5 Hilarious Tax Day Episodes From ‘Roseanne,’ ‘Seinfeld’ and More

Tom Selleck as Magnum P.I.

The tax man waits for no one — not you, not your neighbors, not even some of your favorite TV characters. Now that the deadline is here, you can celebrate (or medicate?) by watching these familiar faces crunch the numbers.

THE DICK VAN DYKE SHOW

“Your Home Sweet Home Is My Home” (Season 4, Episode 24)

Netflix, Amazon Video
It’s tax time for TV writer Rob Petrie (Dick Van Dyke), and his mystified accountant wants to know why he gives his buddy Jerry (Jerry Paris) a check for $37.50 every year. The hilariously detailed answer (in flashback) involves then-pregnant wife Laura (Mary Tyler Moore), real estate, and one gargantuan rock.

THE ODD COUPLE

“The Ides of April” (Season 3, Episode 16)

CBS All Access
During a trivial visit to the IRS, January 2 filer Felix Unger (Tony Randall) lets slip that roommate Oscar Madison (Jack Klugman) is lax about his taxes. You don’t need an MBA to figure out what happens next. At least disheveled divorcé Oscar learns alimony counts as a deductible!

MAGNUM, P.I.

“Death and Taxes” (Season 7, Episode 6)

Starz app
What gets Hawaii private detective Thomas Magnum (Tom Selleck) literally hot and bothered? Preparing for an audit over Fourth of July weekend. Well, that and the kook who keeps calling to pose nursery-rhyme riddles about the murders he’s planning.

ROSEANNE

“April Fool’s Day” (Season 2, Episode 22)

Amazon Prime, Amazon Video
Uncle Sam is waiting—and a befuddled Roseanne (Roseanne Barr) and Dan (John Goodman) are procrastinating. They end up at the IRS, where Roseanne calls a staffer a “pencil-pushing geek.” At the episode’s end, Goodman himself breaks the fourth wall to assure viewers he’s a tax-paying citizen who respects the government.

SEINFELD

“The Truth” (Season 3, Episode 2)

Hulu, Amazon Video
Hmmm, maybe comedian Jerry (Jerry Seinfeld) shouldn’t have donated 50 bucks to that Volcano Relief Fund to impress gal pal Elaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) on their first date. The charity was a fraud, so he’s being audited. Serenity now!