I know that there were videotaped sitcoms like The Golden Girls and Blossom in the early '90s, but what was the last sitcom to be filmed on videotape?

I don't think there's been a videotaped sitcom since then.

I could be wrong, but all of them now are done on film or probably digital.

Videotaped shows always looked more "live " to me, a little more intimate, whereas filmed shows....looked like they were on film.

Many of those cheap UPN and WB sitcoms were still shot on videotape in the early 2000's.

Many of those cheap UPN and WB sitcoms were still shot on videotape in the early 2000s.

I'm trying to think of one, but I can't.

The Nanny (1993-1999) was shot on videotape.

Many of those cheap UPN and WB sitcoms were still shot on videotape in the early 2000's.

Disney probably still does them on videotape and puts them thru Filmlook.

The Conners is perhaps the only current network sitcom to be videotaped before a live studio audience.

I don’t think The Conners is videotaped- I think it’s digitally recorded. I remember hearing the “taped” comment in the early episodes and thought it was odd. They now just say “recorded”.

Everybody Loves Raymond had a live audience. Not sure if it was recorded or taped. I miss the live audiences on sitcoms.

The Conners is perhaps the only current network sitcom to be videotaped before a live studio audience.

I doubt any show is videotaped anymore.

And The Conners does not look like a videotaped show.

I doubt any show is videotaped anymore.

And The Conners does not look like a videotaped show.

There's little reason to shoot sitcoms on video tape anymore due to the advent of digital video. Before, shooting a show on video tape and later processing it was much cheaper than if it were shot on 35mm film. The tradeoff however, is that the quality of videotape is much inferior than film. It's also much easier to "clean up" filmed footage from a filmed sitcom than a video taped sitcom.

There's little reason to shoot sitcoms on video tape anymore due to the advent of digital video. Before, shooting a show on video tape and later processing it was much cheaper than if it were shot on 35mm film. The tradeoff however, is that the quality of videotape is much inferior than film. It's also much easier to "clean up" filmed footage from a filmed sitcom than a video taped sitcom.

Yep, and you can't transfer any of those vintage videotaped sitcoms to high-definition either. It's just not possible. You can put them on a blu-ray disc, but it will never be high-def.

From what i remember, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air was the last videotaped sitcom on NBC, ending production in 1996, The Nanny was the last CBS videotaped sitcom, ending production in 1999, and Boy Meets World was the last ABC videotaped sitcom, ending production in 2000. I'm not sure about the other networks Fox, UPN, WB, and CW.

From what i remember, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air was the last videotaped sitcom on NBC, ending production in 1996, The Nanny was the last CBS videotaped sitcom, ending production in 1999, and Boy Meets World was the last ABC videotaped sitcom, ending production in 2000. I'm not sure about the other networks Fox, UPN, WB, and CW.

Living Single may have been the last Fox sitcom to be videotaped (it ended on New Year's Day, 1998). Several months prior, Married...with Children and Martin ended their respective runs.

The Steve Harvey Show may have been the last WB sitcom to be videotaped (and last noteworthy American network sitcom in general to be produced in that fashion) since it ended in 2002. Malcolm & Eddie I want to believe was the last videotaped UPN sitcom, as it ended in 2000. The CW to the best of my knowledge, never aired any videotaped sitcoms when they first started in 2006.

Everybody Loves Raymond had a live audience. Not sure if it was recorded or taped. I miss the live audiences on sitcoms.

ELR was shot on film. A few seasons in (4th) they went HD.

There's little reason to shoot sitcoms on video tape anymore due to the advent of digital video. Before, shooting a show on video tape and later processing it was much cheaper than if it were shot on 35mm film. The tradeoff however, is that the quality of videotape is much inferior than film. It's also much easier to "clean up" filmed footage from a filmed sitcom than a video taped sitcom.

If that's so then why was it so commons with sitcoms for so many years?

To many I'm sure videotape was an improvement and switching back to film is like going backwards.

It was cheaper, and it was easier/quicker to edit than film, which had to be developed first. But shows shot on videotape cannot be converted into HD, because its resolution is inherently lower than film. When producers saw that HD was on the horizon, they stopped using videotape because they knew that programs recorded that way would be less valuable in the future.

All in the Family was I believe the first big American network sitcom to be shot on videotape. If I'm not mistaken, Norman Lear was highly influenced by British sitcoms (AITF was afterall, based on a British show called Till Death Us Do Part). Have it it shot as if it were live was suppose to give the viewers the feeling that they were watching it as it happened (as if you were watching a stage play). Before this, many sitcoms were produced with a single-camera and employed a laugh track instead of being shot in front of a studio audience.

Everybody Loves Raymond had a live audience. Not sure if it was recorded or taped. I miss the live audiences on sitcoms.

Me too! I enjoy hearing the reactions and energy of the studio audience! It adds a lot more to every show that's ever been done before a studio audience. There's almost none of those left on network TV, outside of The Conners CBS is the only network really doing one, though NBC has ordered one for next season which is a surprise. But even CBS has started moving away from multi cam. There are some good single cam comedies but single cam is a very different atmosphere and energy from multi cams. In fact, I'd even call some of the single cams closer to drama with a slight hint of some comedy.

As time goes on I feel multi cams will disappear entirely, I really hope not though. Multi cams are my favorite genre of TV by and far. Even if I have only a slight interest in it, I'll almost always check out any multi cam whereas with a single cam it has to be REALLY good for me to start to invest time in it like The Middle or Superstore for example. I was really looking forward to the Jetsons multi cam but I haven't heard anything on it in a year so it's probably dead :( Hoping ABC just hasn't had a chance to slot it in yet.

The last new network series produced on conventional videotape was Guys Like Us on UPN in the fall of 1998. It starred Bumper Robinson. From what I could research, almost all of the last new videotaped sitcoms to premiere on each network were shows woth black main castmembers:

Cbs- Cosby 1996
Nbc- here and now 1992 (not sure about this one) ?
Fox - Between Brothers 1997
Abc- me and the boys 1994
Wb- Smart Guy 1997

The last new network series produced on conventional videotape was Guys Like Us on UPN in the fall of 1998. It starred Bumper Robinson. From what I could research, almost all of the last new videotaped sitcoms to premiere on each network were shows woth black main castmembers:

Cbs- Cosby 1996
Nbc- here and now 1992 (not sure about this one) ?
Fox - Between Brothers 1997
Abc- me and the boys 1994
Wb- Smart Guy 1997

This is great info, thanks. But does anyone know which was the last videotaped sitcom that aired?

In other words, which of these shows -- or previously existing shows -- aired the last ever videotaped sitcom episode?

Steve harvey show in 2002

Steve harvey show in 2002

I forgot that Steve Harvey had a sitcom.

Byron Allen produced two sitcoms, The First Family and Mr. Box Office, that looked like videotape. That was 2012.

A lot of shows went for a film look in the early-2000s (i.e. The Bernie Mac Show), and that seemed to be the end of videotape.