reality bites III: revenge of the sitcom
the absence of friends, the void of seinfeld, the impending conclusion of will & grace, and the parade of horrid sitcom imitations we have been exposed to over the past five years have given great rise to speculation that the sitcom as we know it may be on the verge of extinction.
partly to the blame is the popularity of the quality dramas that have premiered over the past decade, many of which have spawned multiple spin-off series, and the rise of the dramedies--alternative comedic programming with a serious backbone. of course, the rampant reproductive nature of reality programming is the sitcom's worst enemy. reality shows are digested with ease, much cheaper to produce, and in many cases, are a hell of a lot funnier.
with all of this ratings-friendly programming clogging up the grids across the four major networks, there is precious little room for sitcoms, and even less tolerance for under performance. these days, it's truly sink or swim. as a side note, seinfeld did not become a top ten hit until its fifth season, and that was without reality competition. imagine if nbc had pulled the plug after season one on such a cultural treasure.
the fall 2005 season brought with it little hope for sitcom resurgence, but in a surprising twist, a small army of mid-season replacements that have premiered over the past few months may just help to finally turn the tide.
on the front of the traditional (laugh-track) sitcom, we are still a long way from replacing the golden-age lineup of nbc's must-see thursday. four kings, nbc's latest friends substitute, and joey are okay for a few chuckles, but leave little desire to come back. but, on cbs, the new adventures of old christine (julia louis dreyfuss' new vehicle) is actually watchable, if not endearing. the comedy element needs some work (advice: keep wanda sykes on the payroll), but at least we care about the character and that's key to keep us coming back.
the "alternative" (no laugh-track) sitcom format has been both successful (the office) and not so much (emily's reasons why not) over the past few years. the newbie, sons & daughters on abc, had a bit of a rough start, demanding that the audience get to know about 12 characters in 23 minutes, while laughing at the same time. but stick with it for a second week, and you'll be familiar enough with the characters' relationships (if not their names) to find a lot of humor amid the inner-workings of a large quirky family that you will probably want to get to know a little bit better.
fox, however, wins the prize (at least from the younger demo) for greenlighting both free ride and the loop. they can easily be discussed together, as the premises aren't all that different. both star early twenty-something guys who find themselves each week in situations that pit them against authoritative parents or bosses, unrequited love interests, and immature circles of friends--comedy ensues. what makes these shows work are not the cracker-jack plots, but the impressively maintained fast-pace, random "wtf" moments, and envelope-pushing dialogue (more so on the loop) that can make you forget you're watching network.
lastly, i'd be remiss not to give a few props to vh1 for the premiere of so notorious, tori spelling's version of curb your enthusiasm. scripted programming is not typically mtv-friendly, but this show fits right in to the celebreality niche. while not quite as remarkable as curb, there are many humorous moments, and you can't help but give tori credit for making fun of herself long before you can.
it's too early to tell whether any, or all, of these shows will have a second season. but even if some of them slip, it's finally evident that the sitcom will not go down without a fight.
reality bites I: the apprentice menace
reality bites II: no lack of the clones
partly to the blame is the popularity of the quality dramas that have premiered over the past decade, many of which have spawned multiple spin-off series, and the rise of the dramedies--alternative comedic programming with a serious backbone. of course, the rampant reproductive nature of reality programming is the sitcom's worst enemy. reality shows are digested with ease, much cheaper to produce, and in many cases, are a hell of a lot funnier.
with all of this ratings-friendly programming clogging up the grids across the four major networks, there is precious little room for sitcoms, and even less tolerance for under performance. these days, it's truly sink or swim. as a side note, seinfeld did not become a top ten hit until its fifth season, and that was without reality competition. imagine if nbc had pulled the plug after season one on such a cultural treasure.
the fall 2005 season brought with it little hope for sitcom resurgence, but in a surprising twist, a small army of mid-season replacements that have premiered over the past few months may just help to finally turn the tide.
on the front of the traditional (laugh-track) sitcom, we are still a long way from replacing the golden-age lineup of nbc's must-see thursday. four kings, nbc's latest friends substitute, and joey are okay for a few chuckles, but leave little desire to come back. but, on cbs, the new adventures of old christine (julia louis dreyfuss' new vehicle) is actually watchable, if not endearing. the comedy element needs some work (advice: keep wanda sykes on the payroll), but at least we care about the character and that's key to keep us coming back.
the "alternative" (no laugh-track) sitcom format has been both successful (the office) and not so much (emily's reasons why not) over the past few years. the newbie, sons & daughters on abc, had a bit of a rough start, demanding that the audience get to know about 12 characters in 23 minutes, while laughing at the same time. but stick with it for a second week, and you'll be familiar enough with the characters' relationships (if not their names) to find a lot of humor amid the inner-workings of a large quirky family that you will probably want to get to know a little bit better.
fox, however, wins the prize (at least from the younger demo) for greenlighting both free ride and the loop. they can easily be discussed together, as the premises aren't all that different. both star early twenty-something guys who find themselves each week in situations that pit them against authoritative parents or bosses, unrequited love interests, and immature circles of friends--comedy ensues. what makes these shows work are not the cracker-jack plots, but the impressively maintained fast-pace, random "wtf" moments, and envelope-pushing dialogue (more so on the loop) that can make you forget you're watching network.
lastly, i'd be remiss not to give a few props to vh1 for the premiere of so notorious, tori spelling's version of curb your enthusiasm. scripted programming is not typically mtv-friendly, but this show fits right in to the celebreality niche. while not quite as remarkable as curb, there are many humorous moments, and you can't help but give tori credit for making fun of herself long before you can.
it's too early to tell whether any, or all, of these shows will have a second season. but even if some of them slip, it's finally evident that the sitcom will not go down without a fight.
reality bites I: the apprentice menace
reality bites II: no lack of the clones
posted by mark at 11:59 AM
1 Comments:
well i know that 'four kings' and 'joey' are both "DUNZO"
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