Sitcom Conventions

Sitcoms - Conventions

• A genre of comedy performance

• Recurring characters who share one common environment

  • Workplace

  • Home

  • School

  • Social Space

• Originally devised for Radio, but moved to TV in the 1950’s

• Narratively they can be continuous or stand-alone.

Conventions continued

• 1950’s Sitcoms started moving from the radio to the television screen.

• The first to have high ratings was I Love Lucy (1951)

• Commonly 22 minutes in length, allowing 8 minutes for commercials (total time 30 minutes)

• Often filmed in a studio, using multi-camera technology

• Can be filmed on location or in front of a live studio audience

Conventions continued

• Situation in which the characters cause the conflict from which the comedy arises.

• Romance is usually a key narrative component between regular characters.

• Family is usually a key narrative component.

• Beliefs and learning about ‘self’ is usually a key process for the central character (s).

Conventions continued

• The 'situation' is normally ‘reset’ by the end of the episode.

• Locations limited to 2 or 3 primary locations and a few recurring locations.

• Social context of their setting is often referenced explicitly or implicitly.

• Cultural reference points of calendar events and national events are often features of episodes (Christmas, Thanksgiving, Valentine's Day).