TV Dinner Trivia Quiz

Answer: Friends

In the season 9 episode "The One with Phoebe's Birthday Dinner", only Joey (Matt LeBlanc) has turned up more or less on time at the fancy restaurant where the birthday dinner is to happen. After over an hour, Phoebe (Lisa Kudrow) caves in to the waiter's request that they move to a table for two. Eventually, the rest of the gang arrive and crowd around the tiny table. Phoebe gets a phone call from her boyfriend, Mike, and decides that she really is the sort of person who would abandon her friends to be with her boyfriend and leaves.

"Friends" ran from 1994-2004, and repeats have continued to be popular. David Schwimmer (Ross) directed the episode in question.

Answer: Father Knows Best

In the season 1 episode "Thanksgiving Day", a series of events involving poetry, television shows and eating out occur, with the eventual outcome seeing the Anderson family holding hands around their kitchen table, while Jim (Robert Young), the father of the title, says a heartfelt prayer of thanksgiving. Because they have intended to eat at a restaurant, there is no turkey and their dinner consists of the only thing on hand - hamburgers!

"Father Knows Best" aired from 1954 until 1960, and also starred Jane Wyatt as the mother of the family.

Answer: The Vicar of Dibley

"The Vicar of Dibley" is a very funny British sit-com about a female vicar (Dawn French) who is assigned to the parish church in the rural community of Dibley. Almost every parishioner exhibits some sort of eccentricity, and Geraldine, the vicar, goes to great lengths to try to win them over to the idea of a female in her position.

The Christmas 1996 episode is titled "The Christmas Lunch Incident" and involves Geraldine trying not to offend anybody by attending either lunch or dinner with three different groups or families from her congregation (without any of them knowing about the other dinners).

The series ran for five unevenly spaced seasons from 1994 to 2007, and specials regarding female bishops have aired in 2013 and 2015.

Answer: The Beverly Hillbillies

In the season 1 episode "Elly's First Date" an attempt is made to set up banker Drysdale's step-son with Elly May Clampett (Donna Douglas). The date itself goes wrong, but the families make up and the Drysdale family comes to Thanksgiving dinner at the Clampett mansion. They are surprised to find that dinner is served on the "fancy eatin' table", in other homes known as the billiard table. Even more surprising are the pot passers and meat stickers that Jed (Buddy Ebsen) has fashioned from billiard cues, by adding notches or whittling sharp points.

"The Beverly Hillbillies" ran from 1962 until 1971, and the cast also included Irene Ryan and Max Baer, Jr.

Answer: Keeping Up Appearances

Exclusive "candlelight suppers" are the trademark of hopeful social climber Hyacinth Bucket (pronounced "bouquet") in this delightful British comedy series. Patricia Routledge as Hyacinth keeps friends and acquaintances on edge as they do everything in their power to avoid an invitation to one of these events. The opening credits scene of each episode shows the lady of the house writing out an invitation to one of her famous suppers.

The season 2 episode titled "The Candlelight Supper" involves the preparations for one of these during which Hyacinth hopes to impress her neighbour Emmet (David Griffin) with her talent as a songstress. As is usual, nothing goes completely to plan and hilarity ensues.

"Keeping Up Appearances" ran from 1990-95 and also starred Clive Swift as Richard, Hyacinth's long-suffering husband.

Answer: Modern Family

One of the subplots of the season 4 episode "The Future Dunphys" involves Mitch and Cam (Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Eric Stonestreet) asking Gloria (Sofia Vergara) to provide some feminine influence in the life of their adopted daughter, Lily. After Lily announces that she is gay, all three take her to dinner in a Vietnamese restaurant, hoping to get her in touch with her Vietnamese heritage. She doesn't like the food and reaffirms that she is gay, not Vietnamese. After a series of unfortunate, but well-meant, statements by her fathers that alienate almost everyone in the restaurant, they realise that she is simply expressing her desire to be like her dads.

Beginning in 2009, "Modern Family" has followed the antics of the Pritchett/Dunphy clan to amusing effect. The cast also includes Ed O'Neill, Julie Bowen and Ty Burrell.

Answer: Blue Bloods

The majority of the family dinner scenes take place in the home shared by Henry Reagan (Len Cariou), former police commissioner, and his son Frank (Tom Selleck) who has succeeded him in that position. Frank's sons Danny (and his family) and Jamie, and daughter Erin (and her daughter) are the usual dinner guests. Danny and Jamie are both members of NYPD and Erin is a lawyer in the district attorney's office. Various problems that arise in each episode are discussed (or avoided) during the dinner scenes.

In the second season episode "Thanksgiving" the meal is held in Henry's hospital ward, where he's recovering from a heart attack, and after Linda (Amy Carlson) is shot at the end of season 5, she and Danny (Donnie Wahlberg) participate in one dinner via speakerphone from her hospital bed.

First airing in 2010, the cast of "Blue Bloods" also includes Bridget Moynihan and Will Estes.

Answer: M*A*S*H

Private Igor Straminsky (Jeff Maxwell, mostly) isn't the only one to dole out food to the doctors and nurses of the 4077th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital, but he is often enough to be memorable. He's the one who has to put up with most of the griping about the (poor) quality of the food and for the most part it rolls right off his back. Unforgettably, in the season 9 episode "A War for All Seasons", Igor creams the corn grown by Father Mulcahy (William Christopher) instead of serving it on the cob - as the entire camp is anticipating.

Maxwell plays Igor in 83 episodes of the series, while Peter Riegert has the duty for two episodes in 1977.

"M*A*S*H" ran from 1972 until 1983, with a cast including Alan Alda, Harry Morgan and Loretta Swit amongst many others.

Answer: Downton Abbey

In the fifth episode of the sixth season, Robert Crawley, Earl of Grantham (Hugh Bonneville), and his family are entertaining Neville Chamberlain and other notables at Downton Abbey. Robert hasn't been feeling well, but attends dinner anyway. This proves to be the wrong decision, when he vomits blood and collapses at the table, bringing the meal to an abrupt conclusion.

"Downton Abbey" had six wonderful seasons from 2010 to 2015, and also starred Maggie Smith, Michelle Dockery and Brendan Coyle and many others. Dining room scenes occurred in most episodes.

Answer: The Middle

Young Brick Heck (Atticus Shaffer) has numerous quirks and tics that set him apart from his brother Axl (Charlie McDermott) and sister Sue (Eden Sher), but sitting in a lawn chair for meals is not something that he does by choice, but because there are only four matching chairs with the table. In a Season 8 episode Brick finally gets his own chair, which is exactly like the other four. Turns out it was in the basement under a pile of junk all the time! Later in the season Brick realises that he wants his old chair back because the new one gives him backaches.

"The Middle" began its run in 2009, and also stars Patricia Heaton and Neil Flynn as the Heck parents.