Sitcom Research

*Possible Research Point- How sit-coms have evolved with the change in the dynamic of traditional families*

'Sitcoms also portray more admirable characters we would prefer to identify with, who still suffer from their own less drastic limits.' - Page 2 of Situation Comedies and the Power of Liberation by Ken Sanes. 

Suggests why there is such a range of character arcs in each sitcom, to force identification with a wider audience. In relation to research into traditional family representations, it assigns a typical family member role onto each viewer, creates reliability to the family dynamic and situations.

  'There are the addicts, avoiders, self-sabotagers, airheads, overgrown adolescents, macho men, seductresses, persecutors, troublemakers, matchmakers, nagging parents, braggarts, et al.' - Page 3 of Situation Comedies and the Power of Liberation by Ken Sanes. 

This describes the most common stereotypes that the general audience love to see as they are familiar characters. Shows us the typical family members that we are used to seeing in past television programmes. 

 'Sitcoms thus give us permission to move beyond the idealised images of ourselves and the world; they give us permission to be imperfect, freeing us up to accept what Swift, in a different context, referred to as our Yahoo nature.'- Page 6 of Situation Comedies and the Power of Liberation by Ken Sanes. 

Although built on a very overgeneralised representation, the narrative often has a moral of accepting imperfections. 

 
 'There are the obvious cues to this in many 'normal' sitcom texts; unrealistic sets, 'canned' audience laughter and the use of non-diegetic music are only the most obvious breaks in 'reality'.' - Just like on TV: Community, the Ultimate Postmodern Sitcom by Phil Dyas. 

Abolishes the sense of realism in some sitcoms, the laughter removes any sense of reality. This may be why we don't take all behaviours of our 'favourite characters' as we know that their situations and behaviours are not real, they are only for entertainment purposes. 

  'There's a family. A mom. A dad. Two, maybe three, kids of varying ages. They live in a suburban house together. Dad works. Sometimes, mom does too. Their lives revolve around school and work, but they take place mostly in the shared domestic spaces of the house: the disproportionately large living room, the roomy kitchen.' - Family Sitcoms in 2015 Don't Reflect the American Family- And They Haven't For Years by Manuel Betancourt. 

This shows the very basic, stereotypical make-up and context of family life that most sit-coms are based around.

'Even now, calls for diversity in TV continue to feel both necessary and, sadly, futile. Yet it bears repeating: While television is not required to accurately represent the viewers it hopes to court, audiences themselves have the right to call out when certain genres — even those that depend on their very repetitive nature — continue to merely present the same kind of show again and again.' - Family Sitcoms in 2015 Don't Reflect the American Family- And They Haven't For Years by Manuel Betancourt. 

Although shows appear to be providing the audience with a very original and cutting edge narrative, really they have stemmed from the same basic principles. 

*Possible Research Point- How national tragedies (e.g. 9/11) effected American Sitcoms* 

  Most New York based sitcoms relocated to a different City, following the events of 9/11. The shows that stayed did not acknowledge the event at all and shortly after, those shows came to an end. Sitcoms such as How I Met Your Mother (2005-2011) were established in New York and stayed there, however again never acknowledged the tragedy. 

This suggests that after the event, rather than addressing and expressing the feeling of loss and tragedy that the whole world was feeling, they instead decided to ignore the event all together. 

'Many others are portrayed as also suffering from their own limitations, whether from their own narcissism and personal neuroses or other sources, so that they get only half a loaf out of life. But their craziness takes less away from them and seems less over the edge than in the first group. And, typically, they struggle against, and learn lessons about, their limitations and manifest some insight into themselves'- Situation Comedies and the Power of Sadism by Ken Sanes.

This reinforces the suggestion that sit-com characters have a very linear narrative of their own self-discovery and development of their character arc. Therefore, the wider context of the setting is not taken into consideration unless it effects them personally. 

'Sitcoms thus give us permission to move beyond the idealised images of ourselves and the world; they give us permission to be imperfect, freeing us up to accept what Swift, in a different context, referred to as our Yahoo nature. They encourage us to be more flexible and less rigid; more open and less defensive; and to invent people as villains less and see our common humanity more'- Situation Comedies and the Power of Sadism by Ken Sanes.

If all sit-coms aim for an idealised image of both society and humanity then maybe it is understandable that they would not acknowledge such a tragedy. The context of 9/11 was quite a cynical and discriminative time that did not reflect the ideal picture of an american society. It was a time of rigid beliefs, extremely high defence of the country and a very loose sense of humanity. 

'Under the power of humour, even death, nuclear destruction and Adolph Hitler can be (symbolically) turned into pathetic little mice and scared away'- Situation Comedies and the Power of Sadism by Ken Sanes.

This quote doesn't support the reality, that following the events of 9/11, the majority of 'New York based sitcoms' re-located from New York to other major cities. 

