bottle episode

American  

[bot-l ep-uh-sohd] / ˈbɒt l ˈɛp əˌsoʊd /

noun

1. an episode of a television series set in a single limited or confined location, such as a hotel room or a broken elevator, and often using only a few regular cast members, sometimes undertaken as a cost-cutting measure or as a creative challenge.

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Etymology

Origin of bottle episode

First recorded in 2000–05; perhaps modeled on ship in a bottle or to bottle up

Example Sentences

In future episodes, we will speak with buyers considering alternatives such as 3D-printed homes or a summerhouse in their parents’ backyard, and with renters opting out of homeownership entirely.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 22, 2026

Join us on Facebook and email us at [email protected] to ask us new questions, tell us what you thought of today’s show, and give us ideas about what we should talk about in future episodes.

From Slate • Nov. 6, 2025

It remains to be seen how thoughtfully the show will navigate these issues in future episodes, but the shift so far signals at least an attempt to course-correct after the missteps of Season 1.

From New York Times • Jun. 22, 2023

More than a few times, Maurice faked illness to evade school and instead watch his mother live on the set, before coming home to watch sealed tapes of future episodes before they aired.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 18, 2023

To: [email protected] Subject: Scripting your future episodes Reply-To: [email protected] …. verbiage … The full text of the message is returned intact, including any headers that were added.

From Zen and the Art of the Internet by Kehoe, Brendan P.