!"
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* SpeechCentricWork: The titular character and his patients in therapy. That's it.
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* YankTheDogsChain: In "Cholesterol", Dr. Katz admits he's embarrassed about showering in front of other guys at the gym. When Stanley asks why:
--> '''Dr. Katz''': Well, what if they make fun of my body?
--> '''Stanley''': Why would they do that? There's nothing wrong with your body.
--> '''Dr. Katz''': ''Thank'' you.
--> '''Stanley''': Not a ''lot''...
--> '''Dr. Katz''': Well, what if they make fun of my body?
--> '''Stanley''': Why would they do that? There's nothing wrong with your body.
--> '''Dr. Katz''': ''Thank'' you.
--> '''Stanley''': Not a ''lot''...
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''Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist'' is an animated series that originally ran on Comedy Central from May 28, 1995 to December 24, 1999, starring Jonathan Katz, H. Jon Benjamin, and Laura Silverman. It was the first ever original animated cartoon to be shown on Comedy Central, paving the way for SouthPark and the like.
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''Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist'' is an animated series that originally ran on Comedy Central from May 28, 1995 to December 24, 1999, starring Jonathan Katz, H. Jon Benjamin, and Laura Silverman. It was the first ever original animated cartoon to be shown on Comedy Central, paving the way for SouthPark WesternAnimation/SouthPark and the like.
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''SouthPark'' did a {{Crossover}} where Mr. Garrison sought therapy from Dr. Katz. Also referenced in ''WesternAnimation/{{Arthur}}'', of all shows.
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* [[ComicBookAdaptation Comic Strip Adaptation]]: There was a ''Dr. Katz'' newspaper strip from 1997 to 1999.
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* DeadpanSnarker
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* DeadpanSnarkerDeadpanSnarker: All of the characters talk this way at least sometimes, especially Laura to Ben, and also Dr. Katz and Ben to each other.
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* TheDanza: Almost all characters are credited in the style of "Laura Silverman as Laura". Arguably the characters also play themselves.
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* TheDanza: Almost all characters are credited in the style of "Laura Silverman as Laura". Arguably the characters also play themselves. H. Jon Benjamin as Benjamin Katz puts a little bit of a spin on it, where the actor's last name is the character's first name. Perhaps they didn't call him "Jon" since his father was already named Jonathan.
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* WritersCannotDoMath: Or rather, the actors cannot do math (since the show is mostly ad-libbed). In "Ben Treats", Ben brags about the fact that he won $500 and prompts Laura to guess how many pennies he won. After much goading to say "a penny", Laura says "a penny", but Ben replies: "No, five ''million'' pennies!" Laura corrects him: "It's 500,000." She's incorrect, though; there are 50,000 pennies in $500.
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* ProperlyParanoid: Emo Phillips had a routine:
--> '''Emo''': One afternoon, I'm walking home from school, and I'm watching a young man building a new house. And the guy hammering on the roof calls me a paranoid little weirdo. In morse code.
--> '''Emo''': One afternoon, I'm walking home from school, and I'm watching a young man building a new house. And the guy hammering on the roof calls me a paranoid little weirdo. In morse code.
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** Dom Irrera had a bit where he discussed how his cat peed in his gym bag:
--> '''Dom''': We've all done that; sometimes you don't feel like walkin' upstairs, right? But the protocol is, if you're gonna do it in somebody else's bag, you look away. You use a little discretion. Don't just say: "Eh, here's your bag right here, I'll give ya a bag."
--> '''Dr. Katz''': Right. ({{Beat}}) ...I mean-
--> '''Dom''': We've all done that; sometimes you don't feel like walkin' upstairs, right? But the protocol is, if you're gonna do it in somebody else's bag, you look away. You use a little discretion. Don't just say: "Eh, here's your bag right here, I'll give ya a bag."
--> '''Dr. Katz''': Right. ({{Beat}}) ...I mean-
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On second thought, this fits it better
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* NeverTrustAHairTonic: "Henna" involves both Dr. Katz and Ben's hair turning bright red upon using the hair tonic.
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* NeverTrustAHairTonic: MyHairCameOutGreen: "Henna" involves both Dr. Katz and Ben's hair turning bright red upon using the hair tonic.
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* NeverTrustAHairTonic: "Henna" involves both Dr. Katz and Ben's hair turning bright red upon using the hair tonic.
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* IllBeInMyBunk: Kevin Meaney: "I do have sexual desires! I DO! I have to go to the bathroom now."
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* GetOut: In "Phone Luv", Ben repeatedly says this to Dr. Katz when he wants some privacy on the phone with Cindy.
--> '''Ben''': Just use the (bleep)ing door!
--> '''Ben''': Just use the (bleep)ing door!
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* CodeWordCoitus: Guest Caroline Rhea did a routine about what would happen if women actually married construction workers who shouted come-ons to them:
--> '''Caroline''': (as kid) How did you and daddy meet? (as herself) Well, dear, I was walking down the street one day, and your father screamed the most disgusting things to me! Oh... something about wanting to eat lunch off my ass. I fell in love with him and the rest is history.
--> '''Caroline''': (as kid) How did you and daddy meet? (as herself) Well, dear, I was walking down the street one day, and your father screamed the most disgusting things to me! Oh... something about wanting to eat lunch off my ass. I fell in love with him and the rest is history.
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* HaveIMentionedIAmHeterosexualToday: Ray Romano had a routine about this in one episode:
--> '''Ray''': Do you ever watch two men go to the movies? They never want to sit right next to each other; there's always that "I'm a heterosexual!" empty seat right there! "There's my friend, my heterosexual friend! (mutters gibberish) Headlock!"
--> '''Ray''': Do you ever watch two men go to the movies? They never want to sit right next to each other; there's always that "I'm a heterosexual!" empty seat right there! "There's my friend, my heterosexual friend! (mutters gibberish) Headlock!"
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* TheTroubleWithTickets: Dr. Katz, with Ben's help, decides to fight his traffic violation, where he ran a stop sign. Ben took ''hundreds'' of photographs of the stop sign in question, claiming they were obscured by tree leaves/branches. However, on the way to the court, they're pulled over ''again'', this time for speeding. ''And'' Ben was the one driving, and didn't have his license on him.
