Entertainment
Kids Today Will Never Understand Network TV’s Most Powerful Hype Machine
By Robert Scucci
| Published
Sit down around the fire, my lads, and let me enlighten you on the relic of ancient media known as clip chows. Back in my day, cable TV ruled the landscape, and sitcoms ran for 22 to 26 episodes a season. Week after week, we’d go on a new adventure, wondering what kind of trouble Homer Simpson, Ross and Rachel, Tim “The Tool Man” Taylor, and Jerry and the Seinfeld gang would get themselves into. But toward the end of any given season, there wouldn’t be a new adventure. Instead, we’d get the dreaded clip show.
I call the clip show “dreaded” because most people didn’t like them. I had no strong feelings either way. The idea of reusing content under the guise of a new episode never really bugged me so long as it served a purpose. As long as the episode was framed in a way that was palatable, I was all for it. I always saw it as a greatest hits reel, and if there was a solid framing device, it was a great way to revisit some of the best moments from any given series.
But there’s more to Clip Shows than meets the eye. They were important to a series’ health in a world where DVDs weren’t yet ubiquitous, and home media consumption hadn’t exploded into what it is today. In the streaming era, the idea of a clip show is rightfully preposterous. That’s why Friends, which concluded its run in 2004, used them often, while How I Met Your Mother, which debuted in 2005, mostly avoided them outside of the occasional flashback-heavy episode.
What’s The Point Of A Clip Show?
Home Improvement had some of the best Clip Shows because they were framed around Tim Taylor’s horrible decision-making. Season 4 featured two back-to-back clip shows, “Tool Time After Dark: Parts 1 & 2.” The series had just hit its stride and quickly became appointment viewing for millions of American families. But writers get tired, cast and crew members need downtime, budgets get stretched thin, and the show must go on.
So how did Home Improvement handle it?
Tim eats too much Polish food, gets laid out on the couch, and spends both episodes wrapped in blankets, drinking antacid through a bendy straw while watching reruns of Tool Time. It’s a clip show done right. It’s essentially a bottle episode that only really required Tim Allen on set for a majority of its runtime, saving on payroll toward the end of Season 4. It’s also a clean framing device that lets casual viewers catch up on the show’s best moments.
Budget And Back-End Sales
Clip Shows served two very specific purposes: saving money and marketing.
Star Trek: The Next Generation’s first and only clip show, Season 2’s “Shades of Gray,” was famously hated by fans, but it was born out of necessity. The showrunners spent so much of the season’s budget building elaborate set pieces for episodes like “Elementary, Dear Data” and “Q Who,” that they didn’t have enough funds to properly finish the season. The result is an episode centered around William T. Riker experiencing flashbacks to earlier events in the series. It’s widely considered one of the show’s worst episodes, but those earlier episodes helped introduce the Borg into franchise canon. Sounds like a fair trade-off in the grand scheme of things
Series like Home Improvement, The Simpsons, and Friends used Clip Shows differently. This was the sitcom golden age, when serialization wasn’t required. Sure, there was continuity from season to season, but for the most part, you could jump into a random episode and follow along just fine. It was during a time when clip shows ruled the land.
Clip Shows Thrived In A Pre-DVD Era
Clip Shows offered a crash course in a series’ best moments for casual viewers. Circling back to Home Improvement in its fourth season, anyone just getting into the show had to decide whether they wanted to start from scratch with reruns through syndication. DVDs were introduced in the U.S. in 1997, but most households didn’t adopt them until the early to mid 2000s.
And why would they? After decades of collecting VHS tapes, switching to an unproven format meant dropping a significant amount of cash on something that wasn’t yet proven by the market. Early, primitive DVD players cost up to $600, and then you still had to buy the DVDs in order to watch anything on them.
Networks wanted more eyes on their shows, and VHS tapes could only hold a handful of episodes. The Simpsons had specialty tapes like Treehouse of Horror collections, but full-season releases weren’t really a thing yet, and if they were during the VHS era, we’d all have to rent storage units to contain them. If you were tuning into Home Improvement for the first time and caught “Tool Time After Dark” by happenstance, you’d get everything you needed. Tim’s reckless habits, his ongoing dietary mishaps, and a highlight reel of Tool Time disasters.
Clip Shows were a sizzle reel. They were basically saying, “If you like any of this, there’s plenty more where that came from. Stick around.” Clip Shows were the greatest hits albums of network television, and in this context they thrived.
Changes In Consumption Habits Killed The Clip Show
Once DVDs proved they were here to stay, Clip Shows disappeared almost overnight. There was no need for them. Consumers could buy entire seasons at a reasonable price and own them forever. If you wanted to turn someone into a fan, you didn’t need a sampler platter. You could just show them a handful of great episodes from your DVD collection.
