Have you ever stopped to think about how your favorite TV characters … take care of business? Some shows will include Bathroom scenes for character development or to add suspense to the plot. But, script writers most often assume we just don’t want to know – and they might be right. The sanitation habits of characters in popular TV shows, when they’re addressed at all, vary depending on their personalities, where they live, who they live with, and what time period they live in. Even if you’ve never noticed these habits, the bathroom is just as important to some of these characters as it is for us.

Spartacus: Gods of the Arena

In ancient Rome, taking care of personal business in the bathroom was not considered a private task. Unlike today, bathroom privacy was not a common practice or privilege.

In the STARZ original series, Spartacus, public toilets in ancient Rome were places for socializing. Bathroom goers could sit on the bench-like toilets, use the bathroom, and carry on conversations with people sitting across from them.  There were no stall doors or walls to give a person any privacy. Picture yourself in a conference room sitting at a table surrounded by your colleagues. Now picture you and your colleagues sitting around the same table, but this time everyone is having a bowel movement and you will have some idea of what it was like to use a public toilet in ancient Rome. Yeesh.

The Walking Dead

Have you noticed that the characters in The Walking Dead are rarely filmed in the bathroom?  The characters don’t seem at worried enough about their personal hygiene when living in a world with an infectious virus turning people into zombies.  After killing a zombie, you might expect to see characters at least wash the blood off their hands to keep from being infected.  When and where do they take care of their personal business? One could speculate that each character holds it until they go off on journeys alone. One thing for sure is that using the bathroom in a post-apocalyptic world can’t be pleasant.

The Big Bang Theory

On the hit show The Big Bang Theory, the two nerdy characters, Leonard and Sheldon, live together in an apartment in Pasadena, Calif. When it comes to the best bathroom sanitation efforts on TV, Sheldon takes the cake.

Sheldon keeps a UV sterilization box in the bathroom to keep his toothbrush germ-free as various bathroom activities ensue. He controls mirror splatter from brushing and flossing by marking the appropriate distance one should stand from the sink with a strip of tape on the floor, and he keeps a squeegee close, just in case some mirror wiping is necessary.  He also marks a standing spot in front of the toilet to prevent urine from ending up on the floor. While keeping a clean bathroom is definitely important, his rituals go above and beyond.

Game of Thrones

Bathrooms in Game of Thrones are among the most elegant on TV today. Who wouldn’t love a bathroom with high ceilings, marble columns, and pool-sized bathtubs? Having a few servants around to bring grapes to you while you soak in the tub is not a bad idea, either. Now you can actually buy a sword throne toilet decal to make you feel like you’re sitting on a throne from the show.