Tim Robinson has been working in comedy for over a decade. It wasn’t until his sketch comedy show on Netflix, though, that Tim became a household name.
Tim’s show, I Think You Should Leave, has been leaving viewers in stitches for three seasons. Each episode is only about twenty minutes long and is full of unforgettable writing and performances. We sat down to watch and re-watch every sketch to rank them all from best to worst.
1. CORNCOB TV: “THEY’RE SAYING COFFIN FLOPS’ NOT A SHOW.”
Our favorite sketch on I Think You Should Leave is Corncob TV. Tim Robinson appears on TV in a parody of the commercials the network would show when Spectrum was planning on dropping certain channels. He is the head of Corncob TV channel and highlights a certain TV show named Coffin Flop.
Coffin Flop is actually exactly what you think it is. It’s just hours and hours of footage of dead bodies falling out of coffins. Why are there so many faulty coffins? And why are so many of the dead bodies nude? We don’t know, but we will be calling Spectrum and telling them not to drop Corncob TV.
2. BRIAN’S HAT: CLASSIC I THINK YOU SHOULD LEAVE SILLINESS
Brian bought a really cool hat to wear to the office. The guy at the store even told him he was the only one that could pull it off. Unfortunately, all of his co-workers don’t think the hat is cool, and their true feelings come out through subpoenaed text messages at a court hearing.
Brian’s hat is one of our favorite sketches because it shows off Tim Robinson’s utterly silly side. During the sketch, the lawyer starts reading the text messages and comes to the messages the colleagues exchange, dunking on Brian and his hat. The camera then pans to Brian looking totally shocked by his co-worker’s words. It’s pure silliness and one of the many reasons why we love I Think You Should Leave.
3. FORD FOCUS GROUP: “YOU LOVE YOUR MOTHER-IN-LAW.”
This sketch features an unknown actor stealing the spotlight from everyone else in the scene. An old man is part of a Ford test market group and is asked, along with others, what he would like to see in a new Ford vehicle. His answers range from “too small” to “stinky” while everyone looks at him confused.
The man is then able to persuade everyone to be on his side by deflecting everyone’s disdain toward Paul, another member of the group. By the end of the sketch, you’ll be laughing as hard as everyone else when they find out Paul has to marry his mother-in-law.
4. HOT DOG CAR: “IT COULD BE ANY ONE OF US.”
In this sketch, a hot dog car barrels through a department store. Everyone is frantically trying to find the driver until a man in a hot dog suit appears in the crowd.
The reason we find this sketch so funny is the absurdism and earnest angle the hot dog-wearing patron brings to the group. He is wearing a hot dog costume. There is a hot dog car in the window. The man still truly believes he can convince the crowd that it isn’t him. Pure I Think You Should Leave gold.
5. YOU DON’T KNOW HOW TO DRIVE?: “NOT EVERYONE KNOWS HOW TO DO EVERYTHING!”
Who hasn’t experienced a little road rage from an inept driver? We’ve all muttered to ourselves, “Can this dude even drive?” In this sketch, a driver yells at a swerving mini-van if he knows how to drive, and to his surprise, he doesn’t.
We love this sketch because it’s something we can all relate to, and Tim Robinson takes it to an extreme conclusion. Tim plays the man who doesn’t know how to drive and is hilarious as he defends his lack of skills despite being behind the wheel.
6. DRIVE-THRU PAY IT FORWARD: THE ULTIMATE CON
In this sketch, a man at the drive-through kindly pays for the meal behind. After paying, though, he speeds through the parking lot to get behind the car he just paid for in the hope that he will, in turn, also pay it forward. It’s a brilliant premise and one of the best sketches from Season 3.
This sketch is brilliant because, at first, we don’t realize where it is going. It starts off slow, with Tim’s character simply paying for the car behind him and then racing away. It isn’t until he gets to the order screen that we realize what his plan is. His order includes 55 items of just about everything on the menu. It’s a hilarious premise made even better by Tim’s brilliant comedic timing.
7. THE BALLAD OF ROBERT PALINS: “THE BONES ARE THEIR MONEY.”
Musical sketches can be a hit or miss, but this one is definitely a hit. It starts with a musical group in a recording studio when the producer tells them their sound is old news and they are looking for something new. Lead singer Rhys Coiro immediately understands the assignment and starts into a haunting Johnny Cash-sounding ballad. The producer is impressed until Tim Robbins’s character comes in with his own spooky song.
Tim sings about skeletons coming to life and the bones being their money in an ear-deafening flat tone. It’s laugh-out-loud funny, especially watching the reactions from everyone else in the band. It’s one of our favorite season-one sketches that made us fall in love with I Think You Should Leave.
