The beloved sitcom is a staple of American television, gracing audiences with wacky antics and eccentric characters. The first ever sitcom to air in the U.S. was Mary Kay and Johnny, which told the tale of a newlywed couple navigating life together. Since then, the roots of the sitcom genre have expanded. Seinfeld, which aired between 1989-1998, is recognized as the most successful sitcom, accumulating over $3 billion in profits. Following its success, Friends aired and helped to contribute to the rising culture of sitcom fans.
Today, while there is still lots of comedy entertainment to be found, the traditional sitcom concept has become almost non-existent. The formulaic outline for sitcoms has become tired and societal changes have brought a new freshness to the genre. The traditional sitcom, which was once known to depict a nuclear family and cheesy laugh tracks, has been replaced. Now, audiences perceive comedy differently, which is reflected in the television we consume.
To truly understand the evolution of these shows, it’s important to understand what defines a sitcom. There is no one true answer and as mentioned, this is a genre that has certainly changed and will continue to make cultural shifts. However, some important distinctions can be made. Of course, sitcoms must be comedic. The term itself stands for situational comedy, and is defined as a series that “involves a continuing cast of characters in a succession of comedic circumstances.”
Generally, sitcoms have a shorter episode length spanning between 15-30 minutes, but this can vary. The characters are connected through some type of family, friend or workplace relationship. Additionally, the formula of a sitcom episode generally depicts one main plotline, followed by two minor subplots. However, this entails the content of the show itself, which can take on many forms.
While many of these characteristics have stayed the same over time, or have just wavered from the standard slightly, one of the bigger changes that have been seen is through the cinematography of sitcoms. Multi-camera sitcoms, as the term entails, are told through the lens of multiple cameras set throughout the stage that actors are performing on.
While you may not recognize a show from its use of cinematography, this style is more recognizable by its live studio audience. Shows like Friends, Seinfeld and The Big Bang Theory, which are all recognized as more “traditional” sitcoms, were filmed in front of live audiences. Because of this, the multi-camera format is often compared to live theater. Although it is being recorded and edited, actors are still performing for an audience and must follow specific cues to align their staging and delivery.
On the other hand, there is the single-camera format. This is more aligned with the way movies are filmed. Using a single camera style, TV shows follow the structure of a storyboard and generally omit the use of a studio audience or recorded laugh track. These differences may not seem too drastic, but they can entirely shift the writing, acting and overall essence of a sitcom. For example, multi-camera shows are reliant on an audience or laugh track, meaning actors are trained to pause and wait for laughter. Single-camera shows are not affected by this so audiences are given the responsibility of determining what is funny, seeing as there is no signal for them to laugh. Because of this, the humor in a single-camera show can come off as much more subtle.
This style of cinematography became more present in the 2000s. Although single-camera comedies existed earlier than this, such as M*A*S*H, which premiered in 1972, newer shows completely changed the formatting that we associate sitcoms with. Popular series such as The Office, Parks and Recreation and Arrested Development, are all known for their use of a single-camera structure.
However, these shows leaned into the style and ushered the popularity of sitcom mockumentaries. This brought a change in the way that audiences watch and perceive television. By having the characters become aware that they were being taped and granting them the ability to break the fourth wall, it brought an entirely new sense of irony to the genre. These shows have become especially popular and amassed cult followings which have shown audiences how the sitcom dynamic is changing.
Another major shift from the traditional sitcom to TV today can be recognized through the abandonment of laugh tracks. Adding pre-recorded laughter to shows started in the 1950s as a way to better manage the timing and impact of jokes. Rather than worrying about a joke landing, or if laughter went on for too long or too little, the sound engineer Charles Douglass created Laff Box— a library depicting hundreds of human sounds. The type of laughter, as well as the volume and duration, could be manipulated through means of sound engineering. With this invention, the laugh track became wildly popular throughout television history. Despite its popularity, canned laughter was still subject to criticism, with actor and producer David Niven calling it “the single greatest affront to public intelligence.”
Today, this sentiment is more aligned with current television, seeing as laugh tracks have practically diminished. Instead, a new era of comedy is found, focusing more on incorporating useful silence. To emphasize the awkwardness of a scene, shows have entirely abandoned the laugh track to promote a dryer sense of humor. Now, audiences are expected to immerse themselves in the plot of a show and naturally react to offbeat situations. The comedic contributions of shows like The Office and 30 Rock have become especially influential in the type of humor we see today.
As television continues to evolve, the sitcom will follow and adapt. While it has faced many changes, it’s clear that the broader concept of these shows, which are inclined to bring tiny moments of laughter into a person’s day, is much needed. No matter how much time goes by, or how different our lives may be, the sitcom is here to stay.
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