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* ItIsPronouncedTropay: Ben argues with Dr. Katz over the pronunciation of "genuine": Is it "genu''ein''" or "genuin"?
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* GallowsHumor: In one episode, Dr. Katz told a joke to Stan and Julie: A guy calls his wife from the office, and the maid answers the phone. He tells the maid to put his wife on the line, but the maid says that she's busy having sex with another man. The man tells the maid to go upstairs and kill both of them. She does so, and comes back to the phone, asking what she should do with the bodies. The man says to throw the bodies in the pool. The maid asks, "What pool?" The man then asks if he has the right number.
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* EveryEpisodeEnding: Dr. Katz telling his patient that the therapy session is over (see CatchPhrase), as prompted by the music cue. There are a couple exceptions: "[[Thanksgiving Episode Thanksgiving]]", which ends with Dr. Katz and Ben on the couch after UsefulNotes/ThanksgivingDay dinner, and "Ben Treats", which ends with Katz, Ben, and Laura in the fancy restaurant.
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* EveryEpisodeEnding: Dr. Katz telling his patient that the therapy session is over (see CatchPhrase), as prompted by the music cue. There are a couple exceptions: "[[Thanksgiving Episode "[[ThanksgivingEpisode Thanksgiving]]", which ends with Dr. Katz and Ben on the couch after UsefulNotes/ThanksgivingDay dinner, and "Ben Treats", which ends with Katz, Ben, and Laura in the fancy restaurant.
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* ConfusingMultipleNegatives: Guest Barry Sobel said that his dad once told him, "Don't do anything I wouldn't do"... but his dad wouldn't do anything. Barry and Dr. Katz got into a discussion on whether that limited Barry or freed him.
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* PsychicPowers: In the season 2 finale, Ben is convinced he has ESP after watching a show about it on TV, even though he obviously has no such ability. Typical impressionable Ben.)
* RuleOfAnimationConservation (Dr. Katz could easily be done in live action due to its limited movements, but the show was so inexpensive to produce in the first place anyway.
* RuleOfAnimationConservation (Dr. Katz could easily be done in live action due to its limited movements, but the show was so inexpensive to produce in the first place anyway.
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* PsychicPowers: In the season 2 finale, Ben is convinced he has ESP after watching a show about it on TV, even though he obviously has no such ability. Typical impressionable Ben.)
Ben.
*RuleOfAnimationConservation (Dr. RuleOfAnimationConservation: Dr. Katz could easily be done in live action due to its limited movements, but the show was so inexpensive to produce in the first place anyway.anyway.
* RuleOfThree: In "Movies", Ben grills Laura about the date she was on:
--> '''Ben''': Did you sleep with him? (Laura hangs up and sighs; the phone rings and she picks up)
--> '''Laura''': Dr. Katz's office.
--> '''Ben''': Laura, I'm sorry, I got cut off. So, did you sleep with him? (Laura hangs up; the phone rings again and she picks up)
--> '''Laura''': Dr. Katz's office.
--> '''Ben''': Laura, I apologize. Did you have sex- (Laura hangs up a third time)
*
* RuleOfThree: In "Movies", Ben grills Laura about the date she was on:
--> '''Ben''': Did you sleep with him? (Laura hangs up and sighs; the phone rings and she picks up)
--> '''Laura''': Dr. Katz's office.
--> '''Ben''': Laura, I'm sorry, I got cut off. So, did you sleep with him? (Laura hangs up; the phone rings again and she picks up)
--> '''Laura''': Dr. Katz's office.
--> '''Ben''': Laura, I apologize. Did you have sex- (Laura hangs up a third time)
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* IWillShowYouX: In "Bees and S.I.D.S.":
--> '''Ben''': Are hot flashes bad?
--> '''Dr. Katz''': ''I'll'' give ya a hot flash...
--> '''Ben''': Are hot flashes bad?
--> '''Dr. Katz''': ''I'll'' give ya a hot flash...
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* {{Beat}}: Guest Garry Shandling accused Dr. Katz of using too many beats in the sessions, which has dragged out his therapy for longer than it needs to.
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* {{Beat}}: Guest Garry Shandling accused Dr. Katz of using too many beats pauses in the sessions, which has dragged out his therapy for longer than it needs to.
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* {{Beat}}: Guest Garry Shandling accused Dr. Katz of using too many beats in the sessions, which has dragged out his therapy for longer than it needs to.
--> '''Dr. Katz''': [[IResembleThatRemark I'm not trying to prolong your treatment, I'm just trying to give you.............. help.]]
--> '''Dr. Katz''': [[IResembleThatRemark I'm not trying to prolong your treatment, I'm just trying to give you.............. help.]]
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* MoodWhiplash: In "Studio Guy", Dr. Katz plays a guitar while singing a melancholy song about feeling left out. After he concludes, Ben remarks, "That sucked."
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* AnalogyBackfire: Dr. Katz asked guest Steven Wright what he thought certain phrases meant. One of them was "People in glass houses shouldn't throw stones." His response:
--> '''Steven Wright''': That one always confused me; if you were throwing stones in ''any'' house, it would be damaging.
--> '''Steven Wright''': That one always confused me; if you were throwing stones in ''any'' house, it would be damaging.
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http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/drkatz.jpg
[[caption-width:320:(left to right) His secretary Laura, Dr. Katz, his son Ben]]
''Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist'' is an animated series that originally ran on Comedy Central from May 28, 1995 to December 24, 1999, starring Jonathan Katz, H. Jon Benjamin, and Laura Silverman. It was the first ever original animated cartoon to be shown on Comedy Central, paving the way for SouthPark and the like.
The show was computer animated in a crude, easily recognizable style called Squigglevision, in which all persons and animate objects are colored and have constantly squiggling outlines, while all other inanimate objects are static and usually gray in color.
