The Sitcom - Similarities between Ourselves and the Characters

Comedy is a type of entertainment that uses jokes and skits that are intended to make the audience laugh. In the short story, “Priscilla and the Wimps,” Monk Clutter had the school under control with his gang, the Klutters Kobras. Before Priscilla came, the gang would go around the school stealing kids lunch money from students. When Priscilla came, Monk had finally met his match. Richard Peck’s short comedy, “Priscilla and the Wimps” is a high level of comedy that uses comic characters, comic situations, and comic language to convey the importance of treating others the way you want to be treated.

A sitcom, is short for "situation comedy", it is a genre of television centered on an established set of characters. Sitcoms originated in radio, but throughout the years and the increased popularity they are now generally found on television. Ccountless sitcoms have been aired over the generations creating a multimillion dollar revenue for this genre. Broadcasters use manipulating strategies to determine the production of shows that would air on their network, without regard to the network, limiting the producer’s ability to use their own creative ideas to generate content that adheres to the commercial media’s profit driven ideology for broadcasters. Hegemony and the mass media is when the portrayed

Shows such as Impractical Jokers, where four lifelong friends compete against each other in absurd challenges, do not connect to current events. Still, as a viewer, I have spent many weekdays watching countless hours of Impractical Jokers as a way to relieve stress from the academic rigor I endure. Although shows like Impractical Jokers do not illustrate sensitive topics, I find shows similar humorous and a good distraction from the real world. The chief aim of shows like Impractical Jokers is not to state “dangerous or impossible” messages, but to give the audience a good

When was the last time you experienced a good laugh? Maybe you were watching a show, reading a book, or even hanging out with friends. Either way you were probably observing, comedy. Which in literary terms is a genre of literature that is created in a humorous nature for a purpose of making people laugh. A television show that can be categorized as a comedy is Parks and Recreation. The show is about a crew members that work in a parks department for the government in a small town called Pawnee, Indiana. The main characters consist of Leslie Knope who later in the show marries Ben Wyatt. April ludgate who later marries Andy. Ron Swanson, Donna, Tom, and Garyy. They all work together trying to make the city of Pawnee a better place. They play pranks on eachother, but also have strong friendly bonds.

Have you ever wondered if there is a difference between sitcoms back then and now? This paper is going to compare and contrast the differences between an episode of Full House and an episode of Modern Family. We are able to spot notable differences and similarities by comparing the characters, plot, and setting for both of these sitcoms.

Situational comedies draw connections between the realm of television life and reality. These shows are successful due to the realistic scenarios and mishaps that shape the lives of each individual character. The Office is a “mockumentary”, or parody documentary, that follows a small paper company in Scranton, Pennsylvania that is led by narcissistic boss, Michael Scott (Steve Carrell). Episode 12 of season 2, “The Injury” is a summary of the overall show, as it exhibits Michael’s desire to feel wanted and Dwight Schrute’s (Rainn Wilson) longing for his superior’s approval. Throughout the entirety of the show’s nine seasons, Michael continues to go to outlandish lengths for public approval, and Dwight continues to do equally embarrassing things

“The Substitute Teacher,” allows viewers to question how individuals perceive humor and how it potentially causes laughter. According to Mark Goddard, comedy is considered a healthy outlet toward the process of developing relationships and coping with other individuals and the obstacles one faces in life (Goddard 1). Viewers of “The Substitute Teacher,” notice how Mr. Garvey relies on his past experiences to be capable of handling situations. Mr. Garvey ‘s decision

Laughter is the best medicine for anything and everything. Little do we know there is a lot of thought behind all of these jokes that make you laugh. Comedians uses various different techniques to make the world guffaw or even just chuckle. Author and Comedian Dave Barry wrote a low comedic wrote a novel titled Live Right and Find Happiness. In an excerpt from Barry’s novel he humorously tells his grandson how to be a good and nice person using verbal Irony and Hyperbole.

The comedy combines physical comedy with gags and great one-liners, puns, word play, and more.

