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A sitcom (short for situation comedy or situational comedy) is a
genre Genre () is any style or form of communication in any mode (written, spoken, digital, artistic, etc.) with socially agreed-upon conventions developed over time. In popular usage, it normally describes a category of literature, music, or other fo ...
of
comedy Comedy is a genre of dramatic works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. Origins Comedy originated in ancient Greec ...
produced for
radio Radio is the technology of communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 3  hertz (Hz) and 300  gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmitter connec ...
and
television Television (TV) is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. Additionally, the term can refer to a physical television set rather than the medium of transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...
, that centers on a recurring cast of characters as they navigate humorous situations within a consistent setting, such as a home, workplace, or community. Unlike
sketch comedy Sketch comedy comprises a series of short, amusing scenes or vignettes, called "sketches" or, "skits", commonly between one and ten minutes long, performed by a group of comic actors or comedians. While the form developed and became popular in ...
, which features different characters and settings in each skit, sitcoms typically maintain plot continuity across episodes. This continuity allows for the development of storylines and characters over time, fostering audience engagement and investment in the characters' lives and relationships.


History

The structure and concept of a sitcom have roots in earlier forms of comedic theater, such as
farce Farce is a comedy that seeks to entertain an audience through situations that are highly exaggerated, extravagant, ridiculous, absurd, and improbable. Farce is also characterized by heavy use of physical comedy, physical humor; the use of delibe ...
s and
comedy of manners In English literature, the term comedy of manners (also anti-sentimental comedy) describes a genre of realistic, satirical comedy that questions and comments upon the manners and social conventions of a greatly sophisticated, artificial society. ...
. These forms relied on running gags to generate humor, but the term ''sitcom'' emerged as radio and TV adapted these principles into a new medium. The word was not commonly used until the 1950s. Early television sitcoms were often filmed in front of a live studio audience using a
multiple-camera setup The multiple-camera setup, multiple-camera mode of production, multi-camera or simply multicam is a method of filmmaking, television production and video production. Several cameras—either film cameras, film or professional video cameras—are ...
, the latter of which continues in some modern productions such as ''
The Big Bang Theory ''The Big Bang Theory'' is an American television sitcom created by Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady for CBS. It aired from September 24, 2007, to May 16, 2019, running for 12 seasons and 279 episodes. The show originally centered on five charact ...
'' and '' Fuller House''. Other formats make use of a laugh track or "canned laughter". Since the 1990s, sitcoms have since expanded to
animated sitcom An animated sitcom is a subgenre of a television sitcom that is animation, animated instead of being filmed live-action, and is generally made or created for adult animation, adult audiences in most cases. ''The Simpsons'', ''SpongeBob SquarePan ...
s, with successful shows of the genre including ''
The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening, James L. Brooks and Sam Simon for the Fox Broadcasting Company. It is a Satire (film and television), satirical depiction of American life ...
'', ''
King of the Hill ''King of the Hill'' is an American animated sitcom created by Mike Judge and Greg Daniels that initially aired on Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox from January 12, 1997, to September 13, 2009, with four more episodes airing in First-run syndicati ...
'', and ''
Family Guy ''Family Guy'' is an American animated sitcom created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series premiered on January 31, 1999, following Super Bowl XXXIII, with the rest of the first season airing from April 11, 1999. Th ...
''. Critics have debated the exact definition of a sitcom, mostly regarding productions created at the turn of the 21st century. Many contemporary American sitcoms use a
single-camera setup In filmmaking, television production and video production, the single-camera setup or single-camera mode of production (also known as portable single crew, portable single camera or single-cam) is a method in which all of the various shots and c ...
and do not feature a laugh track, instead more resembling documentaries or the comedy-dramas of the 1980s and 1990s."The Evolution Of The Sitcom: The Age of the Single Camera"
.
New York Film Academy New York Film Academy – School of Film and Acting (NYFA) is a Private college, private For-profit higher education in the United States, for-profit film school and Drama school, acting school based in New York City, Los Angeles metropolitan ar ...
, September 24, 2014.