8. SUMMER LOVING: “I THINK YOU’RE ONLY HERE FOR THE ZIPLINE.”
Summer Loving is a basic generic reality dating show, much like The Bachelorette. It looks like a good enough time but the drama really ratches up during the leading lady’s rejection ceremony. She brings up two men and explains that she doesn’t really see a future with one and the other and that she believes he is only there for the zipline.
We love this sketch because of the slow build-up that turns into such a silly premise. With I Think You Should Leave sketches, you can never really guess the direction, but this threw everyone for a loop. After the eligible bachelorette states her concerns, we are then treated to a ton of B-Roll of Tim Robinson’s character just riding the zipline. He pleads his case, but it’s clear from the footage he is only there for the zipline.
9. BABY’S REVENGE FLIGHT: WILL FORTE SHINES AS A MAN LOOKING FOR REVENGE.
This sketch is one of our favorite premises for a sketch because it’s so absurd and relatable at the same time. The sketch features Will Forte as an old man who takes a seat on a plane next to a lovely young couple. He then proceeds to tell the man a story we all are familiar with.
Apparently, thirty years earlier, Will Forte and the Tim Robinsons’ character shared a flight. A flight that baby Tim cried throughout the entirety of. Will Forte is back to exact his revenge and begins crying and whaling loudly at the couple. It’s a hilarious premise and still one of our favorite sketches.
10. WHOOPIE CUSHION: “WHAT IS THE JOKE, EXACTLY?”
Tim often steals the sketch when he plays an absurd character in a normal situation, and this sketch is no exception. Tim’s character walks into a board meeting and sits down on a sneakily placed whoopie cushion. Tim is embarrassed and confused until he sits up and sees the cushion. Once he sees the whoopie cushion, he goes from shocked to enraged.
Tim goes from 0 to 100 in this joke. He berates the other board members and imagines other increasingly vulgar ways they could have pranked him. The premise might not be as strong as others on this list, but Tim’s performance is what lands this one near the top.
11. HOWIE AT GAME NIGHT: THERE IS ALWAYS THAT ONE GUY
The Premise of this sketch is a classic game night trope. A group of friends all gather together to play a game where they pull a celebrity name out of a hat and have to get the other participants to guess the celebrity. One woman brings her new boyfriend, who is utterly terrible at the game. And just an all-around terrible human being.
The biggest laughs come from Tim Heidecker, who plays the boyfriend. He fills the hat with rare obscure celebrities and jazz legends and then gets mad at everyone for not knowing them. It’s a great premise and a classic sketch.
12. KARL HAVOC: WHEN THE STUNT GOES WRONG
Tim acts as the host of a prank show called “Everything is Upsidedown” in this early season 2 sketch. Tim is initially very hyped to walk through a local mall in an uncomfortable amount of prosthetics. It’s a similar premise to the Jackass antics that would see Jonny Knoxville dressed as an old man. Very shortly, though, Tim’s character realizes there is way too much stuff on him and starts to question his existence.
The sketch became a staple of I Think You Should Leave Memes and turned the show into a classic. We love the feeling of existential dread Tim plays off for laughs. This is one sketch that gets funnier every time you watch it.
13. DAN FLASHES: A GREAT PLACE TO SPEND ALL YOUR PER DIEM
Dan Flashes, a store known for exorbitantly expensive shirts with complicated patterns, appears in two season two sketches. The first is Tim as a businessman who has been spending all his per diem money at the store. The second is a small commercial for the store showing other mid-30s white men fighting over the exclusive patterned shirts.
This sketch is another season two gem that became an instant meme. It pokes fun at both ridiculous fashion and how out-of-touch men of a certain age can be about style.
14. FEED EGGS: “EVERYONE SHOULD BE ABLE TO WATCH A LITTLE BIT OF PORN AT WORK”
Tim stars in this sketch as a zoned-out office worker addicted to a flash game on his work computer. The game has you feeding small eggs to a much larger egg, but there doesn’t seem to be any correlation between your score and the number of eggs you feed the anthropomorphized egg.
The game and sketch get weirder when the egg turns around to expose himself to the player. To make matters worse, Tim’s boss has found out about the game he’s been playing and is more shocked than Tim is at the game’s mild pornography. It’s one of the more absurd sketches from season 3 but also one of our favorites. You can play the egg game for yourself at egggame.org
15. BRUNCH HOGS: VANESSA BAYER IS BAD AT INSTAGRAM
One of our favorite sketches from season 1 features SNL alum Vanessa Bayer out to brunch with some of her girlfriends. All of the girls post slightly self-deprecating Instagram posts about their meals and friends. Vanessa tries to get it on the ribbing but takes it way too far, calling her friend’s brunch hogs who eat pig slop. The sketch kept us in stitches as each failed attempt led to more outlandish and vulgar attempts at gentle ribbing.