The show focuses on the title character, Dr. Jonathan Katz, who is voiced by, and visually based on, the comedian of the same name. Dr. Katz was a professional psychoanalyst who has famous comedians and actors as patients, usually two per episode. The comedians' therapy sessions generally consist of them doing their onstage material while Dr. Katz performs as a kind of milquetoast StraightMan. Therapy sessions featuring actors and actresses offer more interpersonal dialogue between Katz and his patient to better suit their predisposition.
Interspersed with these scenes are scenes involving Dr. Katz's daily life, which include his aimless, childish grown son, Benjamin Katz, his disinterested and unhelpful secretary, Laura, and his two friends: Stanley, and the barmaid, Julie.
''SouthPark'' did a {{Crossover}} where Mr. Garrison sought therapy from Dr. Katz. Also referenced in ''WesternAnimation/{{Arthur}}'', of all shows.
----
!!Provides examples of:
* AllLoveIsUnrequited: Laura and Ben are the most obvious, but more subtly, Dr. Katz seems into Laura, and there's the Stanley/Julie/Katz triangle, meaning almost the entire male cast is into a girl, without reciprocation from any of the girls. (There's a few episodes that shows that Julie may have feelings for Dr. Katz. The episode where they practice Dr. Katz's part in a play includes a kiss that seems very well-requited. This is never mentioned again.)
* ArtEvolution: Season 1 featured character animations not used in any other season, probably because they were so ugly and off-model. Season 5 got a new batch of reusable character animations; most notably for Laura.
* BankRobbery: Guest Don Gavin mentions that he tried to rob a bank once, but failed: He accidentally put the gun in the drive-up drawer with the threatening note.
* ByTheLightsOfTheirEyes: Used a few times in the show when characters are in the dark.
* CallBack: While on the plane in "Miles Away", Ben gets ready to watch a movie called "Lovestrings", which was first mentioned in "Movies" (and which Ben doesn't want to see because it's a "chick flick").
* CatchPhrase: "Oops, you know what the music means: Our time is up."
* ChainLetter: An entire episode revolves around Ben wondering what to do with a chain letter, with Dr. Katz and Laura both immediately telling him to throw it away.
* ChristmasEpisode: Season 2's "Office Management".
* CityWithNoName: The name of the city Dr. Katz takes place in is never made clear; at times it evokes images of New York City; other times, it seems more like Boston.
* ClassReunion: Ben gets an invitation to a high school reunion in the season 3 finale. He's reluctant at first but ultimately decides to go.
* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: Guests Steven Wright and Mitch Hedberg certainly qualify.
* CoatFullOfContraband: Robert Klein mentions that he was once approached by a man who used the "Wanna buy a watch?" line. Robert refused, and it's revealed he was standing at a urinal when he said it.
* ColdOpen: More common in the earlier seasons.
* TheDanza: Almost all characters are credited in the style of "Laura Silverman as Laura". Arguably the characters also play themselves.
* DeadpanSnarker
* DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment: During Dr. Katz's eulogy speech in "Mourning Person":
--> '''Dr. Katz''': Estelle had... 92 great years. And by my count that's... 92 great years.
* DontExplainTheJoke: In one episode, Dr. Katz tells a joke to Julie, who doesn't get it. He proceeds to explain the punchline. Stan remarks, "You gotta stop explaining the joke. If you do that, life's not worth living."
* EpicFail: Ben gets these pretty frequently. In one instance, he assumed the world only had about 2-3 million people in it ("Actually, Ben, it's in the ''billions''."), and in another instance, he said that pigeons were mammals.
* EveryEpisodeEnding: Dr. Katz telling his patient that the therapy session is over (see CatchPhrase), as prompted by the music cue. There are a couple exceptions: "[[Thanksgiving Episode Thanksgiving]]", which ends with Dr. Katz and Ben on the couch after UsefulNotes/ThanksgivingDay dinner, and "Ben Treats", which ends with Katz, Ben, and Laura in the fancy restaurant.
* EverythingsWorseWithBees: Dr. Katz has a fear of bees; in one episode, he talks about therapy that is supposed to cure you of your phobia. For Katz, the final step is to put him in a room with thousands of bees. He couldn't get past the first step, which was putting him in a room with a dead horse.
* FakingTheDead: Patient Tom Agna has a routine about faking a heart attack to get out of a boring dinner with a couple. He realizes the bit had gotten away from him when the couple phoned 911, which prompted Tom to get up and state he was just kidding. The couple was not amused.
* FauxtivationalPoster: "Hang in there!"
* FluffyCloudHeaven: Seen during Tom Agna's "can't take it with ya" bit.
* FreudianCouch
* FreudianSlip: Used a couple times in the show. In one instance, Dr. Katz recommends his ex-wife Roz stay at a hotel instead of their apartment for the weekend because it contains a "hated [heated] pool". In another instance, Dr. Katz is practicing with Julie for a play and Julie accidentally calls Dr. Katz "Jonathan" instead of his character's name during a passionate sequence.
* TheFunInFuneral: In an episode appropriately titled ''Mourning Person''.
* HarassingPhoneCall: Dom Irrera is convinced Dr. Katz is doing this to him.
--> '''Dom''': You're not the one calling me and hanging up, are ya?
--> '''Dr. Katz''': No.
--> '''Dom''': 'Cause it sounds like your breath.
* HitMeDammit: During the closing credits of "Cholesterol", we hear Dr. Katz proud of himself for getting through some push-ups. With a new-found sense of pride about himself, he asks Julie to hit him in the stomach. After trying to back out of it, Julie finally hits him, and Dr. Katz is heard keeling over.
--> '''Dr. Katz''': Tell Laura to call 911. (Julie laughs) [[IneffectualDeathThreat I'll kill you. I will kill you.]]
* HomoeroticDream: Louis C.K. tells Dr. Katz about one he had, where he didn't realize it was a gay dream until he started making out with a guy.
** Dom Irrera has plenty of these - all starring Dr. Katz.
* IResembleThatRemark: In "Movies", Dr. Katz and Ben have this exchange:
--> '''Dr. Katz''': It's just, you constantly interrupt me.
--> '''Ben''': First of all, I do not. (Dr. Katz begins to speak, but Ben interrupts him) What I was about to say...
