Friends (1994)

The One Where No One's Ready (season 3, 1996) Ross needs everyone dressed and out the door for his big work event, and the episode never leaves Monica and Rachel's living room, dining area and kitchen until the closing tag. It plays out in real time, which turns every delay into a countdown the audience feels. The confinement is what lets the small stuff escalate: Joey and Chandler's feud over a seat spirals into hiding and wearing each other's clothes, while Monica frets over a message from Richard. It was conceived to save money, yet it plays as one of the series' sharpest half-hours, and it is the easiest way to show a newcomer what a bottle episode is.