Situation Comedy

The birth of sit-com The sitcom is now a television genre, but it began its life on radio in half-hour shows presenting characters in a common environment such as the workplace or the family home. I Love Lucy (1951)

Family life has been a subject of sitcom since the early days of television. There have been many types of family represented.

Although the types of things that go wrong that are the source of humour have not changed over time, other things have. One of the changes in society since the 1950’s is that few women now are full time housewives. Women are generally represented as stronger than men now.

The representation of men, women and teenagers in sitcoms is often stereotypical.

Men in sitcom Often seen to be weaker that their female counterparts, usually their wives. They may think they are going to get one over them, may even look as though they are going to come out on top, but they never win and end up either losing face or losing money.

Women in sitcom The women are often strong characters who keep the family on track despite the antics of their hopeless husbands and naughty children.

Grumpy old men Another frequent sitcom stereotype is the ‘grumpy old man’. Examples from the past include the father in Steptoe and Sun and Alf Garnett in Till Death Us Do Part. More recent texts include Phoenix Nights, Last of the Summer Wine and the US sitcom Becker.

In the past comedy was a way for women and children to deal with the authoritarian husband and father figure in many families. The grumpy old man was not only a figure of fun, but often ultimately powerless, as behind his back his seemingly down trodden wife quietly got her own way.

Recently the grumpy or bossy role is filled by a woman or young person. For example Patty and Selma in the Simpsons are both grumpy.

Top ten UK sitcoms Blackadder Dads Army Fawlty Towers The Good Life One Foot in the Grave Only Fools and Horses Open All Hours Porridge The Vicar of Dibley

What do you learn about each family member in the article? Which characters, from their descriptions, do you think have the most power in the Harper household? What kinds of conflicts do you expect between the members of the Harper family from what you have learned about their characters? Why do you think sitcom is so often based on family life?

What similarities are there between the families in Malcolm in the Middle and his My Family?

Read this outline of an original I Love Lucy episode Read this outline of an original I Love Lucy episode. How would Lucy and Ricky behave in a new series for today’s audiences? Think about the social changes that have taken place over the past fifty years, especially in the roles of men and women. Suggest ways to bring it up to date and think of comic complications that could happen before it is all put right in the end. Men are Messy Tired of cleaning up after Ricky, Lucy divides the apartment in two. He can mess up his half if he wants, but he cannot come into her half.

Lucy is a loveable but hopeless housewife who always gets into tricky situations that usually involve misunderstandings with her husband Ricky.

In groups improvise some of the situations you have thought of.