16. RICHARD BRECKY: THE MASTER OF SILENT THEATER
Richard Brecky does a one-man show totally silent. He is the master of Silent Theater, and he backs up this claim with a cash guarantee. A group of rambunctious college kids take him up on this offer, and the result is I Think You Should Leave brilliance.
Tim does many characters, but our favorite character is his “normal guy who’s insanely frustrated” routine. Richard Brecky is that character at its best, and that is why it’s on our favorite sketches.
17. THE GIFT RECEIPT: “SUCH A SLOPPY MUD PIE”
This season one sketch features Walking Dead favorite Steven Yuen as a birthday boy who’s not too keen on Robinson’s gift. The two get into an argument about the gift receipt before Tim finally eats the receipt and ends up very sick from the contaminated piece of paper. The sketch thinly walks the line between absurd and relatable, and Tim’s exaggerated yelling juxtaposed with Stevens’s calm demeanor makes for an unforgettable scene.
18. MAGICIANS SUCK: TIM GETS EMASCULATED BY A MAGICIAN
The incredibly funny Cecily Strong stars alongside Tim in this sketch about a man being clowned by a magician. After a date night at a magic show where Tim is brought on stage and poked fun at, Cecily informs Tim that she is now sickened by him. Tim tries to tell her it is just an act, but she can’t believe he would let a magician of all people belittle him like that.
The sketches where everyday people overreact to everyday scenarios are some of our favorites. And Cecily plays this role perfectly. Tim eventually goes back to the club only to get clowned again, making this sketch even more rich in its delivery.
19. CARBER VAC: SOMETIMES HOT DOGS CAN BE DEADLY
One of our favorite types of ITYSL sketches are skits about hot dogs. This two-part sketch begins with Tim choking on a hot dog he is trying to sneak during a meeting. The second sketch is a hot dog vacuum designed for anyone choking on a hot dog during a meeting that has been rudely planned over lunch. Seeing this gag pulled out again in the second season was a delight, but our favorite part is the comically large hot dog Tim tries to sneak into the meeting.
20. C.A.R.S: CARS ARE REALLY SAFE
Patti Harrison has become a staple of I Think You Should Leave, and her C.A.R.S sketch is one of our favorites. In it, she stars in a driver’s training video, blatantly disregarding all traffic safety. It’s her phone conversations, though, that become much more interesting than her bad driving with all the students wondering what she does for a living.
It’s a classicly silly sketch that never overstays its welcome. The three separate videos she’s in give us the full story of her job, and each one highlights her incredible comedy chops.
21. HONK IF YOU’RE HORNY: CONNOR O’MALLEY IS REALLY HORNY
No one really takes novelty bumper stickers seriously, except in the ITYSL universe. Connor O’Malley, a series regular, spots Tim driving a car with a honk if you’re horny bumper sticker. He proceeds to follow him around incessantly honking his horn until Tim acknowledges him.
While not the most memorable premise, this sketch became one of our favorites due to Tim’s song “Friday Night” that he sings at the end. It’s a hilarious way to end the sketch, and it reminds us of Will Ferrell’s funeral song in “Old School.”
22. FRANKENSTEIN’S CHICK: A CO-WORKERS TERRIBLE INSTAGRAM
The premise of Frankenstein’s chick is a co-worker trying to make it famous on Instagram. He forces Tim’s character to follow him, only to find outlandish videos that make little to no sense.
In classic I Think You Should Leave fashion, the premise quickly goes off the rails. This season three sketch is one that gets better with each viewing. We started off cool on Frankesntein’s Chick, but we ended up laughing more and more each time we watched it.
23. STABLE OF STARS: “AT THAT LOW PRICE POINT, HE CAN HIT”
Sometimes it’s worth it to spend the extra money. This is exactly the lesson Matt learns when he hires a Johnny Carson impersonator for his friend’s party. After the Carson impersonator hits someone, the owner of the service runs in to let every know it’s okay. For the price Matt paid, the impersonators can hit. Getting hit by a celebrity impersonator is a bummer, but you get what you pay for.
24. CONFLICT RESOLUTION IN THE WORKPLACE: “BANNA BREATH”
This season 3 sketch centers around a boring HR class that one attendee ends up really enjoying. She makes a joke that gets a few laughs and continues to ride that high for the rest of the class. Eccentric characters annoying a room full of normies is an ITYSL staple, and this sketch does it better than most.
25. HAS THIS EVER HAPPENED TO YOU?: DONT TRUST THE TERMINE INSPECTORS
Has this ever happened to you is from the first episode of I Think You Should Leave and sets the expectation for the rest of the series. The scene starts like a cheesy infomercial detailing a relatable scenario. Soon after, though, the relatable problem has turned into an incredibly specific scenario that could have only happened in this universe. It’s a classic sketch that perfectly encompasses the comedy of Tim Robinson.
