Are sitcoms exctinct?

[Family Ties Forever!]

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[dawsongirl]

That is pure bull****. Everyone thinks that just because Friends and all the other overhyped shows ended, now there's nothing funny left. What about CBS Mondays? Those are funny! ABC Fridays? Some good stuff there. King of Queens has been doing great lately. Those people need to open their damn eyes and look at the rest of the channels.

[Mr. Television]

Originally posted by dawsongirl
That is pure bull****. Everyone thinks that just because Friends and all the other overhyped shows ended, now there's nothing funny left. What about CBS Mondays? Those are funny! ABC Fridays? Some good stuff there. King of Queens has been doing great lately. Those people need to open their damn eyes and look at the rest of the channels.

Exactly. Must see tv is overrated. ABC and CBS still have funny sitcoms. All it takes is one hit to turn the entire genre around.

[Ant-Lox]

Nah, just NBC sitcoms are extint.

[db108108]

Like was said in the interview, there are no marquee sitcoms left, which is the problem. Back in the early to mid 90s, you had Roseanne, Grace Under Fire, Home Improvement, Seinfeld, Friends, Murphy Brown, Frasier ect. Now it's just Friends, ELR & Frasier and two of those are about to go off the air.

Sitcoms need ot be less decided by committee and more by winging it. After all, Roseanne first starred a bunch of nobodies with unproven writers and a slant that nobody else was trying- and it become one the biggest hits of the last 15 years.

Instead of coming up with novelty setups for a sitcom, like Hope & Faith, Whoppi, ect, you need to come up with interesting characters w/o the setup and let the stories tell themselves. Then you aren't pigeonholing yourself in what stories you can tell.
This si why the aforementioned marquee shows hit it so big. ""Seinfeld" was about 4 selfish friends livnig in NewY York. Friends" was about 6 friends who hung out together. Roseanne was about a blue collar family; it wasn't about a blue collar family who moves into a rich neighbourhood and has to endure. Start with the simplest ideas and get the best results.

[ABC1]

Sitcoms will never be extinct unless the PTB out in Hollywood decide not to make them anymore, in favor of stupid "reality" programming.
I hope that never happens, because while I've never been a fan of Friends, at least it wasn't a "reality" show. I'm sure there's producers, directors, writers and actors who are hoping that the sitcom genre isn't dead.

[FamilyTiesGOP]

Well, I personally don't see any sitcoms of the quality that used to be cranked out in the 1970s and 1980s and even early 1990s. Most new shows don't impress me and the ones that I do watch do not compare with the ones from the 70s and 80s. Everybody Loves Raymond does come pretty close though.

[PZelda]

Originally posted by mr roper
Exactly. Must see tv is overrated. ABC and CBS still have funny sitcoms. All it takes is one hit to turn the entire genre around.

Let's not forget 8 Simple Rules...That's a sitcom hit. Let's hope it lasts for many more seasons.

[FamilyTiesGOP]

Originally posted by Miss Vicki


Let's not forget 8 Simple Rules...That's a sitcom hit. Let's hope it lasts for many more seasons.

I've never developed an interest in that show. I don't really know why either because John Ritter was really good at everything he did and I really like Kate Segal from when she was Peg Bundy on Married with Children. I think I watch Whoopi at that time slot. I should have gave it a chance. I've never even seen what complete episode!

[Dean Winchester]

Originally posted by ABC1
I hope that never happens, because while I've never been a fan of Friends, at least it wasn't a "reality" show.

very true, it's very fashionable to hate Friends in here, but please. It was NOT a reality show, which gives it a plus right there

Yes, CBS, ABC and Fox all have some good comedies, but with the exception of Raymond (which may be ending anyways), NONE of those shows have ever been able to challenge the reality garbage atop the ratings heap the way Friends has. Reality tv has RUINED tv, and with Friends dropping out of the race, there's no other sitcom with the possible exception of Raymond (which I have never liked), none of them come relatively close to crap like The Apprentice, American Idol, Survivor and company.

Friends is hands down the greatest sitcom of the past 10 years (IMO that is) and I'm willing to bet everyone who bashes Friends now will be on a Friends nostalgia kick come 2014 when the show turns twenty. I remember so much Roseanne hating in here when the show had only been off the air about 2-3 years, but now that it's been 7 years and it's on N@N, the same people who used to bash it finally came around and admitted it was a good show in it's heyday.

[barwars]

Originally posted by BuffySlayer79
very true, it's very fashionable to hate Friends in here, but please. It was NOT a reality show, which gives it a plus right there

Yes, CBS, ABC and Fox all have some good comedies, but with the exception of Raymond (which may be ending anyways), NONE of those shows have ever been able to challenge the reality garbage atop the ratings heap the way Friends has. Reality tv has RUINED tv, and with Friends dropping out of the race, there's no other sitcom with the possible exception of Raymond (which I have never liked), none of them come relatively close to crap like The Apprentice, American Idol, Survivor and company.

