#3: If there's nothing to say, talk about YOURSELF!

Seinfeld has proven to be an excellent example of a self-referential TV sitcom. We witnessed the proposal of "the show about nothing" while watching "The Pitch" as well as "The Ticket". In both of these episodes of Seinfeld the writers demonstrate a clever way to relate back to the audience in order to make them laugh. Another interesting TV show where self reference is evident is Fox's The Simpsons- the cartoon which features a family of yellow characters who live their everyday lives. This show refers back to its audience by using the simple act of watching TV in nearly every episode aired. A more specific example is the episode "Bart's Girlfriend", where Bart questions why a girl doesn't feel an attraction to him. He goes on to ask himself if it is his hair, his teeth, or maybe the fact that he wears the same clothes everyday. This is a great example of self-referential humor because, indeed, the Simpsons family is illustrated with the same clothes in every episode. Another episode where The Simpsons features self-reference is "Bart Gets Famous", in which Bart becomes famous for creating a catchphrase on television. The episode ties in several humorous references to the show's own success with creating catchphrases.