Loading AI tools
A sitcom (short for situation comedy, or situational comedy) is a genre of comedy focused on a recurring cast of characters navigating humorous situations in a consistent setting, such as a home, workplace, or community. Unlike sketch comedy, where different characters and settings are introduced in each skit, sitcoms typically maintain plot continuity between episodes, often building storylines and developing characters over time.
The term sitcom was not commonly used until the 1950s.[1] Sitcoms originated on the radio before transitioning to television, and are considered to have begun in 1926 with the initial broadcast of Sam 'n' Henry on WGN radio in Chicago, Illinois. The 15-minute daily program was revamped in 1928, moved to another station and renamed Amos 'n' Andy, becoming one of the most successful sitcoms of the period. It was also one of the earliest examples of radio syndication.
The first television sitcom is considered to be Pinwright's Progress, which aired on the BBC in the United Kingdom between 1946 and 1947.[2][3] In the United States, director and producer, William Asher, has been credited with being the "man who invented the sitcom."[4] Asher directed over two dozen leading sitcoms including I Love Lucy, which aired from the 1950s to the 1970s.
Early television sitcoms were often filmed in front of a live studio audience in a multiple-camera setup, a practice that continues in some modern productions such as The Big Bang Theory and Fuller House.[5][6] Other formats make use of a laugh track or "canned laughter." Several successful animated sitcoms have emerged since the 1990s.
Critics have debated the exact definition of a sitcom, especially regarding productions created at the turn of the 21st century. Many contemporary American sitcoms use a single-camera setup and do not feature a laugh track, instead more resembling documentaries or the dramedies of the 1980s and 1990s.[7]
Australia
Although there have been few long-running Australian-made sitcoms, many US and UK sitcoms have been successful in Australia. Sitcoms are a staple of the government broadcaster Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). In the 1970s and 1980s many UK sitcoms also screened on the Seven Network. By 1986, UK comedies Bless This House and Are You Being Served? had been re-screened several times by ABC Television, and were then acquired and screened, in prime time, by the Seven Network.[8]
In 1981, Daily at Dawn was the first Australian comedy series to feature a regular gay character (Terry Bader as journalist Leslie).[9]
In 1987, Mother and Son was the winner of the Television Drama Award, presented by the Australian Human Rights Commission.[10][11]
In 2007, Kath & Kim's first episode of Series 4 attracted an Australian audience of 2.521 million nationally.[12] This was the highest rating for a first episode in the history of Australian television,[12] until the series premiere of Underbelly: A Tale of Two Cities in 2009, which garnered 2.58 million viewers.[13]
In 2013, Please Like Me received an invitation to screen at the Series Mania Television Festival in Paris,[14] was praised by critics, [15] and garnered numerous awards and nominations.[16]
Also in 2013, At Home With Julia was criticized by several social commentators as inappropriately disrespectful to the office of the Prime Minister.[17] The show nevertheless proved very popular with both television audiences and critics—becoming the most watched Australian scripted comedy series of 2011.[18][19] It was nominated at the 2012 Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Awards for Best Television Comedy Series.[20]
Canada
Although there have been a number of notable exceptions, Canadian television networks have generally not done well with their sitcom offerings. Relatively, few Canadian sitcoms attained notable success in Canada or internationally.[21] Canadian television has had much greater success with sketch comedy and dramedy series.[21]
The popular show King of Kensington aired from 1975 to 1980, drawing, at its peak, an average of 1.5 to 1.8 million viewers weekly.[22]
The 1999 movie Trailer Park Boys 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 a million viewers per episode.[23] It has been the recipient of six Gemini Awards, and has been nominated almost 70 times for various awards.[24]
Other noteworthy recent sitcoms have included: Call Me Fitz, Schitt's Creek,[25] Letterkenny and Kim's Convenience,[26] all of which have been winners of the Canadian Screen Award for Best Comedy Series.
India
Sitcoms started appearing on Indian television in the 1980s, with serials like 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), Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah (2008–present), Uppum Mulakum (Malayalam 2015–2024), and Bhabiji Ghar Par Hain (2015–present).[27] SAB TV is one of the leading channels of India, dedicated entirely to Sitcoms.
Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah is the longest running sitcom of Indian television and is known as the flagship show of SAB TV.[28]
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 — the idea of making On Tiptoes was borrowed from the hit American television series Friends.
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.[29] The show continues to be popular in Central America as well as in Colombia, Venezuela, Brazil, Spain, the United States, and other countries, with syndicated episodes averaging 91 million daily viewers in all its American markets. Since it ceased production in 1992, in the Americas,[30][31] the show has earned an estimated billion (currency) in syndication fees alone for Televisa.[31]
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.[32]
Russia
The first Russian sitcom series was "Strawberry", which resembled "Duty Pharmacy" in a Spanish format. It was aired in 1996–1997 on the RTR channel. The "boom" of Russian sitcoms began only in the 2000s—when in 2004, the STS 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 of the country — STS 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
 | This section may require copy editing. (July 2024) |
In South Korea, sitcoms are called "시트콤". In the 1990s, sitcoms, family sitcoms, and youth sitcoms became popular terms due to rising popularity in shows such as Dr. Oh's people (오박사네 사람들, Obacksane Saramdeul), SBS's LA Arirang (LA 아리랑), and MBC's Men and Women (남자 셋 여자 셋, Namja set Yeoja set)[citation needed].
Although not widely used at the start of the 1990's, computer graphics began to be actively used in sitcoms in the latter part of the decade as the amount of CG broadcasters began to increase.[citation needed]
The 2010s saw a decrease in the popularity of South Korean sitcoms as viewers' tastes began to shift towards dramas and thrillers. In 2021, Netflix released So Not Worth It, with some of the big name creatives from earlier South Korean sitcoms.[33]
Popular South Korean sitcoms today include High Kick! (거침없이 하이킥, Guchim-eoupsi Highkik), and a spinoff, "High Kick Through the Roof" (지붕뚫고 하이킥, "Jiboong-Dulko Highkik").[34]
United Kingdom
Although styles of sitcoms have changed over the years, they tend to be based on a family, workplace, or other institution, in which the same group of contrasting characters are brought together in each episode. British sitcoms are typically produced in one or more series of six episodes. Most such series are conceived and developed by one or two writers. The majority of British sitcoms are 30 minutes long and are recorded on studio sets in a multiple-camera setup. A subset of British comedy consciously avoids traditional situation comedy themes and storylines to branch out into more unusual topics or narrative methods. Blackadder (1983 – 1989) and Yes Minister/Yes Prime Minister (1980 – 1988, 2013) moved what is often a domestic or workplace genre into the corridors of power. A later development of the sitcom genre, was mockumentary, such as: The Office (2001 – 2003, 2013), Coming of Age (2007 – 2011), The Inbetweeners (2008 – 2010), and People Just Do Nothing (2014 – 2018).
United States
Sitcoms were introduced to the United States in 1926 with the initial broadcast of Sam 'n' Henry on WGN radio in Chicago, Illinois. In 1928 the show's creators moved on to create Amos 'n' Andy on a different station, which became one of the most successful sitcoms of the period.[35] Both series were created and performed by Freeman Gosden and Charles Correll and revolved around two African Americans during the Great Migration.
In 1947, the first American television sitcom, Mary Kay and Johnny, debuted.[36]
American sitcoms are generally written to run a total of 22 minutes in length, leaving approximately eight minutes for advertisements in a 30-minute time slot.[37]
Some popular British shows have been successfully adapted for the United States.[38] Some of the most successful American sitcoms of the 1970s, including All in the Family, Three's Company, and Sanford and Son, were adapted from British productions. The Office, which aired from March 24, 2005, to May 16, 2013, was also based on a popular British show of the same name. Many TV networks in the United States air sitcoms, for example, CBS, TBS, Nickelodeon, and Disney Channel.
Wikiwand in your browser!
Seamless Wikipedia browsing. On steroids.
Every time you click a link to Wikipedia, Wiktionary or Wikiquote in your browser's search results, it will show the modern Wikiwand interface.
Wikiwand extension is a five stars, simple, with minimum permission required to keep your browsing private, safe and transparent.
