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A sitcom (short for situation comedy or situational comedy) is a genre of comedy produced for radio and television, that centers on a recurring cast of characters as they navigate humorous situations within a consistent setting, such as a home, workplace, or community. Unlike sketch comedy, which features different characters and settings in each Sketch comedy, sitcoms typically maintain plot continuity across episodes. This continuity allows for the development of storylines and characters over time, fostering audience engagement and investment in the characters' lives and relationships.
Early television sitcoms were often filmed in front of a studio audience using a multiple-camera setup, the latter of which continues in some modern productions such as The Big Bang Theory and Fuller House. Other formats make use of a laugh track or "canned laughter".
Since the 1990s, sitcoms have since expanded to , with successful shows of the genre including The Simpsons, King of the Hill, and Family Guy.
Critics have debated the exact definition of a sitcom, mostly regarding productions created at the turn of the 21st century. Many contemporary American sitcoms use a single-camera setup and do not feature a laugh track, instead more resembling documentaries or the dramedy of the 1980s and 1990s. "The Evolution Of The Sitcom: The Age of the Single Camera" . New York Film Academy, September 24, 2014.
In 1981, Daily at Dawn was the first Australian comedy series to feature a regular gay character (Terry Bader as journalist Leslie).Howes, Keith. (1998, February). "Gays of Our Lives". Outrage, Number 177, 38-49.
In 1987, Mother and Son won the Television Drama Award for portraying a woman suffering from senile dementia and her interaction with her family, presented by the Australian Human Rights Commission.
In 2007, Kath & Kims first episode of series 4 attracted an Australian audience of 2.521 million nationally. This was the highest rating for a first episode in the history of Australian television, until the series premiere of in 2009, which garnered 2.58 million viewers.
In 2013, Please Like Me received an invitation to screen at the Series Mania Television Festival in Paris, was praised by critics, and earned numerous awards and nominations.
Also in 2013, At Home with Julia was criticized by several social commentators as inappropriately disrespectful to the office of the Prime Minister. The show nevertheless proved very popular with both television audiences and critics, becoming the most-watched Australian scripted comedy series of 2011. It was nominated at the 2012 AACTA Awards for Best Television Comedy Series.
The popular show King of Kensington aired from 1975 to 1980, at its peak garnering an average of 1.5 to 1.8 million viewers weekly.
The 1999 movie Trailer Park Boys was followed up by a television series of the same name that ran from 2001 to 2018, airing in Canada, the U.S., and the U.K.
Corner Gas, which ran for six seasons from 2004 to 2009, became an instant hit, averaging one million viewers per episode. It has been the recipient of six and has been nominated almost 70 times for various awards.
Other noteworthy recent sitcoms have included: Call Me Fitz, Schitt's Creek, "The success of Schitt's Creek marks a turning point for the CBC" . The Globe and Mail, January 9, 2017. Letterkenny, and Kim's Convenience, "CBC orders more Kim's Convenience" . Media in Canada, December 21, 2016. all of which have been winners of the Canadian Screen Award for Best Comedy Series.
In 2020, the sixth and final season of Schitt's Creek was nominated for 15 Primetime Emmy Awards. This broke the record for the most Emmy nominations given to a comedy series in its final season. During the 72nd Primetime Emmy Awards, the show became the first ever comedy or drama series to sweep the four acting categories (Outstanding Lead Actor, Outstanding Lead Actress, Outstanding Supporting Actor, Outstanding Supporting Actress for Eugene Levy, Catherine O'Hara, Dan Levy, and Annie Murphy respectively) and one of only four live action shows, along with All in the Family, The Golden Girls, and Will & Grace where all the principal actors have won at least one Emmy Award.
Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah is the longest-running sitcom of Indian television and is also known as the flagship show of SAB TV.
The use of computer graphics (CG) in sitcoms began to increase in the late 1990s as more broadcasters adopted CG technology. This led to more visually dynamic and creative sitcoms.
However, viewer preferences shifted towards dramas and thrillers in the 2010s, resulting in a decline in sitcom popularity. Nevertheless, there have been recent efforts to revive the sitcom genre. For instance, Netflix released So Not Worth It in 2021, featuring many creators from popular South Korean sitcoms.
Popular South Korean sitcoms include the High Kick series, which has spawned several spin-offs.
The majority of are half-hour comedies recorded in studio settings using a multiple-camera setup. While many adhere to traditional sitcom conventions, some have ventured into more unconventional territory. For example, Blackadder and Yes Minister shifted the focus from domestic or workplace settings to the world of politics.
A more recent development in British comedy is the mockumentary, a style that blends documentary and comedic elements. Shows such as The Office, Come Fly with Me, W1A, People Just Do Nothing, and This Country have successfully employed this format to explore a variety of topics and characters.
The transition to television brought about significant changes in the sitcom format. Mary Kay and Johnny, which premiered in 1947, became the first American television sitcom. Today, American sitcoms typically run for 22 minutes, allowing for approximately eight minutes of advertising within a 30-minute time slot.
Throughout their history, American sitcoms have often drawn inspiration from British counterparts. Popular shows such as All in the Family, Three's Company, and Sanford and Son were adapted from successful British series. More recently, The Office achieved significant popularity in the United States, following the success of its British counterpart.
The large influence of the cinema of the United States has also allowed it to influence the world, with I Love Lucy, Bewitched, The Beverly Hillbillies, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Gilligan's Island, Friends, and Seinfeld continuing to hold an influence on the format. The United States also features the largest , including The Flintstones, The Jetsons, The Simpsons, King of the Hill, Daria, South Park, SpongeBob SquarePants, and Family Guy. Sitcoms have had such a profound impact on U.S. television entertainment that aspects of it even appear in other broadcasting formats; including the radio and television comedy series The Jack Benny Program, Western series Gunsmoke, war film comedy drama M*A*S*H, fantasy horror fiction series Supernatural, contemporary Western crime media franchise Breaking Bad, and reality television show Duck Dynasty.
Numerous television networks in the United States feature sitcoms in their programming. CBS, TBS, Nickelodeon, and Disney Channel are just a few examples, however many of them are beginning to move to digital formats.
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