'Sitcoms also satisfy another desire, for consolation. They give us happy endings, loving relationships, and commiseration between characters, that tells us things aren't really so bad and life does have its compensations. They help reconcile us to the unfairness and incompleteness of life, and with all the limitations imposed from without and within'- Situation Comedies and the Power of Sadism by Ken Sanes.
This suggests that maybe it is not within the purpose of this genre to identify tragedies, they provide the public with a form of escapism. They provide a sense of reality that is less harsh than reality itself. 

'Under the power of humour, even death, nuclear destruction and Adolph Hitler can be (symbolically) turned into pathetic little mice and scared away'- Situation Comedies and the Power of Sadism by Ken Sanes.
 This causes a conflict as past historic tragedies have been since represented as a twisted humour, however, this was never done with 9/11.

'Could Friends have worked if it had been set in Leeds, or Manchester, or even Walford? How much of its appeal is about its shiny, smart New York setting, those cutaways to a twinkly NY skyline, name-drops of fashion houses, and glimpses of posh offices and trendy diners?'-The one where they all bugger off for good Saying goodbye to Friends by Jenny Grahame
This quote suggests that the optimistic New York setting is what attracted the audience to the show. By ruining the squeaky clean image of New York that the show represents, it would take from the shows appeals. The devastating events and aftermath that 9/11 left would certainly taint the image that friends has upheld for so long.

'Is part of its attraction that our all-white, mainly middle-class Friends are just far away enough from the tedium of everyday life to provide something we can aspire to'-The one where they all bugger off for good Saying goodbye to Friends by Jenny Grahame
Maybe the reason that 9/11 was never acknowledged was due to the racial backlash that was given to the muslim community following the events. 

'Family sitcoms emphasised the performative quality of middle-class family life in a self-reflexive way'- Representing The Family by Deborah Chambers (Mick Eaton Quote)
Modern Family follows this generic representation of an upper-middle/middle class family. 

'The humour in family sitcoms relied precisely on breaking the codes of the idealised family'- Representing The Family by Deborah Chambers (Mick Eaton Quote)
This suggests that the humour of family sitcoms comes from the family making mistakes and braking the ideals of a functional family. 

*MODERN FAMILY MARKETING- INTRODUCTION*

NON ACADEMIC RESEARCH 

'Its appeal spans generations and, of course, is linked to the very truth that the Rockwellian portraits of American family life are a thing of the past. Increasingly, our families have non-traditional compositions.'- The Marketing Genius of "Modern Family" by Pat Sullivan  
Supports the diverse representation of a modern day family that defies tradition. 

 'Shifting back to “Modern Family,” which mine is not, there is even more nuance: Gloria is Latina while Jay is a boomer; Cameron and Mitchell are gay; Lily, who they adopted, is Asian; Claire and Phil are Gen Xers with two daughters and a son'- The Marketing Genius of "Modern Family" by Pat Sullivan  
The programme uses more than one stereotype, this can be argued to be a use for marketing and publicity or an expression of the shows values and beliefs.

 *MODERN FAMILY- PART ONE* 

 'When not an outright comedy, the Mockumentary almost always involves some kind of disaster'- Mockumentary by TV Tropes 
Each episode seems to have a disruption in the narrative, the aim is to restore the balance.

 *Genre Conventions of a sitcom* 

(In reference to realism in sitcoms)- 'Thus the laugh track is removed, the  audience is not positioned as a fourth wall and film is used instead of video'- Brett Mills Sitcom by Brett Mills 

This is relevant as this genre convention is used in the production of modern family and is typically quite unconventional of the sitcom genre.

'By attempting to create links between sitcom content and serious forms, such series belie the assumption that the sitcom form is in itself severely limited, and that comedy should be used for some purpose other than mere funniness'- Brett Mills Sitcom by Brett Mills

The aim of modern family is to promote the acceptance of a modern and diverse family, which is helped by the use of humour. 

'Dramatic action leads to the resolution. But not every genre leads us to the same kind of resolution'- Genre and Genre Conventions by Daniel Derksen

This tells us that each sitcom aims to achieve a different goal, some aim for an aspect of humour and entertainment whereas others aim to send out a message. 

'The structure of the sitcom is pretty much the same as when it first evolved, and many of its influences go back much further than that'- Brett Mills Sitcom by Brett Mills
Provides evidence that many sitcoms can be said to be traditional in comparison to Modern Family.

There are the obvious cues to this in many 'normal' sitcom texts; unrealistic sets, 'canned' audience laughter and the use of non-diegetic music are only the most obvious breaks in 'reality'-Just like on TV: Community, the Ultimate Postmodern Sitcom by Phil Dyas

These generic elements of a sitcom are very rarely found in Modern Family, suggesting that they are providing a modern experience of a sitcom. 

'Because sitcom is the dominant genre on American television, spotting trends within its content is not only a recurring occupation of academics and journalists but also a vital part of the industry's creative process'-Brett Mills Sitcom by Brett Mills
This may suggest that the whole show is based on the trends in American society, that the reason for the use of many stereotyped characters is because of the increasing diversity in American society.