By country


Australia

Although there have been few long-running Australian-made sitcoms, many American and British sitcoms have been successful in Australia, since sitcoms are considered a staple of the government broadcaster
Australian Broadcasting Corporation The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is Australia’s principal public service broadcaster. It is funded primarily by grants from the federal government and is administered by a government-appointed board of directors. The ABC is ...
(ABC). In the 1970s and 1980s many British sitcoms also screened on the
Seven Network Seven Network (stylised 7Network, and commonly known as Channel Seven or simply Seven) is an Australian commercial free-to-air Television broadcasting in Australia, television network. It is owned by Seven West Media, Seven West Media Limited, ...
. By 1986, UK comedies '' Bless This House'' and '' Are You Being Served?'' had been re-screened several times by ABC Television; they were then acquired and screened by the Seven Network.Collier, Shayne
Again and again and again
''
The Sydney Morning Herald ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily Tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid newspaper published in Sydney, Australia, and owned by Nine Entertainment. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuous ...
– The Guide'': 2 June 1986, p.1, 6.
In 1981, '' Daily at Dawn'' was the first Australian comedy series to feature a regular gay character (Terry Bader as journalist Leslie). In 1987, '' Mother and Son'' won the Television Drama Award for portraying a woman suffering from senile dementia and her interaction with her family, presented by the Australian Human Rights Commission. In 2007, '' Kath & Kim''s first episode of series 4 attracted an Australian audience of 2.521 million nationally. This was the highest rating for a first episode in the history of Australian television, until the series premiere of '' Underbelly: A Tale of Two Cities'' in 2009, which garnered 2.58 million viewers. In 2013, '' Please Like Me'' received an invitation to screen at the Series Mania Television Festival in Paris, was praised by critics, and earned numerous awards and nominations. Also in 2013, '' At Home with Julia'' was criticized by several social commentators as inappropriately disrespectful to the office of the Prime Minister. The show nevertheless proved very popular with both television audiences and critics, becoming the most-watched Australian scripted comedy series of 2011. It was nominated at the 2012 Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Awards for Best Television Comedy Series.


Canada

Although there have been several notable exceptions, relatively few Canadian sitcoms attained notable success in Canada or internationally."Why do Canadian sitcoms suck?"
. '' canada.com'', March 21, 2014.
Canadian television has had much greater success with
sketch comedy Sketch comedy comprises a series of short, amusing scenes or vignettes, called "sketches" or, "skits", commonly between one and ten minutes long, performed by a group of comic actors or comedians. While the form developed and became popular in ...
and
dramedy Comedy drama (also known by the portmanteau dramedy) is a hybrid genre of works that combine elements of comedy and Drama (film and television), drama. In film, as well as scripted television series, serious dramatic subjects (such as death, il ...
series. The popular show '' King of Kensington'' aired from 1975 to 1980, at its peak garnering an average of 1.5 to 1.8 million viewers weekly. The 1999 movie ''
Trailer Park Boys ''Trailer Park Boys'' is a Canadian mockumentary television sitcom created by Mike Clattenburg that began airing in 2001 as a continuation of his 1999 film bearing the same name. The show follows the misadventures of a group of trailer park resi ...
'' was followed up by a television series of the same name that ran from 2001 to 2018, airing in Canada, the U.S., and the U.K. '' Corner Gas'', which ran for six seasons from 2004 to 2009, became an instant hit, averaging one million viewers per episode. It has been the recipient of six Gemini Awards and has been nominated almost 70 times for various awards. Other noteworthy recent sitcoms have included: '' Call Me Fitz'', ''
Schitt's Creek ''Schitt's Creek'' (stylized as ''Schitt$ Creek'') is a Canadian television sitcom created by Dan Levy (Canadian actor), Dan Levy and his father, Eugene Levy, that aired on CBC Television from 2015 to 2020. It consists of 80 episodes spread ove ...
'', '' Letterkenny'', and '' Kim's Convenience'', all of which have been winners of the
Canadian Screen Award The Canadian Screen Awards () are awards given for artistic and technical merit in the film industry recognizing excellence in Canadian film, English-language television, and digital media ( web series) productions. Given annually by the Academy ...
for Best Comedy Series. In 2020, the sixth and final season of ''Schitt's Creek'' was nominated for 15
Primetime Emmy Award The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Owned and operated by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the P ...
s. This broke the record for the most Emmy nominations given to a comedy series in its final season. During the 72nd Primetime Emmy Awards, the show became the first ever comedy or drama series to sweep the four acting categories ( Outstanding Lead Actor, Outstanding Lead Actress, Outstanding Supporting Actor, Outstanding Supporting Actress for Eugene Levy, Catherine O'Hara, Dan Levy, and Annie Murphy respectively) and one of only four live action shows, along with ''
All in the Family ''All in the Family'' is an American sitcoms in the United States, sitcom television series that aired on CBS for nine seasons from January 12, 1971, to April 8, 1979, with a total of 205 episodes. It was later produced as ''Archie Bunker's Pla ...
'', ''
The Golden Girls ''The Golden Girls'' is an American sitcom created by Susan Harris that aired on NBC from September 14, 1985, to May 9, 1992, with a total of 180 half-hour episodes, spanning seven seasons. The show's ensemble cast stars Beatrice Arthur, Betty ...
'', and '' Will & Grace'' where all the principal actors have won at least one Emmy Award.


