Unexpected musical episodes of our favorite shows happen all the time, and over the years a number of popular shows have jumped on this wagon and ridden it off into a note-filled sunset. The popular sci-fi/action series Fringe just kicked off their own musical episode, and Glee has obviously raised the bar, which got me to thinking about some of my own favorite musical episodes.

When watching Xena: Warrior Princess, one of the last things you might expect is for Xena and Gabrielle to burst into song, but it happened. Not once, but twice during the epic run of the series. I remember the first time I heard they were going to do a musical episode. I laughed, but it was actually pretty cool.

I did not start watching Scrubs until it had been on the air for a long time.

I never even saw the musical episode until a couple weeks ago. As far as absurdity goes, the clip from the Scrubs episode will tickle funny bones if you’re into potty humor. In the end, we all know everything comes down to poo.

Remember Malcolm in the Middle? Who would have ever expected a musical episode from that show? Well, there was one. When the boys’ parents won’t stop fighting, next-to-youngest brother, Dewey, composes an opera about Hal and Lois’s epic battle over a king-sized bed. Sadly, I could not find a video clip of this anywhere and am sorely disappointed I can’t share it with you.

Only the creators of The Simpsons would be clever enough to turn Planet of the Apes into a musical. Troy McClure makes his big comeback to the stage by appearing in “Stop the Planet of the Apes, I Want to Get Off.” Every time I hear the Dr. Zaius song, I walk around singing it for days. “What’s wrong with me, I think you’re crazy, want a second opinion, you’re also lazy!”

One of the best musical crossovers I’ve ever seen was Buffy the Vampire Slayer’s “Once More With Feeling” episode. Sunnydale comes under a strange magical spell where all of the residents constantly burst into Broadway musical type numbers, and the Scoobies aren’t exempt. Every song on this episode is so catchy that I only need to see it once and I’m walking around singing it for months afterward. If you’ve never seen “Once More With Feeling,” you’ll definitely want to check it out.

Dozens of popular series, from sitcoms and dramas to action and cartoons, have taken advantage of our love for music. Sometimes they manage to pull it off, creating memorable episodes that go down in history. Other times it’s not as great as we’d have liked it to be, but I still give them an A for effort.