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History of sitcoms

History of sitcoms. The Family Dynamic. The very beginning: vaudeville. Plated a lot differently than early theatrical acts They developed classic set-up/ punchline jokes, slapstick humor and snappy, witty dialogue Topics touched on a number of topics, including love, life and misery.

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History of sitcoms

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  1. History of sitcoms The Family Dynamic

  2. The very beginning: vaudeville • Plated a lot differently than early theatrical acts • They developed classic set-up/punchline jokes, slapstick humor and snappy, witty dialogue • Topics touched on a number of topics, including love, life and misery

  3. Evolution to radio • Amos and Andy, The Burns and Allen Show, The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet • Used simple, but effective plots • Wide range of funny characters • Specific techniques designed to get a lot of laughs

  4. The money • Shows were produced and sponsored by advertisers • Advertisers required a certain amount of time in each show to sell products • Writers had to come up with story that could appeal in a limited amount of time • When TV made its move, studios took these types of shows and turned them into televised sitcoms • Adapted a similar formula to work within a 30-minute format • 22 minutes of story • 8 minutes of commercials

  5. The sitcom format • Credits • Story (Teaser/Cold Open) • Commercial • Story • Commercial • End of Story • Commercial • Tag • Credits

  6. The family dynamic • Most sitcoms based on the idea of family • Could be relatives or group of friends • Love each other • Have conflict with each other • Experience the joy, pain and everything else life has to offer • Every family has different personalities within its structure • Funny comes from a skewed look at life within a family

  7. Immediate family vs. family of friends • Immediate family= the mother, the father, the kids • Some with clearly defined roles (According to Jim) • Some have roles reversed (Two and a Half Men) • Family of Friends= traditional roles taken on by friends, roommates, neighbors, co-workers, etc. • Friends

  8. The 1950s • Immediate family: cute, simple humor out of everyday situations in what was considered the “normal” household. • Patriarchal figure, a smart and patient wife and mother, and innocent yet precocious (mature beyond years) children • Leave it to Beaver, Father Knows Best, The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, Make Room for Daddy, The Donna Reed Show • Family of Friends: similar dynamics, but moved into a group of friends. • Sometimes the roles were reversed—patriarch became child, smart wife and mother became an endearing loser • The Honeymooners, I Love Lucy

  9. The 1960s • Family theme mirrored the turmoil of the decade, taking a more realistic twist • Different types of families • The Andy Griffith Show, My Three Sons—widower • The Brady Bunch—stepfamilies • Julia—black, single mother • Fish out of Water stories—took immediate families and placed them in unusual environments to add to the overall humor • Green Acres and The Beverly Hillbillies • Some stories gave a fantastical twist • Bewitched, The Addams Family, The Munsters • Family of Friends shows had twists as well • Gilligan’s Island—cast on a deserted island • McHales’s Navy—set on a warship • The Flying Nun—set in a convent

  10. The 1970s • Family continued where subjects of politics, race, religion and even sex were brought up • All in the Family= revolutionary comedy about a family headed by a bigoted, yet loving, father • Other shows with touchy subjects • Maude (abortion), Good Times (struggles of poor black family), The Jeffersons (interracial marriage), Soap (homosexuality), Three’s Company (sex) • Family of Friends shows boomed and we began to see workplace comedies • The Mary Tyler Moore Show (a newsroom • Taxi (a garage) • WKRP in Cincinnati (a radio station) • MASH (war)

  11. The 1980s • Sitcoms became smarter, bolder and more truthful • Storylines, dialogue, characterizations and acting styles became less exaggerated and more realistic • Put emphasis back on the immediate family and the issues at home • Roseanne, The Cosby Show, Family Ties, Growing Pains • Dealt more with real struggles of the everyday family • Family of Friends • Golden Girls, Cheers, Newhart

  12. The 1990s • Immediate family=more dysfunctional • The Simpsons, Married…with Children, Frasier • Most popular shows took a step away from IMMEDIATE family • Why? • Americans questioned and challenged the meaning of family • People separated selves from immediate family a little more to discover who they were as individuals • Emphasis on extended families, single parents, gay relationships=the idea of family took on a broader and deeper meaning • Friends, Seinfeld, Sex and the City, Will & Grace

  13. New millennium • Popular shows are redefining the family dynamic • Entourage • Scrubs • Arrested Development

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