Ellen (1994)
Ellen is an American television sitcom that aired on the ABC network from March 29, 1994 to July 22, 1998, consisting of 109 episodes. The title role of Ellen Morgan, played by stand-up comedian Ellen DeGeneres, was a neurotic bookstore owner in her thirties. The series centered on Ellen's dealing with her quirky friends, her family and the problems of daily life. The series is notable for being the first one in which the main character came out as gay, which DeGeneres' character did in the 1997 episode "Puppy Episode". This event received a great deal of media exposure, ignited controversy, and prompted ABC to place a parental advisory at the beginning of each episode. The series' theme song, "So Called Friend" is by Scottish band Texas. A running gag was that each episode had a distinct opening credits sequence, resulting from Ellen's ongoing search for the perfect opening credits.
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Episode 1 - The Dentist
Release Date: 1994-09-21Paige refers Ellen to a handsome dentist and Ellen hopes the professional visit might lead to a personal relationship. However, her serious flirtations have unexpected results when a few whiffs of laughing gas unleash her primal instincts. Meanwhile, Adam can't seem to decide whether he wants to date a woman or not.
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Episode 2 - Saint Ellen
Release Date: 1994-09-28When Ellen learns that the show-biz party she crashed was for charity, she tries to make amends by going on a volunteering binge.
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Episode 3 - The Thirty-Minute Man
Release Date: 1994-10-05Ellen flips for a customer whose visits to the bookstore spice up her life, but her rising hopes for romance fall flat when she learns he's a pizza delivery man who savors his work.
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Episode 4 - The Note
Release Date: 1994-10-12Stumbling upon evidence that someone in her reading group dislikes her, a downcast Ellen stoops to spying in order to root out and win over the malcontent.
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Episode 5 - The Fix-Up
Release Date: 1994-10-19When Ellen's blind date, whom she remembers as a childhood weirdo, turns out to be a perfectly normal guy, she's eager to pursue the relationship, but a series of complications convinces him that she's the one who's strange.
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Episode 6 - So Funny
Release Date: 1994-10-26Ellen feels threatened by Adam's visiting friend, Theresa, whose humor rivals her own. But when Ellen sees her own jealousy drive her comic competitor away, she literally flies to make amends.
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Episode 7 - The Toast
Release Date: 1994-11-09When Ellen hosts the wedding rehearsal dinner for her brother and his bride-to-be, she unintentionally causes their breakup.
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Episode 8 - Adam's Birthday
Release Date: 1994-11-16Convinced that Ellen is limiting his potential, Adam moves out, leaving Ellen with limitless possibilities as to what to do with his vacant room.
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Episode 9 - The Trainer
Release Date: 1994-11-23To help Paige appease her demanding movie-producer boss, Ellen pretends to be his exercise trainer. But when the boss offers Ellen a development job, Paige has a fit.
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Episode 10 - Mrs. Koger
Release Date: 1994-11-30Ellen speaks her mind to her cranky old neighbor who then dies. Meanwhile, she hires a pushy new bookstore manager with a history of mental problems.
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Episode 11 - Ellen's New Friend
Release Date: 1994-12-07Ellen tries to make a new friend without offending Audrey, the person who introduced them. Meanwhile, Adam inherits historical family letters.
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Episode 12 - The Christmas Show
Release Date: 1994-12-14Ellen's holidays are bittersweet, thanks to an acerbic new employee and a sugarcoated suitor. Meanwhile, Paige agonizes over what to get her overly sensitive mother for Christmas.
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Episode 13 - Ellen's Improvement
Release Date: 1995-01-04Ellen goes on a scholastic kick to expand her cultural horizons, and impresses an attractive college professor along the way. Meanwhile, unlikely lovebirds Joe and Stephanie move in together--at the bookstore.
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Episode 14 - The Apartment Hunt
Release Date: 1995-01-11Ellen is determined to help Audrey find an apartment, as far away from hers as possible. Meanwhile, Paige dates an alternate juror for a high-profile Hollywood trial and Adam tries to catch a newspaper thief.
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Episode 15 - The Spa
Release Date: 1995-01-25Paige persuades Ellen to relieve stress at a health spa, but the rigorous regime creates tension between them. Meanwhile, Adam tries to broaden his circle of friends, starting with Joe.
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Episode 16 - Ballet Class
Release Date: 1995-02-08Determined to fulfill a childhood dream, Ellen takes ballet lessons and sets her sights on dancing the lead in her class recital.
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Episode 17 - Guns 'N Ellen
Release Date: 1995-02-15After her apartment is robbed, Ellen goes on a safety spree, but her obsession with security makes her a model of insecurity.
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Episode 18 - The Sleep Clinic
Release Date: 1995-02-22When Ellen starts losing sleep over her erotic dreams about Adam, she goes into therapy. However, Audrey is having fantasies about Adam also, vowing to make them reality.
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Episode 19 - Gladiators
Release Date: 1995-03-01Ellen reluctantly becomes a contestant on American Gladiators, then becomes fighting mad when her female combatant, Ice, ruins her budding romance with gladiator Nitro.
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Episode 20 - $5,000
Release Date: 1995-03-22Ellen feels like an angel when she donates her tax refund to charity, but she has a devil of a time recouping the cash when Uncle Sam demands it back.
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Episode 21 - Three Strikes
Release Date: 1995-03-29Ellen joins an animal rights group, gets thrown in jail and winds up in the custody of her parents.
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Episode 22 - The Therapy Episode
Release Date: 1995-05-03Ellen feels guilty about lying to her mother, but when her therapist prescribes a dose of total honesty, the truth proves to be more than the family bargained for.
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Episode 23 - Thirty Kilo Man (1)
Release Date: 1995-05-10Ellen rekindles her romance with ex-boyfriend Dan, who returns from Rome with a brilliant new career. However, Ellen soon discovers that his venture involves a shady substance.
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Episode 24 - Thirty Kilo Man (2)
Release Date: 1995-05-17Ellen's relationship with Dan heats up, Adam caves in to Audrey's burning desire, and Paige feels left out in the cold.