* IneffectualDeathThreat: In "Babysitting Ben", Laura passes along the message that someone on the phone threatened to kill Dr. Katz, though the individual was just blowing off steam, not being literal. Laura didn't bother to pass that important bit of info along, leaving Katz a nervous wreck for the episode.
* InstrumentalThemeTune
* InsultBackfire: In "Movies", when Laura is talking to Ben on the phone, she says he's pathetic and just wants to pinch him. [[DoubleEntendre Ben takes this the other way]] and an exasperated Laura remarks, "Oh God." while Ben is eager for a pinch.
* LampshadeHanging: After one of Dr. Katz's guests swears and the offending word gets bleeped out, Katz mentions that he'd prefer it if the guest didn't swear. The guest responds by saying that his "other therapist" lets him swear.
* LastSecondWordSwap: Heard in the credits of "Koppleman and Katz" when Katz sings a song and keeps swapping the end of a verse ("Even though I know everything you touch turns to sh...") with a non-dirty word.
* LikeAnOldMarriedCouple: Dr. Katz and Ben are basically one, and Katz even admits it in one episode, "Ball and Chain" when he says he's trying to salvage what's left of this "marriage".
* LimitedAnimation
* LimitedWardrobe: Dr. Katz always wears a yellow shirt and red tie; Ben always wears an open blue shirt and white T-shirt; Laura always wears a pink sweater. Frequent guest Dom Irrera is something of an exception; while he usually wears a yellow sweater, he's also worn numerous flamboyant outfits.
** Averted with the first episode, "Pot-Bellied Pigs"; Ben wears a flannel shirt instead of his usual blue shirt.
** Also sometimes averted with frequent guest Dom Irrera; while he's usually in his yellow sweater, he's worn other outfits as well.
* LotteryTicket: In "Ben Treats", Ben wins $500 in a scratch-off game and invites Dr. Katz and Laura to a fancy five star restaurant to blow it all.
* LoveConfession: Played for laughs, with frequent patient Dom Irrera frequently saying he loves Dr. Katz, even going so far as to ask him to marry him.
* MarathonRunning: Dr. Katz's sixth season contained 18 episodes; however, only six of them aired as planned before the series was cancelled. Comedy Central decided to air nine of the twelve unaired episodes in a 1999 Christmas Eve marathon, along with three reruns from the previous season, totalling six hours. Why they didn't just decide to air the other three unaired episodes instead of the reruns is a mystery to this day, as they remained unaired in the U.S. until the complete series set came out in 2007.
* MathematiciansAnswer: In "Expert Witness", Dr. Katz's response to the courts if Roger is sane enough to stand trial is simply, "No."
* MotorMouth: Guest Bobby Slayton falls into this. Dr. Katz even explores this, and Bobby realizes that he talks so much during the day that he is out of words by the evening.
* MustHaveCaffeine: One episode, "Metaphors", concerns Dr. Katz and Ben drinking more coffee than usual. This addiction catches up with Ben, though, who gets severe cramps towards the end of the episode.
* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: Said by Dr. Katz in the episode "Bully" when he realizes how much he hurt Ben by throwing away Ben's childhood stuffed animal.
* NewJobEpisode: More accurately, FIRST job, as Ben is hired as a baker's assistant in an unaired season 6 episode. He's quickly fired before the week is up for coming to work four hours late, though.
* NotADate: Said by Laura in "Bully" when she and Ben go to a nightclub together to watch Dr. Katz's guitar performance.
* NoteToSelf: During "Ben Treats", Dr. Katz has a phone therapy session with patient Julia Louis-Dreyfuss, who was pregnant at the time the episode aired. She frequently put the session on hold to go to the bathroom. While Katz waited for her to return, he would talk into a tape recorder with inane comments like, "Note to self: How are you?" and "Put a live fish in the fishbowl."
* OneShotCharacter: Cindy from Tele-Purchases in "Phone Luv"; the community theater director in "Community Theater"; the dentist in "Wisdom Teeth"; the teacher from "Past Lives"; Roger from "Expert Witness"; and if she counts, ex-wife Roz from "Thanksgiving", despite that there's been much talk about her in previous episodes.
* OverlyLongName: Frequent patient Dom Irrera reveals his middle name: "Orangutan Anus Hair".
* PracticalJoke: In the season 2 episode "Glasses", Dr. Katz gets a pair of glasses. Ben thinks it's amusing that he's "slowly going blind" and pulls pranks like hiding Dr. Katz's cell phone and removing all the chairs from the kitchen, hoping he'll accidentally sit on the floor.
* PrecisionFStrike: In "Phone Luv", Ben wants some privacy on the phone with Cindy. After much back-and-forth about privacy, Ben tells Dr. Katz to "use the fucking door!"
* PrivateDetective: In the season 4 finale "Undercover", Laura is taking multiple afternoons off without explaining where she's going, leading Ben to become a detective to find out. He's horrible at it, though.
* PsychicPowers: In the season 2 finale, Ben is convinced he has ESP after watching a show about it on TV, even though he obviously has no such ability. Typical impressionable Ben.)
* RuleOfAnimationConservation (Dr. Katz could easily be done in live action due to its limited movements, but the show was so inexpensive to produce in the first place anyway.
* RunningGag: In the season 6 episode "Used Car", Ben keeps trying to convince Dr. Katz that they should take a trip to the Mall of America. This subject even comes up out of nowhere during a discussion about how Laura ditched Katz and Ben on a city street during her test drive of a used vehicle.
* SassySecretary: Laura, although she is more bile than sass.
* SeinfeldianConversation: Happens all the time in the show.
* ShotgunWedding: In an unaired season 6 episode, Laura abruptly announces that she's engaged to a musician. Ben tries to be mature about it and wishes her the best of luck, until he's motivated to stop the wedding, or he'll never get another chance to confess his love for her. Laura cancels the engagement before Ben realizes what happened, though; HilarityEnsues.
* ShowWithinAShow: There are a bunch of fictional movies at the theater Dr. Katz and Ben visit during "Movies", such as "Hams on the Run", "Lovestrings", and "Firepower".
