Misgenred shows? - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

Dean Winchester · 10-26-2004, 09:05 PM

what shows are out there that are classified under one genre, but you see it as another?

Offhand, I as shocked to see Popular in the Drama section at Best Buy, the show is more of a comedy and consistantly funny than 90% of the sitcoms currently on the air. I also saw Roswell in Sci-Fi, when to me, the show is much more Drama than sci-fi.

Any other shows you guys think are misgenre'd?

jamesanthony · 10-26-2004, 09:54 PM

Moonlighting is more of a comedy than a drama, although I wouldn't call it a sitcom. Room 222, Batman and Molly Dodd were all emmy nominated as comedies though one could argue that they weren't sitcoms either. Batman is a satire of adventure series so I could see it being considered comedy I guess. Molly Dodd is dramady (did I spell that one right?) Northern Exposure won emmies in drama but I remember that even the shows creators considered it to be a comedy. Truthfully there are some shows that are a little comedy and drama put together. MASH struck me as being very dramatic at times. To limit scripted shows to sitcom and drama is very limiting.

There are some shows that are meant to be serious (I think) that many people think are hilariously funny. I've known of people who thought Barnaby Jones was hilariously campy and roared with laughter aat its melodrama. I've also known of people who thought Quincy was outrageously humorous.

tvfan0101 · 10-26-2004, 10:37 PM

Well, the term dramedy basically covers most shows that fall between genre lines. M*A*S*H is arguably the most famous, going from straight comedy to dramedy over the course of its run. Dramedy works for us television fans and I have seen the term in TV Guide. However, I think the networks, the general public and distributers of DVDs still think in mostly in terms of the comedy (or sitcom) and the drama.

Indeed, it could be said that, aside from the dramedy, all scripted shows fall into either the comedic or dramatic category, with adventure, action, legal, medical, and so on all fitting under the drama heading, and the sitcom going under comedy. Then you have the reality genre (which is becoming increasingly muddled), the gameshow genre, the variety genre, the list goes on.

To add two more shows that I feel are somewhat mislabeled genre-wise, I would submit Scubs as a perfect current example of a dramedy. It is presented as a straight up half-hour sitcom, chock full of laughs, but there are incredibly dramatic scenes in the series. Gilmore girls, which is an hour-long, is known for its one-liners and witty dialogue. Yet it is presented as a drama.

barwars · 10-27-2004, 02:43 PM

I think runtime more than anything determines what genre a show is.

jamesanthony · 10-27-2004, 04:08 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by barwars
I think runtime more than anything determines what genre a show is.

That is true now, but years ago there were many 30 minute dramas like Adam 12, Dragnet, NYPD, Gentle Ben, Flipper etc. and some of the westerns.

Monk is another show that is classified in one category or another depending upon the situation.

What would shows like BJ and the Bear and Lobo and Dukes of Hazzard be considered? Those shows are not really dramatic.

tvfan0101 · 10-27-2004, 04:10 PM

Runtime is pretty important, although jamesanthony is right about it being more important now than in decades past.

Once the networks (or the producers, I really do not know) settled on half-hour sitcoms and hour everything else, runtime has more or less dictated what genre a series is in. Back in the early, early days of television, shows were as long as they needed to be. And news was fifteen minutes in length into the early 1960s (which meant that there are many early shows that are fifteen minutes in length).

Early, live, dramatic television ran for an hour and a half (Playhouse 90 is one of the most famous), and there have been a handful of shows that ran for forty-five minutes (including The New People and The Music Scene in 1969). There are some sitcoms that ran for an hour, the only one that comes to mind right now is Husbands, Wives and Lovers in 1978.

jamesanthony · 10-27-2004, 04:26 PM

Love Boat would be another show that some would consider drama because of its length although it is not really dramatic.

What about Jack Benny's series? I really thought it was a sitcom based upon the little I've seen of it, but I was told that depending upon the year it was either a sitcom or a variety show.

Then there was a Bob Hope Chrystler sponsored series in the 60s that had everything under its umbrella from his holiday variety specials to very serious dramatic presentations. Walt Disney's series would also be like this: an anthology that is almost ungenreable (if that is a word).

spunkygirl · 10-27-2004, 04:30 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by barwars
I think runtime more than anything determines what genre a show is.

I've always thought of Dramas as an hour, and sitcoms as a half hour. That's how I've always classified them

JT · 10-27-2004, 04:35 PM

The Love Boat, I would consider romantic comedy, because some parts were romantic (with drama) and others were comedic (with romance).

Desperate Housewives definitely falls into the dramedy category, along with Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman, IMO. DH is a soap opera, but it has VERY VERY VERY high amounts of comedy in it. MHMH was a sitcom, but, as Norman Lear intended, it also had VERY VERY VERY high amounts of melodrama.

I guess it all depends on your POV.

jamesanthony · 10-27-2004, 06:18 PM

Eight is Enough is another show that falls between comedy and drama parameters. Also 7th Heaven has a lot of comedy or lightheartedness in it. Truthfully I can't think of too many dramas that don't have some element of comedy to them. Maybe CSI and Law and Order and even Law and Order has some comedy in the banter of characters like Richard Belzer and Jerry Orbach. On the other hand I can name reams of comedies that have little if any drama element to them.

