When I’ve had a long day, I don’t want something introspective, edgy or emotionally devastating. I want to laugh! That’s why I have always loved sitcoms. I’ve watched almost all of them, spanning different decades, including “Leave It to Beaver,” “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” “Friends,” “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,” “The Office,” “Parks and Recreation,” “Arrested Development,” “Community” and the list goes on. I crave the kind of show that leaves me feeling lighter than before I started watching it. Lately, those shows have become increasingly hard to find.
Today, we search streaming platforms for relief from the tension of our current world, but we are met with television that is often mislabeled as comedy. “The Bear” is listed as a comedy, and while it is one of my favorites for being well-written, beautifully acted and incredibly constructed, it is not a show that makes me laugh. The same goes for “The White Lotus,” which is marketed as a comedy but is centered around social critique and psychological discomfort rather than humor. These are great shows, but they don’t provide the same warmth as sitcoms. Calling them comedies reflects how skewed our definition of that word has become.
There was a time when sitcoms weren’t replicatory throwbacks or guilty pleasures, but genuine cultural staples. They were reliable shows that you could return to for comfort, managing to deliver social commentary or self-awareness without sacrificing the comedic aspect. Now, it feels like comedies have to justify themselves by being sad, dark or “elevated.”
Binge culture probably has something to do with this phenomenon. Short, high-intensity seasons are easier to consume when there is tension, trauma or plot twists to keep you immersed in the storyline. Sitcoms, with their episodic structure and slower rhythm, aren’t as easy to rapidly devour. In an age where many people watch TV while simultaneously scrolling through their phones, shows that can be left on in the background, like sitcoms, are often dismissed. Prestige television, on the other hand, demands full attention, forcing viewers to put their phones down and stay engaged. This results in networks continuing to create shows that can capture the short-spanned attention of their audiences. It’s also possible that audiences grew tired of the traditional format and writers leaned too heavily into parodying older shows, resulting in a formulaic feel that diminishes the original charm of sitcoms.
Older sitcoms were well-written, cleverly acted and emotionally resonant. Modern attempts often feel hollow in comparison, as if they are coasting on nostalgia or written for a senior audience. That’s why some recent, well-executed sitcoms feel like a revelation. Take “Abbott Elementary.” It’s original, funny and emotionally honest without being heavy. This show proves that there is still a place for the sitcom when it is crafted with real intention and heart, offering hope that the genre isn’t dead, just waiting for the right creators to revive it.
Sitcoms tell human stories without being overbearing. They don’t need to be revolutionary. Their unique gift lies in their ability to unite people through warmth and humor. I miss the catharsis that accompanied 20-something minutes of full-body, hearty laughter, and I know I’m not the only one. Right now, when so much of what we consume is heavy, chaotic or draining, we need stories that offer levity without sacrificing quality. We need a revitalization of the sitcom.