* SickEpisode: Sort of. The episode "Wisdom Teeth" featured Ben recovering from having his wisdom teeth removed, which, as anyone who's gone through this would know, is almost the same as being sick. HilarityEnsues when Dr. Katz accidentally gives Ben a bunch of antihistmanies instead of painkillers.
* SitcomArchNemesis: David Stanick, Dr. Katz's old ping-pong rival.
* TheSlacker: Ben Katz, obviously. Nearly every episode focuses on how he gives up on whatever he was interested in pursuing, and his unemployment is brought up very often.
* SoundEffectBleep: In "Phone Luv", Ben told Dr. Katz to "use the (fuck)ing door." Amusingly, if you listen closely, the word in question can still be heard underneath the bleep.
** In "Thanksgiving", much of Ben's swearing, heard from the kitchen as he burns the turkey, is bleeped.
** As mentioned in LampshadeHanging above, a couple of the patients have been bleeped for language.
* {{Squigglevision}}
* StandUpComedy: Nearly all the guest stars/patients on the show are real-life stand-up comedians, and do bits of their act in the context of therapy. There have been exceptions, however, such as actress Winona Ryder.
* StatusQuoIsGod: Nothing really changes in the show; at the beginning and end of the series, Ben Katz is unemployed and living with Dr. Katz.
* {{Sting}}: Dr. Katz rarely used dramatic stings or any kind of music outside of scene transitions; however, one exception did occur in the episode with Jeffrey Ross. He did a routine about going on a blind date, and mentions that he admires her ugly fingernails. The camera then focuses on her fingernail, while a two-note dramatic pipe organ plays.
* StraightMan
* SuspiciouslySpecificDenial: In "Bystander Ben", guest Steven Wright decides to throw a penny at the back of Ben's head. When it hits, Steven remarks: "It fell off the ceiling or something; I wasn't paying attention. [[HypocriticalHumor God, he's nuts."]]
* TheTag: Utilized in a few episodes, when dialog is still heard over the closing credits. Some examples include "Cholesterol" (Katz coaxes Julie to punch him in the stomach to prove his strength), "Bystander Ben" (with Dr. Katz and Ben discussing things they're not proud of), "Office Management" (Dr. Katz and Ben sing Jingle Bells), "Koppleman and Katz" (Dr. Katz and Ben discussing songs where you almost say a dirty word but say something else instead), "Reunion" (Katz gives patient Dom Irrera a ride home), and "Ben Treats" (Ben realizes the check is a little over $500 and asks Katz and Laura to pay for the rest).
* ThanksgivingEpisode: The season 5 finale takes place during this holiday.
* ThisIsGonnaSuck: Guest Tom Agna had a routine about wondering if you ''can'' take stuff with you when you die. Upon arriving at the pearly gates, St. Peter says, "Hey, where's your stuff?" Tom replies, "Oh man, this is gonna suck."
* ThrowItIn
* TitleDrop: In "Everybody's Got a Tushy", the head-scratching title is finally explained when Dr. Katz remarks to Stan that when Ben was a kid, he gave him a book called "Everybody's Got a Tushy".
** "It Takes Some Getting Used To" is the nickname Dr. Katz gives his strong-smelling cologne.
** "Drinky the Drunk Guy" is the name Dr. Katz gives to a film that's going to be airing on TV.
** "You're Belinda" is a confusion over the name of Yorba Linda, California.
* TitleOnlyOpening: The show has no opening sequence aside from the title and Katz head graphic. Further, the show doesn't feature opening credits superimposed over the action like is typical on TV shows. All credits are reserved for the end of the episode.
* ToiletHumour: Dr. Katz on coffee: "I wonder what people did before coffee, if they were just constipated?"
* TonightSomeoneKisses: In a promo for the episode "Community Theater", Julie says, "Do you know how long I've waited for this moment?", followed by Julie kissing Dr. Katz while BarryWhite-esque music plays. In the actual episode, the two were merely rehearsing for a play Dr. Katz was going to audition for.
* TooMuchInformation: In one episode, Ben tells Laura that one weird thing about him is that he has leg hair but doesn't have chest hair. Laura remarks, "That is something... I did not want to know."
* TruthInTelevision: Laura and Ben's voice actors were actually dating at the start of the show, and broke up around halfway through the run of the show.
* UltimateJobSecurity: Both Laura and Dr. Katz qualify--Laura is completely unhelpful as a secretary and only avoids getting fired because Dr. Katz is a milquetoast pushover. Meanwhile, Dr. Katz is a terrible shrink and is very often called out on it by his clients. Somehow this doesn't stop them from coming back though.
* VisitByDivorcedDad: Reversed: Dr. Katz raises Ben, and the mother comes visit during a season finale.
* TheVoiceless: The cop who pulls Dr. Katz over in the season 5 episode "The Ticket": He just gives him a cold stare and lets Katz stammer.
* WorstWhateverEver: Ben, to Dr. Katz at the end of "Mourning Person" after Katz stumbles through his eulogy.
--> '''Ben''': I thought for sure you were gonna turn it around, but ''you didn't''! I mean, I've never heard a eulogy before, but I think it's safe to say that that was the worst eulogy ever given. At the after party, we're splitting up, that's all there is to it.
* YiddishAsASecondLanguage: During one of guest Jeffrey Ross's stories, he mentions how his mother's Jewish friends are always trying to set him up on dates with people they know. One remarks: "You should meet my Marie. Not much to look at, but she'll bop on your shmeckel, boy."
* YouAreGrounded: Dr. Katz grounds Ben after Ben lied to the papers and school about being an eye witness to a crime in "Bystander Ben".
--> '''Dr. Katz''': Damn it, Ben, I hate to say this, I think you have to go to your room. ({{Beat}}) This is a little awkward at your age, but I don't know what else to do.
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[[caption-width:320:(left to right) His secretary Laura, Dr. Katz, his son Ben]]
''Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist'' is an animated series that originally ran on Comedy Central from May 28, 1995 to December 24, 1999, starring Jonathan Katz, H. Jon Benjamin, and Laura Silverman. It was the first ever original animated cartoon to be shown on Comedy Central, paving the way for SouthPark and the like.
