Not all bottle episodes are bad, but the worst examples of this television tradition have earned their poor reputations. Historically, bottle episodes were a TV staple wherein writers came up with a story limited to a few established locations and cast members. A cost-saving practicality, bottle episodes became almost as infamous as clip shows among television aficionados. Theoretically, their budgetary constraints could have sparked creativity in the writer’s room. However, more often than not, bottle episodes were viewed as filler. That's changed in recent decades.