26. TC TUGGERS: “THEY’RE NOT LIKE THE SNUGGIE”
TC Tuggers is a brand of shirt that answers a common problem in the worst way possible. They share the stage with another sketch called River Mountain High, a parody of CW-esque teenage dramas. The shirts have a small button on the stomach so you can pull on them without wrecking your shirt.
In theory, this is actually a novel idea. Having to tug on your tee shirt is a common problem, but putting a plastic button on the shirt just makes the wearer look ridiculous. It’s not more ridiculous than a snuggie, but it’s still pretty silly.
27. SLOPPY STEAKS: SOMETIMES YOU CAN ESCAPE YOUR PAST
This sketch begins at a baby’s birthday party. Babies are uniquely in touch with their surroundings, and this baby is keenly aware of Tim Robinson’s past. Mainly that he used to be a huge piece of shit.
The premise of this one is funny enough, but it’s the flashbacks we see of Tim’s previous life that really make us laugh. The brief montage showing Tim and his problematic crew ordering sloppy steaks with their slick-backed hair is a classic scene etched in our memories.
28. FUNERAL ORGANIST: A HILARIOUS GUEST SPOT FROM FRED WILLARD
The Funeral Organist sketch begins at a funeral for a dearly departed relative. The peaceful funeral is quickly interrupted by a substitute organist whose only experience seems to be circuses and baseball games.
Our love for this sketch mainly comes from the late great Fred Willard as the organist. Fred was a joy in every performance he gave, and his guest spot in this episode is no exception.
29. CREDIT CARD ROULETTE: THE MOST DANGEROUS GAME
John Early gives a hilarious performance in this sketch based on our worst nightmare. At a large dinner party, one guest suggests they play credit card roulette to see who pays for the entire bill. It’s all laughs for John Early’s character until it’s his card that gets picked. Once picked, his smile immediately leaves his face, and he abruptly informs the group he will not be covering the bill.
The sketch resonates because it’s a situation anyone could be in, and John’s reaction mirrors our own. The game sounds fun in theory, but the cost is just too great.
30. THE DRIVING CROONER: “I GOTTA FIND A WAY TO MAKE MONEY OFF OF THIS”
Tim’s idea for the driving crooner is a fantastic idea, he just can’t find a way to make money off of it. Also, some people hate him for it and are trying to kill him.
This sketch is just pure silliness, but it’s the earnestness Tim brings to the character that makes it so special. The visual gags, the broad strokes set-up, and the eventual payoff are a classic ITYSL formula that fits perfectly with this sketch.
31. SHIRT BROTHERS: ARE THERE REALLY NO RULES?
This sketch nabs a place in our hearts almost solely for the killer song Turnstile did for the sketch. The premise involves two guys wearing identical shirts but quickly turns into an existential question about rules and if they even matter.
Tim plays the straight man in this sketch and does a perfect job against series regular Biff Wiff. Watching Tim play a normal guy is always a joy, and the ending song makes this one of our favorites from season 3.
32. CHRISTMAS CAME EARLY: PATTI HARRISON SHINES AS A CLUELESS OFFICE WORKER
Tim plays the straight man in this sketch against a lovingly clueless Patti Harrison. The office gets a new copier, and someone makes a joke that Christmas must have come early. Patti then goes ahead and takes the joke far past the point of it being funny, to the annoyance of her co-workers.
Patti Harrison shines in almost every sketch she stars in, and this one is no different. Watching her play a lovable buffoon is second only to Tim Robinson’s absurd characters.
33. FULLY LOADED NACHOS: THE RESTAURAUNTS’ RULES
The premise of this sketch is a relatable scenario that no one knows how to deal with. Tim is on a date, and his date is stealing all of the best nachos from their shared appetizer. Rather than leaving it be, Tim awkwardly asks the hostess to tell his date that the restaurant has a rule about such behavior and she needs to knock it off. This goes over about as well as one would expect and abruptly ends the date for poor Tim.
34. GARFIELD HOUSE: MAYBE JIM HENSON DIDN’T LIVE THERE
Garfield’s house is an absurdist sketch with friends planning an intervention in a home that is decked floor to ceiling with Garfield Memorabilia. The premise becomes even more absurd when they realize the house actually belonged to a deranged Jim Henson stalker.
We love the set design of this sketch and Kate Berlant’s stellar performance. Kate is a staple of the alt-comedy scene, and her comedic voice is right at home on I Think You Should Leave.
