I’ve been watching sitcoms for as long as I can remember. I watched Disney Channel classics such as Suite Life and Wizards very early on, before discovering the likes of The Big Bang Theory and Brooklyn Nine-Nine much later on.
As I’ve known them, sitcoms include: ~20 minute episodes, an ensemble cast (each with unique personality traits) and relatively lighthearted subject matter with minimal continuity. Interestingly, the ‘sit’ in sitcom stands for ‘situational’, with the plotlines often revolving around the recurring settings. [1]
I’m almost always watching one sitcom or the other - oftentimes rewatching one as I wait for another to be released. [2] The interesting thing about watching (or rewatching) sitcoms from multiple generations isn’t necessarily about the character formation or storylines - although the newer sitcoms are notably more inclusive - but more to do with the evolution of the sitcom itself.
Over the last few months, I’ve been particularly curious about digital dualism: the belief that online and offline are separate and distinct realms. I’d consider myself a digital monist; in other words, I believe the two realms are becoming one, or may be so already. Now, whilst sitcoms don’t necessarily classify as ‘online’, the evolution of sitcoms may actualise Oscar Wilde’s assertion that “life imitates art far more than art imitates life”.
In thinking about the overlap between sitcoms and ‘the digital’, I began considering the evolution of sitcoms as an art form specifically from 1990 onwards. For example, Carrie’s blog in Sex and The City in the 90s was still interesting without significantly affecting the characters and their respective subplots. This is in stark comparison to iCarly, where although targeted towards a younger demographic, utilised livestreaming as central to the show. [3]
The evolution over the last three decades can be explained in part by Baudrillard’s “simulacra” which represents a hyperreality where the distinction between real and artificial has collapsed. The simulacra/simulation framework doesn’t completely capture the sitcom’s progression, but it provides a good basis to work from. The four stages, originally posited by Baudrillard, may better align with ongoing discourse on media & journalism and politics. [4]
Nonetheless, early sitcoms in the late-90s to early-00s like Friends and That ’70s Show align well with Baudrillard’s first stage. The shows are evidently constructed, with artificially engineered interior design and live-studio laugh tracks which amplified their fictionality. The artifice was overt, but viewers willingly accepted it as a reflection of reality.
Shows like HIMYM and Two and a Half Men followed shortly after in the mid-00s to mid-10s. These shows were slightly more layered, and attempt to blur the boundary between fiction and reality through emotional depth and storytelling complexity. Yet, these shows maintained their simulative qualities through the laugh track.
However, this era also marked a transitionary period which aligns with Baudrillard’s third stage. The Office and Parks and Recreation emerged, and challenged the notion of sitcoms revolving around friends and/or family through the ‘mockumentary’ style. [5] By using the aforementioned sitcom-esque elements, these shows offered a lens into a reality that, whilst previously not attached to the genre, is one all too familiar - the workplace. The absence of the laugh track, combined with the shift in settings and the documentary style certainly heightened the sense of reality. Hence, the shows and their characters are deemed more ‘relatable’ and the distinction between real and simulated faded even further. [6]
The mid-2010s marked a revolutionary period for sitcoms, and what I would class a ‘golden age’ for the genre were one to ever exist. However, as with most other fields following paradigm shifts, the genre changed notably after the Schurean Revolution.
These days, contemporary shows like Ted Lasso and Only Murders in the Building are still classed as sitcoms although without many of the core characteristics that previously define the genre. As I see it, sitcoms aren’t defined merely by recurring settings or comedic writing alone, but a combination of multiple elements. Although not the case with all shows, we’re witnessing a blurring of genres where shows like Hacks and Shrinking adopt the length and emotional depth of equally hyperrealistic shows like Severance. I agree that certain comedic tropes which were once popular in the 1990s-2000s are misaligned with our conceptions of reality and our consumption patterns. However, I worry the age of the sitcom, which once served as much-needed lighthearted form of escapism, is fading before our eyes.
It’s wholly possible that short-form platforms like TikTok may inherit the role of simple, situational humour. TikTok “skits” are - offering digestible entertainment that mirrors sitcoms’ role in providing structured, relatable humour. These skits are rooted in everyday scenarios, resonating as relatable moments of humour rather than narrative-driven entertainment, much like the earlier era of sitcoms.
I think these changes are being caused by an ongoing juxtaposition where a) the world itself is getting notably darker and b) TV shows are signalling these across multiple genres - consider Succession, Squid Game, The Good Place and White Lotus to name a few. It’s entirely possible sitcoms are simply adapting to changing preferences and serving as dramas containing character depth and comedic undertones rather than situational comedies which perhaps traded one for the other. As society itself changes, the comedic lens shifts toward introspection, blending simulation with lived emotional truth. This evolution suggests that the sitcom’s form is dispersing into new mediums, rather than following a single trajectory through Baudrillard’s framework. Thus, it is possible that the digital - albeit not necessarily ‘online’ - realm continues to mirror our real-world experiences through a medium which previously offered escape from both.
[1] Isn’t language so cool?
[2] I am moments away from formally petitioning Disney+ to release Abbott Elementary S4.
[3] One could argue that the livestream itself was the recurring setting.
[4] I found the difference between simulation and imitation particularly interesting. Imitation copies reality while leaving it intact, but simulation creates something which replaces reality entirely.
[5] Michael Schur is a pioneer.
[6] Superstore, whilst not a mockumentary-style sitcom, also pushed this boundary – especially for how well the pandemic was weaved into the final season.