The show was computer animated in a crude, easily recognizable style called Squigglevision, in which all persons and animate objects are colored and have constantly squiggling outlines, while all other inanimate objects are static and usually gray in color.
The show focuses on the title character, Dr. Jonathan Katz, who is voiced by, and visually based on, the comedian of the same name. Dr. Katz was a professional psychoanalyst who has famous comedians and actors as patients, usually two per episode. The comedians' therapy sessions generally consist of them doing their onstage material while Dr. Katz performs as a kind of milquetoast StraightMan. Therapy sessions featuring actors and actresses offer more interpersonal dialogue between Katz and his patient to better suit their predisposition.
Interspersed with these scenes are scenes involving Dr. Katz's daily life, which include his aimless, childish grown son, Benjamin Katz, his disinterested and unhelpful secretary, Laura, and his two friends: Stanley, and the barmaid, Julie.
''SouthPark'' did a {{Crossover}} where Mr. Garrison sought therapy from Dr. Katz. Also referenced in ''WesternAnimation/{{Arthur}}'', of all shows.
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!!Provides examples of:
* AllLoveIsUnrequited: Laura and Ben are the most obvious, but more subtly, Dr. Katz seems into Laura, and there's the Stanley/Julie/Katz triangle, meaning almost the entire male cast is into a girl, without reciprocation from any of the girls. (There's a few episodes that shows that Julie may have feelings for Dr. Katz. The episode where they practice Dr. Katz's part in a play includes a kiss that seems very well-requited. This is never mentioned again.)
* ArtEvolution: Season 1 featured character animations not used in any other season, probably because they were so ugly and off-model. Season 5 got a new batch of reusable character animations; most notably for Laura.
* BankRobbery: Guest Don Gavin mentions that he tried to rob a bank once, but failed: He accidentally put the gun in the drive-up drawer with the threatening note.
* ByTheLightsOfTheirEyes: Used a few times in the show when characters are in the dark.
* CallBack: While on the plane in "Miles Away", Ben gets ready to watch a movie called "Lovestrings", which was first mentioned in "Movies" (and which Ben doesn't want to see because it's a "chick flick").
* CatchPhrase: "Oops, you know what the music means: Our time is up."
* ChainLetter: An entire episode revolves around Ben wondering what to do with a chain letter, with Dr. Katz and Laura both immediately telling him to throw it away.
* ChristmasEpisode: Season 2's "Office Management".
* CityWithNoName: The name of the city Dr. Katz takes place in is never made clear; at times it evokes images of New York City; other times, it seems more like Boston.
* ClassReunion: Ben gets an invitation to a high school reunion in the season 3 finale. He's reluctant at first but ultimately decides to go.
* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: Guests Steven Wright and Mitch Hedberg certainly qualify.
* CoatFullOfContraband: Robert Klein mentions that he was once approached by a man who used the "Wanna buy a watch?" line. Robert refused, and it's revealed he was standing at a urinal when he said it.
* ColdOpen: More common in the earlier seasons.
* TheDanza: Almost all characters are credited in the style of "Laura Silverman as Laura". Arguably the characters also play themselves.
* DeadpanSnarker
* DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment: During Dr. Katz's eulogy speech in "Mourning Person":
--> '''Dr. Katz''': Estelle had... 92 great years. And by my count that's... 92 great years.
* DontExplainTheJoke: In one episode, Dr. Katz tells a joke to Julie, who doesn't get it. He proceeds to explain the punchline. Stan remarks, "You gotta stop explaining the joke. If you do that, life's not worth living."
* EpicFail: Ben gets these pretty frequently. In one instance, he assumed the world only had about 2-3 million people in it ("Actually, Ben, it's in the ''billions''."), and in another instance, he said that pigeons were mammals.
* EveryEpisodeEnding: Dr. Katz telling his patient that the therapy session is over (see CatchPhrase), as prompted by the music cue. There are a couple exceptions: "[[Thanksgiving Episode Thanksgiving]]", which ends with Dr. Katz and Ben on the couch after UsefulNotes/ThanksgivingDay dinner, and "Ben Treats", which ends with Katz, Ben, and Laura in the fancy restaurant.
* EverythingsWorseWithBees: Dr. Katz has a fear of bees; in one episode, he talks about therapy that is supposed to cure you of your phobia. For Katz, the final step is to put him in a room with thousands of bees. He couldn't get past the first step, which was putting him in a room with a dead horse.
* FakingTheDead: Patient Tom Agna has a routine about faking a heart attack to get out of a boring dinner with a couple. He realizes the bit had gotten away from him when the couple phoned 911, which prompted Tom to get up and state he was just kidding. The couple was not amused.
* FauxtivationalPoster: "Hang in there!"
* FluffyCloudHeaven: Seen during Tom Agna's "can't take it with ya" bit.
* FreudianCouch
* FreudianSlip: Used a couple times in the show. In one instance, Dr. Katz recommends his ex-wife Roz stay at a hotel instead of their apartment for the weekend because it contains a "hated [heated] pool". In another instance, Dr. Katz is practicing with Julie for a play and Julie accidentally calls Dr. Katz "Jonathan" instead of his character's name during a passionate sequence.
* TheFunInFuneral: In an episode appropriately titled ''Mourning Person''.
* HarassingPhoneCall: Dom Irrera is convinced Dr. Katz is doing this to him.
--> '''Dom''': You're not the one calling me and hanging up, are ya?
--> '''Dr. Katz''': No.
--> '''Dom''': 'Cause it sounds like your breath.
* HitMeDammit: During the closing credits of "Cholesterol", we hear Dr. Katz proud of himself for getting through some push-ups. With a new-found sense of pride about himself, he asks Julie to hit him in the stomach. After trying to back out of it, Julie finally hits him, and Dr. Katz is heard keeling over.
--> '''Dr. Katz''': Tell Laura to call 911. (Julie laughs) [[IneffectualDeathThreat I'll kill you. I will kill you.]]
* HomoeroticDream: Louis C.K. tells Dr. Katz about one he had, where he didn't realize it was a gay dream until he started making out with a guy.