India

Sitcoms started appearing on Indian television in the 1980s, with serials such as '' Yeh Jo Hai Zindagi'' (1984), Nukkad (1986), and '' Wagle Ki Duniya'' (1988) on the state-run Doordarshan channel. Gradually, as private channels were permitted to operate, many more sitcoms followed. In the 1990s these included: '' Dekh Bhai Dekh'' (1993), '' Zabaan Sambhalke'' (1993), '' Shrimaan Shrimati'' (1995), '' Office Office'' (2001), Ramani Vs Ramani (Tamil 2001), '' Amrutham'' (Telugu 2001–2007), '' Khichdi'' (2002), '' Sarabhai vs Sarabhai'' (2005) '' F.I.R.'' (2006–2015), (2008–present), '' Uppum Mulakum'' (Malayalam 2015–present), and '' Bhabiji Ghar Par Hain'' (2015–present).
SAB TV Sony SAB is an Indian Hindi-language general entertainment pay television Pay television, also known as subscription television, premium television or, when referring to an individual service, a premium channel, refers to Subscription busi ...
is one of the leading channels in India, dedicated entirely to Sitcoms. Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah is the longest-running sitcom of Indian television and is also known as the flagship show of
SAB TV Sony SAB is an Indian Hindi-language general entertainment pay television Pay television, also known as subscription television, premium television or, when referring to an individual service, a premium channel, refers to Subscription busi ...
.


Iran

'' On Tiptoes'' and '' Shabhaye Barareh'' were among the first and most important sitcoms that led to the growth of this type of comedy in Iran, both receiving wide critical and audience acclaim.


Mexico

'' El Chavo del Ocho'', which ran from 1971 to 1980, was the most-watched show on Mexican television and had a Latin-American audience of 350 million viewers per episode at its popularity peak during the mid-1970s. The show continues to be popular in
Central America Central America is a subregion of North America. Its political boundaries are defined as bordering Mexico to the north, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest. Central America is usually ...
as well as in Colombia, Venezuela, Brazil, Spain, the United States, and other countries. Syndicated episodes average 91 million daily viewers in all its American markets. Since it ceased production in 1992, the show has earned an estimated $1 billion in syndication fees alone for
Televisa Grupo Televisa, S.A.B., simply known as Televisa, is a Mexican telecommunications and broadcasting company. A major Latin American mass media corporation, it often presents itself as the largest producer of Spanish-language content. In April ...
.


New Zealand

'' Gliding On'', a popular sitcom in New Zealand in the early 1980s, won multiple awards during its run including Best Comedy, Best Drama and Best Direction at the Feltex Awards.


Russia

The first
Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...
n sitcom series was "Strawberry", which resembled "Duty Pharmacy" in a Spanish format. It was aired from 1996 to 1997 on the RTR channel. The "boom" of Russian sitcoms began only in the 2000s, when in 2004, the
STS STS, or sts, may refer to: Medicine * Secondary traumatic stress, a condition which leads to a diminished ability to empathize * Sequence-tagged site, a gene-reference in genomics * Soft-tissue sarcoma * Staurosporine, an antibiotic * STS (gene ...
started the highly successful sitcom " My Fair Nanny" (an adaptation of the American sitcom " The Nanny"). Since that time, sitcoms in Russia have been produced by the two largest entertainment channels in the country —
STS STS, or sts, may refer to: Medicine * Secondary traumatic stress, a condition which leads to a diminished ability to empathize * Sequence-tagged site, a gene-reference in genomics * Soft-tissue sarcoma * Staurosporine, an antibiotic * STS (gene ...
and TNT. In 2007, the STS released the first original domestic sitcom — " Daddy's Daughters" (there were only adaptations before), and in 2010, TNT released " Interns" — the first sitcom, filmed as a comedy (unlike dominated "conveyor" sitcoms).


