The scripts of comedies imitate real life and fulfill the audience’s needs in everyday lives. That means people like to relax while watching other people’s daily lives including love, friendship, or working life. They want to escape from the pressure they had during their own day and enjoy funny and easy-to-understand-shows. Additionally, humor gives, as Bärmann (1989) claims, the audience a chance to breathe.
The evolution of TV series from the beginning of this genre of TV shows in the 1950s until today is important. The first TV series were comedies and variety shows but soon this concept was replaced by sitcoms. During the 1970s and the 1990s sitcoms changed as well as society. Rapidly, new issues like friends, emancipation, or the role of the family has changed. “The correspondence between reality and fiction has become in fact the most important thing for the public: present TV series want people to recognize themselves in the fictive and unreal characters.”
Table of Contents
Introduction
1. The history of sitcoms
2. Characteristics of sitcoms
2.1. Strands and stacks
2.2. Canned laughter
3. References (including additional literature)
Objectives and Topics
The work examines the evolution and defining characteristics of US-sitcoms, focusing on how they reflect societal changes and fulfill audience needs for entertainment. It analyzes the structural components of the genre and the role of humor in creating an intimate, relatable experience for viewers.
- Historical development of the sitcom genre from radio to television
- Social and cultural impact of US-sitcoms across different decades
- Structural elements like teaser, tag, and three-act storytelling
- Technical aspects of humor production, including canned laughter and studio audiences
Excerpt from the Book
2. Characteristics of sitcoms
The term sitcom derives from the word situation comedy. This popular format of entertainment is a weekly show that entails a regular cast of characters in a sequence of episodes which mainly take place in the same location. A sitcom is a make-believe for 24 minutes a week. Either series are taped in front of a studio audience or canned applause is taped in. Often sitcoms provide verbal plays, funny and unexpected situations, or problems which could happen to everyone and were rapidly resolved (http://www.answers.com/topic/situation-comedy).
Ross says that “[t]he humour in a sitcom comes from playing around with the comic possibilities of those particular character types interacting with each other in that situation, and may not involve lines or gags which are funny in isolation” (1998: 91).That means in contrast to telling a joke, a sitcom depends on the context in which humor is performed. This includes either utterances that proceed or follow the given utterance or the non-linguistic environment (Attardo 1994). Sitcom deal with areas the viewers can relate to and the atmosphere is intimate like being invited into the characters’ home. Bärmann (1993) describes this as an escape from daily life for the audience.
Summary of Chapters
Introduction: This section provides an overview of the genre's role in daily life and introduces the basic premise of how sitcoms function as a form of mass humor.
1. The history of sitcoms: The chapter outlines the chronological development of the genre from its radio origins in the 1920s to its diversification on television throughout the 1950s, 70s, 80s, and 90s.
2. Characteristics of sitcoms: This chapter details the technical and narrative structures of sitcoms, including the use of studio audiences, standardized plot formats, and the psychological function of humor.
2.1. Strands and stacks: This sub-chapter explains the repetition of thematic elements and the construction of episodic storylines.
2.2. Canned laughter: The section discusses the function and audience reception of laughter tracks as a tool for creating social connection.
3. References (including additional literature): A comprehensive bibliography listing the academic sources and data used throughout the study.
Keywords
Sitcom, US-sitcom, television history, situation comedy, mass humor, humor theory, canned laughter, narrative structure, social reflection, studio audience, sitcom characters, storytelling format, verbal plays, media studies, entertainment.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core subject of this publication?
The publication explores the history and specific characteristics of American sitcoms, analyzing how the genre has evolved and how it utilizes humor to entertain audiences.
What are the primary themes discussed in the work?
Central themes include the historical progression of family and workplace sitcoms, the structural components of sitcom episodes, the role of social context in humor, and the use of technical devices like canned laughter.
What is the main research objective?
The objective is to analyze the evolution of the sitcom genre and to identify the recurring formal and narrative features that define the viewer experience in US television series.
Which scientific methods are applied?
The work employs a qualitative analysis of television history, structural analysis of narrative formats (teaser, tag, three-act structure), and a review of existing media and humor theory.
What topics are covered in the main body?
The main body focuses on the chronological history of the genre, the distinction between situation comedy and stand-up comedy, and the technical mechanisms—such as canned laughter and narrative structures—that drive the comedic effect.
Which keywords best characterize this work?
Key terms include Sitcom, US-sitcom, TV history, mass humor, narrative structure, canned laughter, and media entertainment.
How does the author define the role of the 'teaser' and 'tag'?
The author defines the teaser as an opening gag used to quicken the audience's appetite, while the tag is described as a brief final scene that serves as a signet for the episode.
What is the significance of 'canned laughter' according to the text?
Canned laughter is described as a tool to simulate a social environment, helping viewers at home feel like they are watching in company and prompting them to respond to the humor.
How does the text contrast situational comedy with stand-up?
The text notes that while stand-up comedy is about the comedian’s personal ideas and feelings with a live audience, the sitcom is a highly structured, assembly-line form of art often performed without direct contact to a live audience.
- Arbeit zitieren
- Irina Wamsler (Autor:in), 2007, History and characteristics of US-sitcoms, München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.hausarbeiten.de/document/284775