** Dom Irrera has plenty of these - all starring Dr. Katz.
* IResembleThatRemark: In "Movies", Dr. Katz and Ben have this exchange:
--> '''Dr. Katz''': It's just, you constantly interrupt me.
--> '''Ben''': First of all, I do not. (Dr. Katz begins to speak, but Ben interrupts him) What I was about to say...
* IneffectualDeathThreat: In "Babysitting Ben", Laura passes along the message that someone on the phone threatened to kill Dr. Katz, though the individual was just blowing off steam, not being literal. Laura didn't bother to pass that important bit of info along, leaving Katz a nervous wreck for the episode.
* InstrumentalThemeTune
* InsultBackfire: In "Movies", when Laura is talking to Ben on the phone, she says he's pathetic and just wants to pinch him. [[DoubleEntendre Ben takes this the other way]] and an exasperated Laura remarks, "Oh God." while Ben is eager for a pinch.
* LampshadeHanging: After one of Dr. Katz's guests swears and the offending word gets bleeped out, Katz mentions that he'd prefer it if the guest didn't swear. The guest responds by saying that his "other therapist" lets him swear.
* LastSecondWordSwap: Heard in the credits of "Koppleman and Katz" when Katz sings a song and keeps swapping the end of a verse ("Even though I know everything you touch turns to sh...") with a non-dirty word.
* LikeAnOldMarriedCouple: Dr. Katz and Ben are basically one, and Katz even admits it in one episode, "Ball and Chain" when he says he's trying to salvage what's left of this "marriage".
* LimitedAnimation
* LimitedWardrobe: Dr. Katz always wears a yellow shirt and red tie; Ben always wears an open blue shirt and white T-shirt; Laura always wears a pink sweater. Frequent guest Dom Irrera is something of an exception; while he usually wears a yellow sweater, he's also worn numerous flamboyant outfits.
** Averted with the first episode, "Pot-Bellied Pigs"; Ben wears a flannel shirt instead of his usual blue shirt.
** Also sometimes averted with frequent guest Dom Irrera; while he's usually in his yellow sweater, he's worn other outfits as well.
* LotteryTicket: In "Ben Treats", Ben wins $500 in a scratch-off game and invites Dr. Katz and Laura to a fancy five star restaurant to blow it all.
* LoveConfession: Played for laughs, with frequent patient Dom Irrera frequently saying he loves Dr. Katz, even going so far as to ask him to marry him.
* MarathonRunning: Dr. Katz's sixth season contained 18 episodes; however, only six of them aired as planned before the series was cancelled. Comedy Central decided to air nine of the twelve unaired episodes in a 1999 Christmas Eve marathon, along with three reruns from the previous season, totalling six hours. Why they didn't just decide to air the other three unaired episodes instead of the reruns is a mystery to this day, as they remained unaired in the U.S. until the complete series set came out in 2007.
* MathematiciansAnswer: In "Expert Witness", Dr. Katz's response to the courts if Roger is sane enough to stand trial is simply, "No."
* MotorMouth: Guest Bobby Slayton falls into this. Dr. Katz even explores this, and Bobby realizes that he talks so much during the day that he is out of words by the evening.
* MustHaveCaffeine: One episode, "Metaphors", concerns Dr. Katz and Ben drinking more coffee than usual. This addiction catches up with Ben, though, who gets severe cramps towards the end of the episode.
* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: Said by Dr. Katz in the episode "Bully" when he realizes how much he hurt Ben by throwing away Ben's childhood stuffed animal.
* NewJobEpisode: More accurately, FIRST job, as Ben is hired as a baker's assistant in an unaired season 6 episode. He's quickly fired before the week is up for coming to work four hours late, though.
* NotADate: Said by Laura in "Bully" when she and Ben go to a nightclub together to watch Dr. Katz's guitar performance.
* NoteToSelf: During "Ben Treats", Dr. Katz has a phone therapy session with patient Julia Louis-Dreyfuss, who was pregnant at the time the episode aired. She frequently put the session on hold to go to the bathroom. While Katz waited for her to return, he would talk into a tape recorder with inane comments like, "Note to self: How are you?" and "Put a live fish in the fishbowl."
* OneShotCharacter: Cindy from Tele-Purchases in "Phone Luv"; the community theater director in "Community Theater"; the dentist in "Wisdom Teeth"; the teacher from "Past Lives"; Roger from "Expert Witness"; and if she counts, ex-wife Roz from "Thanksgiving", despite that there's been much talk about her in previous episodes.
* OverlyLongName: Frequent patient Dom Irrera reveals his middle name: "Orangutan Anus Hair".
* PracticalJoke: In the season 2 episode "Glasses", Dr. Katz gets a pair of glasses. Ben thinks it's amusing that he's "slowly going blind" and pulls pranks like hiding Dr. Katz's cell phone and removing all the chairs from the kitchen, hoping he'll accidentally sit on the floor.
* PrecisionFStrike: In "Phone Luv", Ben wants some privacy on the phone with Cindy. After much back-and-forth about privacy, Ben tells Dr. Katz to "use the fucking door!"
* PrivateDetective: In the season 4 finale "Undercover", Laura is taking multiple afternoons off without explaining where she's going, leading Ben to become a detective to find out. He's horrible at it, though.
* PsychicPowers: In the season 2 finale, Ben is convinced he has ESP after watching a show about it on TV, even though he obviously has no such ability. Typical impressionable Ben.)
* RuleOfAnimationConservation (Dr. Katz could easily be done in live action due to its limited movements, but the show was so inexpensive to produce in the first place anyway.
* RunningGag: In the season 6 episode "Used Car", Ben keeps trying to convince Dr. Katz that they should take a trip to the Mall of America. This subject even comes up out of nowhere during a discussion about how Laura ditched Katz and Ben on a city street during her test drive of a used vehicle.
* SassySecretary: Laura, although she is more bile than sass.
* SeinfeldianConversation: Happens all the time in the show.
* ShotgunWedding: In an unaired season 6 episode, Laura abruptly announces that she's engaged to a musician. Ben tries to be mature about it and wishes her the best of luck, until he's motivated to stop the wedding, or he'll never get another chance to confess his love for her. Laura cancels the engagement before Ben realizes what happened, though; HilarityEnsues.
