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Generic conventions
- Same characters appear in every episode and usually do not change or develop much.
- Episodes are usually 30 minutes long
- The set for the sitcom is usually the same each episode.
- Sitcoms usually centre on a family home or workplace.
- Characters in sitcoms are usually very stereotypical
- Some British sitcoms are situation-led, so various mishaps happen to the main characters in each episode.
- US sitcoms are often character led
- There is generally a moral conclusion at the end of each episode of a US sitcom.
- Most characters in sitcoms have cliched sayings which they will say at least once in every episode
- Although there are ongoing storylines, the primary plotline is resolved in each episode.
- There is a main problem to be resolved at the end of each episode
- Ideologies of US sitcoms are far more idealistic and aspirational than those of UK sitcoms
The appeal of sitcoms
Sitcoms are primarily there to make us laugh. Each different sitcom makes you laugh in different ways due to the different situation. Examples of this are:
- In conventional sitcoms, such as My Family, it is the endless problems of family life which you laugh at.
- In character led sitcoms such as Father Ted you laugh at the stereotypes presented to you, with most of the humour coming from the non-stereotypical situation.
- In Absolutely Fabulous the comedy comes from the bizarre and grotesque characters of Edina and Patsy.
Types of Sitcom
- The most conventional type of sitcom is the family situation such as Malcolm in the Middle or 2.4 kids
- Another typical type of sitcom is the normal family with a bizarre secret or unusual behaviour like My Hero or Bewitched
- Many UK sitcoms are class based such as Only Fools and Horses
- US sitcoms like Friends borrow elements from soap operas to keep the genre fresh, such as cliffhanger endings to episodes.
- Some UK sitcoms are based around a central figure who is unusual or eccentric in some way and often has strange ways of behaving (Basil Fawlty) or has a particular catchphrase like 'Back of the Net' in Alan Partridge.
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