35. CALICOPANTS.COM: A FAKE PRODUCT WITH REAL SOLUTIONS
When an office worker steps out of the bathroom with a little dribble on his pants, Tim swoops in with an amazing website that will make everything okay. Calicopants.com is a fake website that sells pants with that same pattern. The only problem is it’s run-off of donations, and if you don’t pay, you’re in trouble. If you want to buy a pair for yourselves, someone has decided to run with this great idea. You can get a pair at getcalicopants.com
36. BARLEY TONIGHT: “A MEDIEVAL GAME, OBVIOUSLY”
Barley Tonight is a spoof of aggressive talking news shows. The only difference is that if the guest starts to win the argument, the host just goes on his phone.
We love this premise for two reasons. First, we love to dunk on out-of-touch dinosaur news hosts. Second, seeing the host adopt the same coping mechanism we all take when a conversation gets too difficult is clutch ITYSL.
37. JAMIE TACO: JAMIE TACO KEEPS STEALING LINES
This sketch is able to tell an entire love and villain story in under five minutes. When a man makes a slight rib at his wife during a poker game, he immediately feels regret and reminiscences about all the hard times she’s helped him through.
This uncommonly tender ITYSL sketch is also laugh-out-loud funny. The side plot of Jamie Taco is a hilarious premise, and all the actors play the sketch out to perfection.
38. DON’T TALK ABOUT YOUR KIDS: JASON SCHWARTZMAN HAS A PROBLEM
Jason Schwartzman stars in this sketch, but it’s Tim Robinson who steals the show. He plays straight to Tim’s over-the-top character that really doesn’t Jason to talk about his kids. Jason makes an off-hand comment that he shouldn’t talk about his kids anymore, and Tim obliges. Not only does hilarity ensue, but it makes Jason a better and more interesting person thanks to Tim’s intervention.
39. DARMINE DOGGY DOOR: “FOR 50 SECONDS I THOUGHT THERE WERE MONSTERS ON THE WORLD”
This commercial parody cracks us up every time we see it. Tim’s character creates a collar-activated doggy door after his neighbor sends a monster into his house through his old doggy door. This sketch definitely leans a little too hard on “Tim yelling,” but when it hits, it leads to audible laughs from everyone in the room.
40. DETECTIVE CRAHSMORE: SANTA’S BACK
Detective Crashmore is a gritty 70’s 70-style crime drama starring Santa Claus as the titular officer. The sketch shows a short trailer for the film, then an Entertainment Tonight-style interview with Santa and the cast.
Crashmore was Biff Wiff’s first role on I Think You Should Leave, and it leaves a lasting impression. Biff was a Santa Clause impersonator before doing Tim’s show, and we’re glad he’s been added to more sketches as the show has progressed.
41. WILSON’S NATURAL HAIR LOSS SYSTEM: TOUPEE REGRET
Tim loves making commercial parodies for incredibly specific problems, and Wilson’s natural hair loss system is one of his best. The target demographic is men who are bald but wear toupees and now want to be bald. Rather than just, ya know, remove the toupee, Wilson provides a long-term solution.
Wilson will send you different toupees, each with hair a little more thinning than the last, so you can show a progression of going bald. If that takes too long, Wilson will send a man dressed as a gorilla to rip the toupee off of your head. Modern problems require modern solutions.
42. AL’S COFFEE SHOP: AN AUDIENCE MEMBER SHARES HIS GRIEVANCES
In this sketch, Tim plays an audience member at a live taping of a cheesy sitcom. He notices the microphones attached to the ceiling that are meant to capture the audience’s laughter. Tim decides he’s gonna make the best of this opportunity by airing his grievances with local businesses in the area.
The premise of this sketch is good, but the execution and where Tim takes it could have been better. As usual, the sketch does stretch far past its logical conclusion, but it fails to hit the highs of some other classic setups.
43. FENTON’S STABLES: FOR THE MAN WHO FEELS INADEQUATE
Everyone knows the worst part about horseback riding is the comparison you’re lady is going to make between your manhood and the horse’s endowment. At Fenton’s Stables, you don’t have to worry about that. All their horses have incredibly small members meaning at Fentons, you’re the one who’s hung.
44. DAVE THE DUMPER: AN ELABORATE PRANK
In this sketch, Tim plays an office worker who sets up an incredibly intricate prank on his co-worker Dave. Whenever Dave goes to the bathroom, Tim calls a double that looks like Dave to go in there and take a huge dump.
The framing of this sketch, which has Tim, Dave, and imposter Dave sitting down with HR, is what makes us laugh the most. The setup is great, and the payoff is just as good.
45. TAMMY CRAPS: “ONLY FOR KIDS OVER 60LBS”
Tammy Craps is a doll that, well, craps. It also used to smell like farts in its head, but it doesn’t anymore. They fired the guy at the factory that was doing it.