* ShowWithinAShow: There are a bunch of fictional movies at the theater Dr. Katz and Ben visit during "Movies", such as "Hams on the Run", "Lovestrings", and "Firepower".
* SickEpisode: Sort of. The episode "Wisdom Teeth" featured Ben recovering from having his wisdom teeth removed, which, as anyone who's gone through this would know, is almost the same as being sick. HilarityEnsues when Dr. Katz accidentally gives Ben a bunch of antihistmanies instead of painkillers.
* SitcomArchNemesis: David Stanick, Dr. Katz's old ping-pong rival.
* TheSlacker: Ben Katz, obviously. Nearly every episode focuses on how he gives up on whatever he was interested in pursuing, and his unemployment is brought up very often.
* SoundEffectBleep: In "Phone Luv", Ben told Dr. Katz to "use the (fuck)ing door." Amusingly, if you listen closely, the word in question can still be heard underneath the bleep.
** In "Thanksgiving", much of Ben's swearing, heard from the kitchen as he burns the turkey, is bleeped.
** As mentioned in LampshadeHanging above, a couple of the patients have been bleeped for language.
* {{Squigglevision}}
* StandUpComedy: Nearly all the guest stars/patients on the show are real-life stand-up comedians, and do bits of their act in the context of therapy. There have been exceptions, however, such as actress Winona Ryder.
* StatusQuoIsGod: Nothing really changes in the show; at the beginning and end of the series, Ben Katz is unemployed and living with Dr. Katz.
* {{Sting}}: Dr. Katz rarely used dramatic stings or any kind of music outside of scene transitions; however, one exception did occur in the episode with Jeffrey Ross. He did a routine about going on a blind date, and mentions that he admires her ugly fingernails. The camera then focuses on her fingernail, while a two-note dramatic pipe organ plays.
* StraightMan
* SuspiciouslySpecificDenial: In "Bystander Ben", guest Steven Wright decides to throw a penny at the back of Ben's head. When it hits, Steven remarks: "It fell off the ceiling or something; I wasn't paying attention. [[HypocriticalHumor God, he's nuts."]]
* TheTag: Utilized in a few episodes, when dialog is still heard over the closing credits. Some examples include "Cholesterol" (Katz coaxes Julie to punch him in the stomach to prove his strength), "Bystander Ben" (with Dr. Katz and Ben discussing things they're not proud of), "Office Management" (Dr. Katz and Ben sing Jingle Bells), "Koppleman and Katz" (Dr. Katz and Ben discussing songs where you almost say a dirty word but say something else instead), "Reunion" (Katz gives patient Dom Irrera a ride home), and "Ben Treats" (Ben realizes the check is a little over $500 and asks Katz and Laura to pay for the rest).
* ThanksgivingEpisode: The season 5 finale takes place during this holiday.
* ThisIsGonnaSuck: Guest Tom Agna had a routine about wondering if you ''can'' take stuff with you when you die. Upon arriving at the pearly gates, St. Peter says, "Hey, where's your stuff?" Tom replies, "Oh man, this is gonna suck."
* ThrowItIn
* TitleDrop: In "Everybody's Got a Tushy", the head-scratching title is finally explained when Dr. Katz remarks to Stan that when Ben was a kid, he gave him a book called "Everybody's Got a Tushy".
** "It Takes Some Getting Used To" is the nickname Dr. Katz gives his strong-smelling cologne.
** "Drinky the Drunk Guy" is the name Dr. Katz gives to a film that's going to be airing on TV.
** "You're Belinda" is a confusion over the name of Yorba Linda, California.
* TitleOnlyOpening: The show has no opening sequence aside from the title and Katz head graphic. Further, the show doesn't feature opening credits superimposed over the action like is typical on TV shows. All credits are reserved for the end of the episode.
* ToiletHumour: Dr. Katz on coffee: "I wonder what people did before coffee, if they were just constipated?"
* TonightSomeoneKisses: In a promo for the episode "Community Theater", Julie says, "Do you know how long I've waited for this moment?", followed by Julie kissing Dr. Katz while BarryWhite-esque music plays. In the actual episode, the two were merely rehearsing for a play Dr. Katz was going to audition for.
* TooMuchInformation: In one episode, Ben tells Laura that one weird thing about him is that he has leg hair but doesn't have chest hair. Laura remarks, "That is something... I did not want to know."
* TruthInTelevision: Laura and Ben's voice actors were actually dating at the start of the show, and broke up around halfway through the run of the show.
* UltimateJobSecurity: Both Laura and Dr. Katz qualify--Laura is completely unhelpful as a secretary and only avoids getting fired because Dr. Katz is a milquetoast pushover. Meanwhile, Dr. Katz is a terrible shrink and is very often called out on it by his clients. Somehow this doesn't stop them from coming back though.
* VisitByDivorcedDad: Reversed: Dr. Katz raises Ben, and the mother comes visit during a season finale.
* TheVoiceless: The cop who pulls Dr. Katz over in the season 5 episode "The Ticket": He just gives him a cold stare and lets Katz stammer.
* WorstWhateverEver: Ben, to Dr. Katz at the end of "Mourning Person" after Katz stumbles through his eulogy.
--> '''Ben''': I thought for sure you were gonna turn it around, but ''you didn't''! I mean, I've never heard a eulogy before, but I think it's safe to say that that was the worst eulogy ever given. At the after party, we're splitting up, that's all there is to it.
* YiddishAsASecondLanguage: During one of guest Jeffrey Ross's stories, he mentions how his mother's Jewish friends are always trying to set him up on dates with people they know. One remarks: "You should meet my Marie. Not much to look at, but she'll bop on your shmeckel, boy."
* YouAreGrounded: Dr. Katz grounds Ben after Ben lied to the papers and school about being an eye witness to a crime in "Bystander Ben".
--> '''Dr. Katz''': Damn it, Ben, I hate to say this, I think you have to go to your room. ({{Beat}}) This is a little awkward at your age, but I don't know what else to do.
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