Family sitcoms have been the most popular and positively influenced television shows watched since the 1900s to today. Many of these shows have consisted of African American, Caucasian, and Hispanic families who all play a role that we as watchers look up to or perceive as the right way to run our household. Over time there has been an addition to biracial shows and family role changes throughout these sitcoms. For example, now observing single parent homes, homosexual guardians and even the changing of social interaction has both positively and negatively impacted real families who are watching.

What I think makes a good sitcom, is one that incorporates relatability to situations, variety of characters, and situational humor. I recently watched an episode of the sitcom the Office titled The Injury, and this episode would not fit my requirements for a good sitcom. I found this installment of the office to be rather quiet dull. This particular episode focused around Michael, and a foot injury he received at his home. Michael uses this injury as an opportunity to become the center of attention around the office, and demands total respect from everyone on the subject of his injury. This really bothered me as a view because I don’t enjoy characters that put their needs before the needs of others. This selfishness on Michael's part is personified

Among currently running animated sitcoms, there are a few that have current connections to people and events. Most famous of this genre of shows are South Park and Family Guy. Unlike South Park, which follows a group of friends at school, Family Guy is about a family. The Griffin family consists of parents Peter and Lois, their children Chris, Meg, Stewie, and the family dog, Brian. Instead of showcasing the adventures of an individual struggling to balance impulses and responsibilities, Family Guy focuses on the dynamics created by family members who are extreme in their personality traits and very different from each other. Peter, the father, is impulsive, incompetent, and easily excitable. Lois is the stereotypical responsible mother and wife. Meg is a classic case of a teenage girl struggling to fit in at high school. Chris is your average awkward and immature teenage boy. Stewie, the precocious baby, is by far the smartest and most cunning of the cast. Interestingly, the screenwriters often drop hints that he is gay. He is eager to assume adult responsibilities and motivated to have

A dramatic through-line spanning an entire series offers an additional layer to the narrative, mirroring the way individuals reflexively understand their lives with the passing of days, weeks, and years. The constant disruptions and resolutions in sitcom resonates with viewers as symptomatic of contemporary life (Wickham 2013: 57). Most episodes of Kimmy Schmidt culminate in the resolution of a minor crisis for example Titus does not know how to text a potential boyfriend, or Jacqueline is struggling to relate to her boisterous son, usually with help from Kimmy. This kind of existential crisis explains why as a society people create and consume humorous culture, and sitcom portrays and communicates the fundamental human desire of individuals to understand their identity and their general surroundings. In the case of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Kimmy’s rehabilitation, refusal to acknowledge her past trauma, and durable optimism provides the greater story arch of which each episode is situated within.

In my opinion, this seems to be one of the most popular types of television shows. An example of a show categorized under comedy from the past might be Seinfield. This show aired from 1989-1998. A television show that is popular today that is a comedy is How I Met Your Mother. How I Met Your Mother aired from 2005-2014. Seinfield and How I Met Your Mother are both alike. The two shows just aired in separate decades. I feel like the producer of How I Met Your Mother made this show because the show Seinfield was such a popular show in the previous decade. Both shows are about a group of friends that always meet at the same restaurant or bar and sit at the same booth. The plots may be different, but there are many similar things about the two shows. An example of similarity between the two shows are the repeated phrases. For instance, Seinfield uses the phrase “not that there’s anything wrong with that” the same way that How I Met Your Mother uses the phrase “Challenge accepted”. You might not understand this comparison unless you have actually watched the shows. There are many similarities, but to me, Seinfield does not appeal the same humor as How I Met Your Mother. However, my parents like Seinfield better. So this is just an example of different generations growing up watching different

There’s nothing better than a comedy to lift your spirits up with baskets full of laughter. I like the idea of comedies when there’s a complete misunderstanding, trickery or when things go wrong. For example in one of the episodes of My Wife and Kids when a girl called Claire tells her dad that there will be photograph day in school. So she asks her dad for a massive photograph of her to put on the wall. Her dad said no. On the day of the school photograph when she woke up, her right cheek was swollen-much bigger than the other. As persuaded by her parents she reluctantly went to school. When Claire arrived home she said to her dad thanks for only buying a small picture of me otherwise it would have been a total disaster seeing myself with