The best joke in this sketch is about kids needing to be over 60 lbs to play with Tammy. There are grave consequences for kids who try and tip the scale just to get a Tammy Craps doll.
46. ABX HEART MONITOR: DOCTORS PARTY TOO
This sketch is a commercial for a heart monitor that lets your doctor know when you’re overdoing it. Tim Heidecker steals the scene as the doctor keeps tabs on his patient’s heart. Heidecker isn’t really too concerned with his patient’s health, he’s just pissed that he keeps going to cool nightclubs and not inviting him.
It’s a great premise for a skit, and the two actors play it out perfectly. Commerical parodies can be hit or miss, but on I Think You Should Leave, they almost always hit.
47. FRIEND GROUP: “I HAVE 200 FRIENDS”
SNL Alum Beck Bennet stars in this sketch as a man with a whole lot of friends. The only problem, he has to pay all of those friends, and they have pretty strict dietary rules.
The premise for this one is good, but the execution is definitely mid-tier. Beck Bennet has been hilarious on SNL, and it would have been nice if he had a little more to do in this season 3 sketch.
48. YOUTUBE VIDEO: BOZO THE CLOWNS THOUGHTS
The dilemma facing Tim Robinson in this sketch is that all of his friends at work know great YouTube videos, and Tim doesn’t. His solution is to create his own video and upload it to the video-sharing site.
The relatable premise is funny, and the video of Bozo and his inner monologue that Tim creates is bizarre. It’s a memorable skit, but not one that deserves multiple re-watches.
49. PACIFIC PROPOSAL PARK: IT’S A GREAT PARK FOR WRESTLERS TOO
This commercial parody is designed to promote Pacific Proposal Park, a park designed specifically for proposals. The only problem, it’s also perfect for practicing wrestling moves. The sight gag of people proposing with professional wrestlers slamming each other into the ground is the best part of this season 3 sketch.
50. THE LATE BABYSITTER: “I’M GONNA EMBARRASS YOU”
Tim and his husband arrive late to a party and make up a brief excuse for why they were late. A casual late babysitter reply is all that’s needed to alleviate any questions, but Tim can’t help but continue to embellish the lie. When his ever-complicated and slightly disturbing lie starts being questioned, he makes a threat that he’s going to embarrass the question asker. And embarrass him he does.
This sketch hits all the good notes of an ITYSL sketch but fails to hit the highs of some other ones on our list. Fortunately, even the mediocre ITYSL sketches are often laugh-out-loud funny.
51. MOTORCYCLE ALIENS: ALIENS WHO LOVE MOTORCYCLES
This sketch and premise are incredibly simple. It’s just aliens landing on Earth that love motorcycles. The aliens all look like bikers and are surprised by everything with wheels.
The premise of this one feels a bit lazy, but it’s the character Tim Robbinson plays that set it above others on our list.
52. HERBIE HANCOCK LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD: THE DOG LIKES TO ROCKIT
At a lifetime achievement award for Herbie Hancock, the host, played by Tim Robinson, trips and is assaulted by a small dog. The type of assault varies greatly depending on who saw it. This sketch is funny, and it’s awesome to see Herbie Hancock.
53. BOSS IS GONE: SURFS UP
A classic formula for ITYSL is a character that takes a premise and goes way too far with it. This sketch is a quintessential example of this premise, with Tim taking harmless office antics and cranking them up to 11. While not our favorite sketch, it still provides laughs and feels very on-brand for Tim Robinson.
54. DOG HAIRCUT: JUST A LITTLE OFF THE TOP
This sketch relies heavily on the sight gag of Tim Robinson having a haircut that makes him look like a dog. While it’s not the best sight gag of the series, the skit’s biggest redeeming quality is his ending line, where he mentions to his date that he already has a girlfriend; he just wants a second.
55. BOARDROOM VOLCANO: WE ALL SEE THINGS
Tim Robinson loves setting his scenes in an office. This scene takes place in a boardroom where Tim’s character claims to see outlandish things like a volcano and a little man instead of a pen. The joke gets old fairly quickly, but it does end on a sweet note when he finds a companion who sees the same things as him.
56. STREET SETS: A GOOD FRED ARMISEN CAMEO
Fred Armisen gets the heavy lifting in this sketch, where a dad hires a company to fake a brawl. Fred is tired of his kids not respecting him, so he hires street sets to film him beating up a kid. The body double looks nothing like a child, and the kids see right through his rouse.
Fred Armisen saves what is an otherwise lackluster sketch. Fred always makes us laugh, and his performance fits right at home on I Think You Should Leave.
57. TIM ROBINSONS SCARES DOGS: “IT’S HER HOUSE SHE’S DOING WHAT’S RIGHT”
Tim is always funny in a goofy hat, even if the dogs don’t like it. This bit is mainly just sight gags of Tim being goofy and wearing funny clothing. And that’s okay! No one does pure silliness better than Tim Robinson.