Then, in 2005, YouTube launched. Early on, it was mostly home videos and clips from shows like Family Guy that people wanted to pass around via email; it made sharing standout moments even easier.
As home media became more accessible, Clip Shows became unnecessary. Good shows marketed themselves through word of mouth. The streaming era brought us shorter, more serialized seasons, making them even less practical. They worked in an episodic format where you could mix and match, but when you’re dealing with season-long story arcs, there’s no clean way to justify them.
These days, If I want to introduce a friend to The Simpsons, which is nearing 40 years worth of episodes, I’m not throwing on “So It’s Come To This: A Simpsons Clip Show.” I’m pulling up Disney+ or digging through my physical media and making them watch “Bart on the Road,” “You Only Move Twice,” and “Duffless.”
But kids today, watching a clip show out of context on streaming, will never understand how differently we consumed media in the 90s and early 2000s, or how necessary clip shows were for getting people hooked on a series in the first place.
Entertainment
Tons of Fitbits are on sale ahead of Prime Day
Best early Prime Day Fitbit deals at a glance:
Amazon’s Prime Day sales event is right around the corner (I can’t believe it’s that time of year again!), and I’m genuinely shocked by the deals we’re seeing this early in the game.
Usually, Amazon doesn’t put Fitbits on sale until the very last minute, and then they’re gone. (And some years, they don’t go on sale at all.) But right now, we’re seeing all-time lows on select Fitbit models, including the Charge 6.
Here are the best early Prime Day Fitbit deals you can shop right now:
Best deal overall
$99.95
at Amazon
$159.95
Save $60.00
Why we like it
The Fitbit Charge 6 isn’t the newest Fitbit on the market, but it still has (almost) everything you’d need in a smart wearable. (I say almost because the Fitbit Charge 6 doesn’t have an altimeter, but if you’re not a trail runner, this probably isn’t a deal breaker.)
The Charge 6 tracks your calories, steps, sleep, heart rate, and more. It also has built-in GPS, 40+ exercise modes, a seven-day battery life, and includes a three-month Google Health Premium (formerly Fitbit Premium) membership. Once the three months are up, you’ll need to either cancel or renew for $9.99 per month or $99.99 annually.
Mashable Trend Report
Right now, you can get the Fitbit Charge 6 for $99.95 at Amazon. This is the lowest price we’ve tracked on this model since its release in 2023.
Best runner-up deal
Why we like it
If you’re willing to spend a little bit more, the Fitbit Versa 4 is on sale for $149.95. This isn’t the lowest price we’ve seen (it was $104.96 in April 2024), but it’s still a pretty good deal.
Unlike the Charge 6, the Versa 4 has an altimeter and Bluetooth wrist calling. So, if you’re looking for a wearable that acts more like a smartwatch, the Versa 4 might be the better buy. That said, it doesn’t have the more “serious” health sensor that the Charge 6 does (e.g., ECG and EDA).
The Versa 4 also comes with three months of Google Health Premium.
Best budget deal
$79.95
at Walmart
$89.95
Save $10
Why we like it
If you’re just looking for something that’s affordable and efficient, the Fitbit Inspire 3 is your best option at $79.95.
It’s a no-frills fitness tracker that’ll give you the basic features you need to stay on top of your health. It can track your heart rate, steps, and stress levels. (It also offers menstrual health tracking, which is nice.)
You’ll also get 10 full days of battery life and, like the other models mentioned above, three free months of Google Health Premium.
Entertainment
20+ book deals Im sending to the group chat before Prime Day even begins
Table of Contents
The best early Prime Day book deals at a glance:
It’s nearly Amazon Prime Day, which officially runs from June 23 through 26, but if you don’t feel like waiting, there’s already plenty of live deals to shop.
Besides offering three free months of both Kindle Unlimited and Audible to new subscribers, Amazon also has some pretty great discounts on books themselves. I’m not usually one to recommend purchasing physical books via Amazon (support local book stores!), but it’s pretty hard to pass up a 50% price drop on a book you’ve had on your TBR.
Amazon Editors just dropped the 20 best books of 2026 (so far) — find out what made the list
I’m tracking some of the best deals on physical books and e-books at Amazon ahead of the official Prime Day kick off, but remember to check back for more once things start ramping up.
Best early Prime Day hardcover book deal
$14.67
at Amazon
$30
Save $15.33
with on-page coupon
Why we like it
Named one of the best books of 2026 so far by Amazon Book Editors, Crux is an “exhilarating, tender novel about an unlikely friendship forged through a shared love of rock climbing,” according to Amazon Editor Abby Abell. Thanks to an on-page coupon at Amazon, you can add the hardcover version to your home library for less than half its usual cost.