10-26-2004, 09:05 PM	#1
Dean Winchester Member Forum Fanatic Join Date: Sep 28, 2003 Location: Louisville KY Posts: 14,803	Misgenred shows? what shows are out there that are classified under one genre, but you see it as another? Offhand, I as shocked to see Popular in the Drama section at Best Buy, the show is more of a comedy and consistantly funny than 90% of the sitcoms currently on the air. I also saw Roswell in Sci-Fi, when to me, the show is much more Drama than sci-fi. Any other shows you guys think are misgenre'd?

10-26-2004, 09:54 PM	#2
jamesanthony Member Senior Member Join Date: Mar 30, 2004 Posts: 2,180	Moonlighting is more of a comedy than a drama, although I wouldn't call it a sitcom. Room 222, Batman and Molly Dodd were all emmy nominated as comedies though one could argue that they weren't sitcoms either. Batman is a satire of adventure series so I could see it being considered comedy I guess. Molly Dodd is dramady (did I spell that one right?) Northern Exposure won emmies in drama but I remember that even the shows creators considered it to be a comedy. Truthfully there are some shows that are a little comedy and drama put together. MASH struck me as being very dramatic at times. To limit scripted shows to sitcom and drama is very limiting. There are some shows that are meant to be serious (I think) that many people think are hilariously funny. I've known of people who thought Barnaby Jones was hilariously campy and roared with laughter aat its melodrama. I've also known of people who thought Quincy was outrageously humorous.

10-26-2004, 10:37 PM	#3
tvfan0101 Member Forum Regular Join Date: Sep 29, 2003 Posts: 961	Well, the term dramedy basically covers most shows that fall between genre lines. MASH* is arguably the most famous, going from straight comedy to dramedy over the course of its run. Dramedy works for us television fans and I have seen the term in TV Guide. However, I think the networks, the general public and distributers of DVDs still think in mostly in terms of the comedy (or sitcom) and the drama. Indeed, it could be said that, aside from the dramedy, all scripted shows fall into either the comedic or dramatic category, with adventure, action, legal, medical, and so on all fitting under the drama heading, and the sitcom going under comedy. Then you have the reality genre (which is becoming increasingly muddled), the gameshow genre, the variety genre, the list goes on. To add two more shows that I feel are somewhat mislabeled genre-wise, I would submit Scubs as a perfect current example of a dramedy. It is presented as a straight up half-hour sitcom, chock full of laughs, but there are incredibly dramatic scenes in the series. Gilmore girls, which is an hour-long, is known for its one-liners and witty dialogue. Yet it is presented as a drama.

10-27-2004, 02:43 PM	#4
barwars .. Forum Star Join Date: May 04, 2002 Posts: 13,273	I think runtime more than anything determines what genre a show is.

10-27-2004, 04:10 PM	#6
tvfan0101 Member Forum Regular Join Date: Sep 29, 2003 Posts: 961	Runtime is pretty important, although jamesanthony is right about it being more important now than in decades past. Once the networks (or the producers, I really do not know) settled on half-hour sitcoms and hour everything else, runtime has more or less dictated what genre a series is in. Back in the early, early days of television, shows were as long as they needed to be. And news was fifteen minutes in length into the early 1960s (which meant that there are many early shows that are fifteen minutes in length). Early, live, dramatic television ran for an hour and a half (Playhouse 90 is one of the most famous), and there have been a handful of shows that ran for forty-five minutes (including The New People and The Music Scene in 1969). There are some sitcoms that ran for an hour, the only one that comes to mind right now is Husbands, Wives and Lovers in 1978.

10-27-2004, 04:26 PM	#7
jamesanthony Member Senior Member Join Date: Mar 30, 2004 Posts: 2,180	Love Boat would be another show that some would consider drama because of its length although it is not really dramatic. What about Jack Benny's series? I really thought it was a sitcom based upon the little I've seen of it, but I was told that depending upon the year it was either a sitcom or a variety show. Then there was a Bob Hope Chrystler sponsored series in the 60s that had everything under its umbrella from his holiday variety specials to very serious dramatic presentations. Walt Disney's series would also be like this: an anthology that is almost ungenreable (if that is a word).

10-27-2004, 04:35 PM	#9
JT Member Forum Veteran Join Date: Apr 29, 2001 Location: USA Posts: 7,219	The Love Boat, I would consider romantic comedy, because some parts were romantic (with drama) and others were comedic (with romance). Desperate Housewives definitely falls into the dramedy category, along with Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman, IMO. DH is a soap opera, but it has VERY VERY VERY high amounts of comedy in it. MHMH was a sitcom, but, as Norman Lear intended, it also had VERY VERY VERY high amounts of melodrama. I guess it all depends on your POV.

10-27-2004, 06:18 PM	#10
jamesanthony Member Senior Member Join Date: Mar 30, 2004 Posts: 2,180	Eight is Enough is another show that falls between comedy and drama parameters. Also 7th Heaven has a lot of comedy or lightheartedness in it. Truthfully I can't think of too many dramas that don't have some element of comedy to them. Maybe CSI and Law and Order and even Law and Order has some comedy in the banter of characters like Richard Belzer and Jerry Orbach. On the other hand I can name reams of comedies that have little if any drama element to them.