Accepting his Emmy for best comedy series in September, Everybody Loves Raymond’s executive producer Phil Rosenthal had this to say: “All year long they’ve been asking us, ‘Do you think, now that your show is going, that this means the end of the sitcom?’ I want to say, yes. I also think, beyond that, it’s the end of laughing and soon the end of smiling.”
As portentous as that sounds, Rosenthal really isn’t that far off the mark.
A situation comedy, or “sitcom” as its so lovingly referred to, is a genre of comedy performance which usually consist of recurring characters involved in one or more humorous story lines and centered around a common environment, such as a family home or workplace. Or a bar. Or a coffee shop. Fill in the location.
The whole concept started in radio, but it wasn’t until the early 1950s when the revolutionary I Love Lucy came on the air that the true sitcom was born. Since then, each era has had their heyday–from the ‘60s The Dick Van Dyke Show and The Andy Griffith Show to the ‘70s All in the Family and Happy Days to the ‘80s The Cosby Show and Cheers to the ‘90s Seinfeld and Friends.
But with the recent exits of standards such as Raymond, Friends and Frasier, the classic sitcom does indeed look to be heading for extinction. We still have some–such as the long-standing King of Queens and Will & Grace, as well as According to Jim and Hope and Faith (which are still inexplicably on the air). But even with more promising newcomers, such as Two and Half Men, the sitcoms being produced these days certainly aren’t the stuff of which Seinfeld and Cheers were once made.
So, what’s happened? Here are a few theories on why the traditional sitcom is dying a slow and painful death:
Those damn Lost castaways and American Idols
The hour-long program has always had a place in a network’s lineup. A typical night used to be watching the more kid-appropriate sitcoms from 8-9 pm, then the more racy sitcoms from 9-10 pm. Then, to cap the evening, the Hill Street Blues and ER-type dramas aired from 10-11 pm. Nowadays, it’s the hour-long dramas, such as the hundreds of CSI and Law and Order spin-offs, that are taking over. Thanks to the likes of Lost and Grey’s Anatomy, they are also definitely getting weirder and far more entertaining. Of course, we also have the whole reality programming regime, with your Apprentices and Amazing Races. A silly half-hour sitcom about your neighborhood Laundromat just can’t compare.
Where’s Jennifer Aniston and Jerry Seinfeld when you need them?
There just not breeding the perfect sitcom star or ensemble like they used to. Back in the day, a true TV star, along with his/her madcap cohorts, made sitcom magic together. You didn’t have to concoct all kinds of nonsense around them to make the show work. Then, later, it was the seemingly endless stream of stand-up comics to frame a good sitcom around. But that well has apparently run dry. Yes, the gang over at Will & Grace’s are still here, but now we have Joey’s Matt LeBlanc, who was great as a supporting character in Friends but can’t quite hold the candle on his own. And Two and Half Men’s bad boy Charlie Sheen, who gets more coverage with his off-screen antics than his small-screen ones. Freddie Prinze Jr.? Yeah, not a stellar bunch–except maybe the kid who plays the young Chris Rock in Everybody Hates Chris.
Those damn cable networks
How in the hell can you compete with the f-word and soft-core porn? With shows such as HBO’s Sex and the City and Curb Your Enthusiasm, even Showtimes’ Weeds, cable networks can do just about anything they want to with their programming, god bless them. And in doing so, they simply outshine any of their milder, FCC-regulated competition. It is true you have to pay extra to watch these shows, but honestly, do you know anyone these days who doesn’t have HBO? Or Tivo, for that matter? And even if you don’t subscribe to pay cable, you still have the basic cable channels such as USA Network, Sci-Fi, Bravo, MTV, Discovery Channel, History Channel and the other 100+ selections, all with their own original programming. There is just too much to choose from.
Canned laughter is, like, so 1970
If a sitcom is going to work, its got to think out of the box. It is no longer acceptable to see the same set pieces, with the same trite banter between the same star and his best friend, accompanied by the same so-called “live” audience laughter and applause. It isn’t going to cut it anymore. That’s why we have a new crop of shows that just say no to canned laughter, such as Arrested Development, The Office and My Name is Earl. They are trying to keep up with the quirkiness so prevalent in those wild and wacky hour-long shows, while continually testing the FCC-waters and crossing as many lines as they can, thus attempting to be as daring as HBO.
If the days of Lucy and Ricky are indeed long gone, then ultimately, we’ll have to have hope they’ll come up with a new breed of sitcom.