More hardcover book deals
Best early Prime Day paperback book deal
$7.50
at Amazon
$19.95
Save $12.45
Why we like it
A classic trope of two abducted girls, only one returns and one doesn’t, The Girl Who Was Taken is a psychological thriller by Charlie Donlea where nothing is as it seems. Typically around $20, you can pick up the paperback version for only $7.50 at Amazon ahead of Prime Day. That’s just a few cents away from its lowest price ever.
Mashable Deals
More paperback book deals
Best early Prime Day Kindle book deal
$2.99
at Amazon
$18.99
Save $16.00
Why we like it
I highly recommend grabbing this twisty psychological thriller from internationally best-selling author Steve Cavanagh while the Kindle version is only $2.99. Kill For Me Kill For You follows two women seeking revenge against the men who killed their daughters. Over drinks one night, they decide to swap murders, but things don’t go exactly as planned.
More Kindle book deals
Entertainment
Red Drink for Juneteenth
Amber Mayfield Hewett loves a good party. Not “good” in the sense that there were enough chairs and everyone liked the dip (though a killer dip and a place to sit definitely don’t hurt). To Amber, a good party is one where everyone in the room feels like they belong — no one feels like a plus-one or wonders if they should’ve stayed home. “In my early twenties, I was living in Harlem and working as an assistant at a TV network,” she explains in her new book, Your Turn to Host. “I loved going out, exploring the restaurant scene and private clubs… But something always felt missing. Even though I was surrounded by people all the time, I felt lonely.”
So, Amber started her own supper club, hosting dinners as a way to create community. “The first dinner was 24 people — roommates, co-workers, people I’d met out in the city,” she says. “Everyone walked in as strangers, but as the night went on, they were laughing and swapping stories like old friends.” Her supper club has since grown into a full-time career, and as of this week, a book — a guide to hosting meaningful gatherings of all kinds: Friendsgiving potlucks, Sunday suppers, and of course, cookouts.
“At the core, cookouts are a way for your village to come together,” Amber explains. “I keep an open-door policy for kids and friends of friends. And to me, cookouts are synonymous with freedom because of the holidays typically celebrated with them, including Juneteenth.” In her book, Amber offers a full guide for a Juneteenth cookout — everything from grilling tips to lawn games, as well as her own recipe for traditional Red Drink. “On Juneteenth, it’s customary to serve red foods and beverages,” she says. “Red is a symbol of the profound sacrifice and resilience of African American people.” Amber’s recipe starts with a classic sorrel-syrup base (“You can use the same technique to make other syrups, like lavender or elderflower”) and is spiked with a cup of rum. “You can easily omit the booze if you prefer a non-alcoholic version,” she adds. “The drink is delicious and refreshing on its own.” Here’s how to make it…
Red Drink
Serves 15
From Your Turn to Host by Amber Mayfield Hewett
Sorrel Syrup:
4 cups (1 L) water
1 1/2 cups (300 g) sugar
1 cup (1 1/2 oz/40 g) cut and sifted dried hibiscus flowers
2 cinnamon sticks
Punch:
2 (2 L) bottles club soda
1 cup (240 ml) dark rum
Juice of 2 large lemons
Ice cubes
4 lemons, sliced into wheels and seeded, for garnish
Make the syrup: In a medium pot, combine the water and sugar. Bring to a boil over a medium-high heat, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Add the hibiscus flowers and cinnamon sticks, and stir until the flowers start to soften. Reduce the heat to medium to maintain a gentle boil. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the syrup is deep red in color and infused with a floral flavor (about 20 minutes). Remove from the heat and let stand for 5 minutes.
Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, pressing on the solids to extract all the liquid; discard the solids. Let the syrup cool completely before using or storing (about 30 minutes). The sorrel syrup can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Make the punch: In a large punch bowl, stir together the club soda, 1 cup (240 ml) of the sorrel syrup, rum, and lemon juice to combine. (Amber notes: “If you’re skipping the rum, and want a little more flavor, you can add a splash of lemonade or a berry-flavored sparkling water.”) Serve with ice and garnish with lemon wheels.
Big thanks to Amber for sharing this recipe with us! You can find TONS of party recipes and hosting tips in her book and newsletter.
P.S. Five easy party foods, and a monochromatic fruit salad.
(Top photo by Xiana Gutierrez. Excerpted from Your Turn to Host by Amber Mayfield Hewett, published by Artisan Books. Copyright © 2026.)
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