58. PUSH AND PULL DOOR: WE’VE ALL BEEN THERE
In this early I Think You Should Leave Sketch, Tim embarrasses himself by trying to pull a push door. Rather than take the L, Tim informs everyone the door actually goes both ways. He then proceeds to physically pull the door off of its hinges as he pulls.
We like this sketch because of how relatable it is. We’ve all felt dumb at one point in our lives trying a door the wrong way. And Tim does an excellent job of pushing the joke to its silliest boundary.
59. STANZO FEDORAS: THE PERFECT BABY SHOWER GIFT
This scene begins with a group of people discussing what they are going to give away as gifts to guests of a baby shower. Tim suggests several specific items, like Stanzo Fedoras and fake meatballs, until the truth is revealed. He dumped a lot of money into a gangster movie that went nowhere.
This may not be the best ITYSL sketch, but it still makes us laugh every time. The premise is silly, and the end scene with all the fedoras is a funny sight gag.
60. BABY OF THE YEAR: JUDGING BABIES FOR SPORT
The Baby of the Year competition pits several different babies against each other to name one baby the supreme toddler. This bit isn’t as laugh-out-loud funny as some of the ones higher on our list, but it is a great premise. Tim stages the competition similar to a wrestling match, with some babies being set up as the hero and others as the heel.
The true standout is when they do a Memoriam section, and Sam Richardson angrily reminds the crowd all the former Baby of the Year winners passed much later in life.
61. GHOST MANSION TOUR: “WE CAN SAY WHATEVER WE WANT”
Tim decides to push the boundaries on an after-dark ghost mansion tour. When the tour guide informs the group that cursing is allowed, Tim proceeds to ask the most vulgar and outlandish questions that come to his mind.
It’s not too long before the group and we, as the audience, get tired of the schtick. This is a fine sketch, but it relies too heavily on profanity over well-crafted jokes. A rare miss for Tim and ITYSL.
62. LASER SPINE SPECIALISTS: DANNY KRAUSE CAN CHANGE YOUR LIFE
This commercial parody starts off normal enough before making a complete left turn. What starts as a normal commercial for laser spine surgery soon turns into Tim arguing with a fake record producer over 10,000 dollars he spent on a song recording.
The commercial parodies in I Think You Should Leave are some of our favorite sketches. Rather than something like Saturday Night Live that makes one or two silly jokes, ITYSL commercials almost always end very differently than they begin. This sketch, in particular, feels like a long improv sketch of “and then” before the original idea is totally lost, and we are in a totally different universe.
63. CLAIRE’S BOUTIQUE: THE WORST PLACE TO GET A PIERCING
Clair’s Boutique is a local mall staple that provides free piercings to tweens. The premise presented here is a grown man going to get a piercing at Claire’s and being forced to watch an educational video on the piercing process. While the skit does go off the rails in the usual ITYSL fashion, it’s never able to live up to its great premise.
64. PONYTAIL: THE PONYTAIL IS BACK
Will Forte does another great guest spot in this sketch about a man whose ponytail gets stuck under a car. While not our favorite sketch, there are still several memorable lines, and Forte is always funny when he stops by the show.
65. RAT MOM: ONE WILD OFFICE CHRISTMAS PARTY
This sketch veers a little too far from silliness and straight into bizarre. Series regular Patti Harrison stars an office worker who is very upset at her boss for not letting her bring her pet rats into the office. The saving grace of this sketch is Patti’s over-the-top performance. She steals every sketch she’s in, and this one is no exception.
66. LITTLE BUFF BOYS: A COMPETITION OF CRINGE
This skit leaves the viewer awkward but in a good way. Sam Richardson hosts the “Little Buff Boys” competition, a play on beauty pageants but this time ranking muscular boys. The commentary on how weird beauty queen pageants are for children is spot on, and Sam does a great job hosting this terrible competition.
67. CALEB WENT: DON’T CHOKE TO DEATH
When Tim sits down for a dinner party with Caleb Went, he couldn’t be more excited. He does everything he can to make a good impression, even avoiding life-saving interventions when he begins to choke on his food.
This sketch isn’t as strong as some others on our list, but few comedians do a choking impression better than Tim Robinson. If only he had a Carber HD vac handy.
68. THE NIGHT SCROOGE SAVED CHRISTMAS: THE GHOST OF CHRISTMAS WAY FUTURE
Tim’s Detroiters co-star Sam Richardson stars in this classic Christmas tale. After Ebenezer Scrooge wakes up on Christmas morning, he’s visited by the ghost of Christmas “way future” and must help him defeat a horde of mutant demons.