South Korea

Sitcoms, or "시트콤" in Korean, gained significant popularity in South Korea during the 1990s. This popularity was fueled by the success of shows such as ''Dr. Oh's People'', ''LA Arirang'', and ''Men and Women''. The use of
computer graphics Computer graphics deals with generating images and art with the aid of computers. Computer graphics is a core technology in digital photography, film, video games, digital art, cell phone and computer displays, and many specialized applications. ...
(CG) in sitcoms began to increase in the late 1990s as more broadcasters adopted CG technology. This led to more visually dynamic and creative sitcoms. However, viewer preferences shifted towards dramas and thrillers in the 2010s, resulting in a decline in sitcom popularity. Nevertheless, there have been recent efforts to revive the sitcom genre. For instance,
Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...
released '' So Not Worth It'' in 2021, featuring many creators from popular South Korean sitcoms. Popular South Korean sitcoms include the '' High Kick'' series, which has spawned several spin-offs.


United Kingdom

British sitcom A British sitcom or a Britcom is a situational comedy programme produced for British television. British sitcoms have predominantly been recorded on studio sets, while some include an element of location filming. Live audiences and multi-camera ...
s, like their American counterparts, often revolve around a core group of characters who interact in a recurring setting, such as a family, workplace, or institution. However, British sitcoms typically consist of shorter series, often six episodes, and are frequently developed by a smaller writing team. The majority of
British sitcom A British sitcom or a Britcom is a situational comedy programme produced for British television. British sitcoms have predominantly been recorded on studio sets, while some include an element of location filming. Live audiences and multi-camera ...
s are half-hour comedies recorded in studio settings using a multiple-camera setup. While many adhere to traditional sitcom conventions, some have ventured into more unconventional territory. For example, ''
Blackadder ''Blackadder'' is a series of four Period piece, period British sitcoms - ''The Black Adder'', ''Blackadder II'', ''Blackadder the Third'' and ''Blackadder Goes Forth'' - plus several one-off instalments, which originally aired on BBC1 from 19 ...
'' and '' Yes Minister/Yes, Prime Minister'' shifted the focus from domestic or workplace settings to the world of politics. A more recent development in British comedy is the
mockumentary A mockumentary (a portmanteau of ''mock'' and ''documentary'') is a type of film or television show depicting fictional events, but presented as a Documentary film, documentary. Mockumentaries are often used to analyze or comment on current event ...
, a style that blends documentary and comedic elements. Shows such as ''The Office'', '' Come Fly with Me'', '' W1A'', '' People Just Do Nothing'', and '' This Country'' have successfully employed this format to explore a variety of topics and characters.


