The Death (and Rebirth) of TV Comedy
Some time ago, a friend of mine pointed out the ridiculousness of the sitcom format. “Why do they have to add a laugh track?” he would say. “Why do we have to be told what’s funny?” “Why can’t a sitcom just be funny on its own?” and so forth.
To be sure, he has a point. Not that television shows (or movies for that matter) are known for their realism, but the world inside a sitcom in particular is a completely fabricated, unnatural environment. People’s living spaces, apartments, workplaces are all arranged with furniture on one side of the room and people always face in the same direction, in that mysterious space (the elusive Fourth Wall) unoccupied and unrecognized by an character, prop, or other object. This, of course, comes from the proscenium of any theatre, but instead of just a live audience, there are simultaneously shooting cameras. All television programs were once performed live before the advent of video tape.
And then there’s that disembodied laughter like the commentary of the gods or the chorus unbeknownst to the mortal players. This too comes from live theatre and vaudeville through live radio shows, which were the predecessors of the original situation comedies on television. In fact, the sitcom may be the last remaining link we have to vaudeville in the mainstream.
However, when compared to the format that television drama has evolved into—much further away then its initial roots in live television—sitcoms seem very quaint and, in many ways, outdated.
I have always enjoyed the sitcom format myself. This may come from my own love of live theatre. Also, I still enjoy watching old reruns of “Seinfeld” and “Friends”. Seeing these shows in syndication, even if they are episodes I’ve never seen before, they seem like perfectly natural creations. But now, whenever I see a new sitcom on television, it just does not look right.
Those that know me have heard my undying praise of “Scrubs” and “Arrested Development”, both what are referred to as “single camera” shows (as opposed to “three camera” shows like the average sitcom), but even these two shows are different in their approach. While “Scrubs” is shot like a comedic film, “Arrested Development” is almost mockumentary in nature. For me, it was a sad day when “Arrested” was cancelled, because it was to me the most innovative comedy on television, which has so few good comedies to begin with.
I have also become a fan of “My Name is Earl” as well as the American “The Office” which I was very skeptical of at first because of my love of the Ricky Gervais BBC original. But it was watching these shows more regularly that made it very strange for me to watch a run of the mill sitcom again. Just the other night, I had tuned in to “My Name is Earl” and waited for it’s usual follow up “The Office” when, instead of seeing Steve Carell in all his hilarity, I was treated to a sitcom called “Teachers” in its usual time slot.
It was so jarring seeing an old fashioned sitcom, it was actually difficult to watch. I will admit that I did not watch much more than a couple minutes of the show, which may not be a fair assessment, but to be honest, I just didn’t find it as entertaining as “Scrubs” or “The Office” and I just couldn’t swallow the sitcom format anymore. Maybe, I’m just ruined by the success of these great one-camera shows, or maybe it is an issue of quality after all, but I just can’t go back.
There have not been many great comedies on television lately. Everyone is talking about reality shows (though hopefully for not much longer) and long-format dramas like “Lost” or “24”. It’s about time Those Whom Are Responsible For Everything finally reinvent the TV comedy and stop forcing out tired old sitcoms. This isn’t to say sitcoms can’t be good. I still enjoy those reruns of “Friends” and “Seinfeld” but it’s about time we had something fresh and funny on television again.
But then, I’m reminded of that old joke about why television is called a medium… It’s neither rare nor well done.