SITUATION COMEDY
The birth of sit-com
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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)
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Family life has been a subject of sitcom since
the early days of television.
There have been many types of family
represented.
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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.
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The representation of men, women and
teenagers in sitcoms is often stereotypical.
Men in sitcom
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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
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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
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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.
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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.
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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
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10.
Blackadder
Dads Army
Fawlty Towers
The Good Life
One Foot in the Grave
Only Fools and Horses
Open All Hours
Porridge
One Foot in the Grave
The Vicar of Dibley
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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?
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What similarities are there between the
families in Malcolm in the Middle and his My
Family?
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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.
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Lucy is a loveable but hopeless housewife
who always gets into tricky situations that
usually involve misunderstandings with her
husband Ricky.
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In groups improvise some of the situations
you have thought of.