Friends is hands down the greatest sitcom of the past 10 years (IMO that is) and I'm willing to bet everyone who bashes Friends now will be on a Friends nostalgia kick come 2014 when the show turns twenty. I remember so much Roseanne hating in here when the show had only been off the air about 2-3 years, but now that it's been 7 years and it's on N@N, the same people who used to bash it finally came around and admitted it was a good show in it's heyday.

I agree that Id rather watch "Friends" than "Fear Factor" and "My Big Fat Obnoxious Fiance".... but I still dont like.

It may be cool to dislike Friends.
And apparently its cooler to like it.

But either way, I dont.
I just never really could get into it.
Sure some parts are funny.... but theres so many more better shows out there that Id rather watch.

Id also rather watch "Friends" than most, if not all of the UPN sitcoms.


I guarantee Ill never be a fan of Friends.
No matter how big and popular it gets.
And Im not one to go "anti-popular".... most of my favorite shows were ratings hits.
Friends always seemed to me to be a show about "whos with who" and it just doesnt appeal to me.
Maybe if none of them were "more than Friends".... Friends would be good.
But IMO.... its not.

[barwars]

Originally posted by db108108
Like was said in the interview, there are no marquee sitcoms left, which is the problem. Back in the early to mid 90s, you had Roseanne, Grace Under Fire, Home Improvement, Seinfeld, Friends, Murphy Brown, Frasier ect. Now it's just Friends, ELR & Frasier and two of those are about to go off the air.

Sitcoms need ot be less decided by committee and more by winging it. After all, Roseanne first starred a bunch of nobodies with unproven writers and a slant that nobody else was trying- and it become one the biggest hits of the last 15 years.

Instead of coming up with novelty setups for a sitcom, like Hope & Faith, Whoppi, ect, you need to come up with interesting characters w/o the setup and let the stories tell themselves. Then you aren't pigeonholing yourself in what stories you can tell.
This si why the aforementioned marquee shows hit it so big. ""Seinfeld" was about 4 selfish friends livnig in NewY York. Friends" was about 6 friends who hung out together. Roseanne was about a blue collar family; it wasn't about a blue collar family who moves into a rich neighbourhood and has to endure. Start with the simplest ideas and get the best results.

I agree completely.
Shows are just too complicating these days.
With one-shot storylines (for example -- I'm With Her).... that become entire series that will run thin very quickly.

And rehashed ideas.... specifically -- fat guy, skinny wife.

Today, there aren't many workplace comedies.
Come to think of it.... there aren't any besides Scrubs.


Another piece of TV that has always been a hit but is now missing is an ensemble cast. Where really no one character is more important than the rest....
For example.... Taxi, Cheers, Seinfeld, and as much as I dont like it -- Friends.

[Dean Winchester]

I agree 110%. Sitcoms nowadays seem so hard to cater to cliches, very very few shows out there are fresh. Scrubs is about the only one on NBC left, and NBC never gave it the treatment it deserves, especially by moving it back to freaking Tuesday night (Frasier went from being the #2 show on tv to out of the top 20 once it left Thursdays a few years ago) and replacing it with the stupid Donald Trump show. REALITY TV DOES NOT BELONG ON MUST-SEE TV!!!

Originally posted by db108108
Like was said in the interview, there are no marquee sitcoms left, which is the problem. Back in the early to mid 90s, you had Roseanne, Grace Under Fire, Home Improvement, Seinfeld, Friends, Murphy Brown, Frasier ect. Now it's just Friends, ELR & Frasier and two of those are about to go off the air.

Sitcoms need ot be less decided by committee and more by winging it. After all, Roseanne first starred a bunch of nobodies with unproven writers and a slant that nobody else was trying- and it become one the biggest hits of the last 15 years.

Instead of coming up with novelty setups for a sitcom, like Hope & Faith, Whoppi, ect, you need to come up with interesting characters w/o the setup and let the stories tell themselves. Then you aren't pigeonholing yourself in what stories you can tell.
This si why the aforementioned marquee shows hit it so big. ""Seinfeld" was about 4 selfish friends livnig in NewY York. Friends" was about 6 friends who hung out together. Roseanne was about a blue collar family; it wasn't about a blue collar family who moves into a rich neighbourhood and has to endure. Start with the simplest ideas and get the best results.

[TJL]

Sitcoms are not extint.

They said the same thing a decade ago when the original "Must See TV" lineup was breaking up.

Maybe if the networks had concentrated on producing more sitcoms instead of cheaper reality shows, they wouldn't be so worried about the state of TV.

Look elsewhere for programs folks. The cable nets have some great comedies and dramas.

[dawsongirl]

Originally posted by barwars88

And rehashed ideas.... specifically -- fat guy, skinny wife.

I was just thinking about that last night. There's at least three.