Sam Richardson is always funny, but his sketches on ITYSL are a bit of a mixed bag. This sketch delivers some solid laughs but doesn’t have the same charm we expect from ITYSL.
69. ALIEN RESTAURANT: THE ALIEN SHOULD STICK TO ITS DAY JOB
We love themed restaurants, and the alien-themed restaurant in this season two skit looks amazing. If only the animatronic alien comedian would stop picking on our table.
Tim Heidicker stars again in this sketch, and while not his best performance, he saves what is otherwise a lackluster bit.
70. PROFESSOR YURABAY: MENU REGRET
There are so many food-related sketches in I Think You Should Leave it’s hard to keep track of them all. In this one, former students meet up for dinner with their old professor. The professor is upset about the meal he orders and quickly makes it everyone else’s problem.
This sketch feels relatable as we’ve all faced a little FOMO when we see the food our friends have ordered. The awkwardness in this sketch makes it feel a bit distanced from classic ITYSL skits, but it is still able to provide a few chuckles.
71. METAL MOTTO SEARCH: A BAD GAME SHOW
Bad game shows are almost as prevalent on ITYSL as food-based skits. This one involves a man who dons a magnetic metal suit and races across a magnet-filled board to steal letters. The problem is the suit is way too heavy, and the show is super boring.
Sam Richardson hosts the game show, and he saves this sketch that works better on paper than in practice. Awkward silences and bewildered audiences can be funny, but unfortunately, this one veers too far into the awkward realm to be a great sketch.
72. RICK AND STAN: MORTAL ENEMIES
This sketch shows Tim taking a hypothetical scenario in a workplace seminar a little too far. When Tim is told the man next to him is his mortal enemy, he continually makes over-exaggerated jabs at him until everyone in the audience is uncomfortable. This sketch sounds fun in theory, but unfortunately, the execution falls a bit flat.
73. SUPERMARKET SWAP: VR EDITION
When Tim gets a chance to play supermarket swap via a VR gaming device, he immediately loses all motor functions and forgets how to breathe. Tim is the only saving grace of this sketch, but without any of his physical comedy, the bit falls short.
74. THE ICE CREAM STORE IS CLOSED TODAY: BOB ODENKIRK NEEDS A FRIEND
Better Call Saul himself stars in this awkward sketch about a dad lying to his daughter. When Tim’s daughter asks for ice cream, Tim states the ice cream store is closed today. He gives fellow patron Bob Odenkirk a subtle wink, and Bob proceeds to make up a slew of increasingly hard-to-believe lies.
Bob is great in this sketch, but that’s about it. It is fun seeing Tim play the straight-man, but even Bob and Tim can’t save this mid-level sketch.
75. THE CAPITAL ROOM: “I CAN’T STAND BALD BOYS”
Patti Harrison shines in this shark tank parody that goes on just a bit too long to make it great. Patti plays one of the shark-like entrepreneurs, but through exposition, she lets the audience know she got her fortune through a Thanksgiving day parade accident.
The setup is actually quite funny, and Patti gives a stellar performance, as always. We wish this sketch would have either been shorter or gone full into the bit, but as it stands now, it can’t stand up to the greats.
76. CHUNKY GAME SHOW: ANDY SAMBERGS LACKLUSTER GUEST SPOT
Tim hosts the gameshow Chunky, where a large mascot comes out and does something to a contestant. The reason this sketch lands so low on our list is that feels like an idea that wasn’t fully fleshed out. Maybe it’s because that’s the exact premise of the game show, but we felt there was a better sketch hidden behind Chunky.
77. GELUTOL: “I DONT WANT HIM TO HAVE HAIR”
Tim discusses Gelutol, a hair loss treatment, with a friend at a party. Another man overhears and wants to get in on Gelutol, but Tim quickly shuts him down and won’t give him any information. It’s a pretty funny premise with some great one-liners, but the rest of the sketch falls flat.
78. PHOTO BOOTH: NOW DO A SILLY ONE
SNL alum Tim Meadows stars in this sketch as a guy who hates photo booths. He gets very upset at his fellow guests when they force him to take a picture, and it doesn’t go the way he wanted. Tim does his best with this sketch, but it does feel like he isn’t fully committed to the bit.
79. DON BONDARLY: KING OF DIRTY SONGS
Our least favorite ITYSL sketch comes from season 3. In this sketch, Tim hires a dirty song artist to perform at his friend’s bachelor party. The joke is that the singer doesn’t really do this much anymore and forgets a lot of the songs. The joke doesn’t really land, and most of the laughs seem to be trying to come from profane songs that stopped being funny when we left adolescence. The result is a bit that doesn’t really go anywhere or provide much humor for the viewer.
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Image Credit: Gramercy Pictures.