United States

Sitcoms, or situation comedies, made their debut in the United States in 1926 with the radio show '' Sam 'n' Henry''. The subsequent success of '' Amos 'n' Andy'', also created by Freeman Gosden and Charles Correll, solidified the sitcom's place in American radio programming. The transition to television brought about significant changes in the sitcom format. '' Mary Kay and Johnny'', which premiered in 1947, became the first American television sitcom. Today, American sitcoms typically run for 22 minutes, allowing for approximately eight minutes of advertising within a 30-minute time slot. Throughout their history, American sitcoms have often drawn inspiration from British counterparts. Popular shows such as ''
All in the Family ''All in the Family'' is an American sitcoms in the United States, sitcom television series that aired on CBS for nine seasons from January 12, 1971, to April 8, 1979, with a total of 205 episodes. It was later produced as ''Archie Bunker's Pla ...
'', '' Three's Company'', and '' Sanford and Son'' were adapted from successful British series. More recently, '' The Office'' achieved significant popularity in the
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
, following the success of its British counterpart. The large influence of the
cinema of the United States The cinema of the United States, primarily associated with major film studios collectively referred to as Hollywood, has significantly influenced the global film industry since the early 20th century. Classical Hollywood cinema, a filmma ...
has also allowed it to influence the world, with ''
I Love Lucy ''I Love Lucy'' is an American sitcom that originally aired on CBS from October 15, 1951, to May 6, 1957, with a total of 180 half-hour episodes spanning six seasons. The series starred Lucille Ball and her husband Desi Arnaz, along with Vivian ...
'', '' Bewitched'', '' The Beverly Hillbillies'', ''
The Mary Tyler Moore Show ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show'' (also known simply as ''Mary Tyler Moore'') is an American television sitcom created by James L. Brooks and Allan Burns and starring actress Mary Tyler Moore. The show originally aired on CBS from September 19, 1970 ...
'', '' Gilligan's Island'', ''
Friends ''Friends'' is an American television sitcom created by David Crane (producer), David Crane and Marta Kauffman, which aired on NBC from September 22, 1994, to May 6, 2004, lasting List of Friends episodes, ten seasons. With an ensemble cast ...
'', and ''
Seinfeld ''Seinfeld'' ( ) is an American television sitcom created by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld that originally aired on NBC from July 5, 1989, to May 14, 1998, with a total of nine seasons consisting of List of Seinfeld episodes, 180 episodes. It ...
'' continuing to hold an influence on the format. The United States also features the largest
animated sitcom An animated sitcom is a subgenre of a television sitcom that is animation, animated instead of being filmed live-action, and is generally made or created for adult animation, adult audiences in most cases. ''The Simpsons'', ''SpongeBob SquarePan ...
s, including ''
The Flintstones ''The Flintstones'' is an American animated sitcom produced by Hanna-Barbera, Hanna-Barbera Productions, which takes place in a romanticized Stone Age setting and follows the titular family, the Flintstones, and their next-door neighbors, the R ...
'', '' The Jetsons'', ''
The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening, James L. Brooks and Sam Simon for the Fox Broadcasting Company. It is a Satire (film and television), satirical depiction of American life ...
'', ''
King of the Hill ''King of the Hill'' is an American animated sitcom created by Mike Judge and Greg Daniels that initially aired on Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox from January 12, 1997, to September 13, 2009, with four more episodes airing in First-run syndicati ...
'', ''
Daria ''Daria'' is an American adult animation, adult animated sitcom television series created by Glenn Eichler and Susie Lewis, Susie Lewis Lynn. The series ran from March 3, 1997, to January 21, 2002, on MTV. It centers on the titular character, D ...
'', ''
South Park ''South Park'' is an American animated sitcom created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone, and developed by Brian Graden for Comedy Central. The series revolves around four boysStan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, Eric Cartman, and Kenny McCormickand the ...
'', ''
SpongeBob SquarePants ''SpongeBob SquarePants'' is an American animated television series, animated comedy television series created by marine science educator and animator Stephen Hillenburg for Nickelodeon. It first aired as a sneak peek after the 1999 Kids' C ...
'', and ''
Family Guy ''Family Guy'' is an American animated sitcom created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series premiered on January 31, 1999, following Super Bowl XXXIII, with the rest of the first season airing from April 11, 1999. Th ...
''. Sitcoms have had such a profound impact on U.S. television entertainment that aspects of it even appear in other broadcasting formats; including the radio and television comedy series ''The Jack Benny Program'', Western (genre), Western series ''Gunsmoke'', war film, war comedy drama M*A*S*H (TV series), ''M*A*S*H'', fantasy horror fiction, horror series Supernatural (American TV series), ''Supernatural'', contemporary Western crime media franchise Breaking Bad (franchise), ''Breaking Bad'', and reality television show ''Duck Dynasty''. Numerous television networks in the
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
feature sitcoms in their programming. CBS, TBS (American TV channel), TBS, Nickelodeon, and Disney Channel are just a few examples, however many of them are beginning to move to digital formats.


See also

* Animated sitcom * Black sitcom * List of situation comedies, List of sitcoms * Sitcoms in the United States


References


Further reading

* Richard Asplin, Asplin, Richard (2004). ''Gagged (A Thriller with Jokes)''. Arrow books. . A contemporary comic thriller set in London and Los Angeles that covers the financing, production, creation, ratings, and marketing of a modern American network half-hour situation comedy. * * Mark Lewisohn, Lewisohn, Mark (2003) ''Radio Times' Guide to TV Comedy''. 2nd Ed. Revised – BBC Consumer Publishing. , Provides details of every comedy show ever seen on British television, including imports. * * * * Padva, Gilad (2005). "Desired Bodies and Queer Masculinities in Three Popular TV Sitcoms". In Lorek-Jezinska, Edyta and Wieckowska, Katarzyna (Eds.), ''Corporeal Inscriptions: Representations of the Body in Cultural and Homosexual Literature'' (pp. 127–138). Torun, Poland: Nicholas Copernicus University Press. . * * Starman, Ray (2014). ''The Sitcom Class Wars: 20th Century''. Troy, NY: The Troy Bookmakers. History and analysis of 60 classic American sitcoms. Also includes a glossary for easy access. Photos for every program.


External links


Situation Comedy Bibliography
(via UC Berkeley)—mostly US programs
Sitcoms Online

British Comedy Guide
(archived 4 April 2005) {{Authority control Sitcoms, Entertainment Television genres Television terminology