Networks' need for hit sitcoms is no laughing matter - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

waichingliu81 · 09-28-2014, 12:51 AM

....The major networks — ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC — are not giving up as the fall season kicks off this week, rolling out 18 new comedies that will seek to mine laughs from romantic entanglements and family dynamics.

It's not hard to see why. Comedies have long been the ratings and profit drivers of the television industry, cheaper to produce than hour-long dramas and lucrative in syndication long after new episodes have been canceled. Hollywood's production studios bank on them to sustain their businesses. And cable channels rely on sitcom reruns to pad schedules and lure advertisers.

"There is always a desperation for something to hit — and there's been so few of them over the last several years," said Darcy Bowe, a vice president at advertising giant Starcom USA. "There's such a high demand for them."

The major broadcasters in past decades gave life to such cultural touchstones as "All in the Family," "MASH," "Roseanne," "The Cosby Show" and "The Simpsons." The 1990s provided fertile ground with "Frasier," "Everybody Loves Raymond" and "Will & Grace."

There have been few blockbuster sitcoms since. "Two and a Half Men" is in its 12th season and running out of steam. "The Big Bang Theory" and "Modern Family" have been out for years.

What happened? Those working in network television point to several factors, including increased competition from cable channels and video streaming services, such as Amazon and Netflix, that are aggressively developing original content.

....."You cannot deny the success of the multi-cams, and people want to try it again," said Bela Bajaria, executive vice president of Universal Television. "Why should CBS have all the fun?"

But there's fun only with success. If the past is any indication, the networks will give most new shows only a few weeks to prove themselves before the cancellations begin.

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment...ry.html#page=1

king of comedy · 09-28-2014, 06:51 AM

A lot of these sitcoms aren't funny.

tlc38tlc38 · 09-28-2014, 10:15 AM

I think the #1 problem is the networks and shows depend too much on shock value and crude humor instead of relying on good old fashioned comedy. When will they realize this?

Patty Duke · 09-28-2014, 11:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tlc38tlc38

I think the #1 problem is the networks and shows depend too much on shock value and crude humor instead of relying on good old fashioned comedy. When will they realize this?

I absolutely agree! We don't like any of the so called comedy sitcoms that the networks claim are aimed at my age.

king of comedy · 09-28-2014, 05:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tlc38tlc38

I think the #1 problem is the networks and shows depend too much on shock value and crude humor instead of relying on good old fashioned comedy. When will they realize this?

Your'e right 100%. Look at the Seth MacFarland shows and looked what happened to the Simpsons. Do we really need more like them no? No.

UMFaninMD · 09-28-2014, 05:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tlc38tlc38

I think the #1 problem is the networks and shows depend too much on shock value and crude humor instead of relying on good old fashioned comedy. When will they realize this?

Not to mention extremely unlikable characters who only serve to create annoying internet memes.

MrCleveland · 09-28-2014, 05:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Patty Duke

I absolutely agree! We don't like any of the so called comedy sitcoms that the networks claim are aimed at my age.

"Two and a Half Men" to me is VERY unfunny! It just talks about them getting laid all the time and men don't think about sex all the time!

waichingliu81 · 09-29-2014, 02:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tlc38tlc38

I think the #1 problem is the networks and shows depend too much on shock value and crude humor instead of relying on good old fashioned comedy. When will they realize this?

i can't get into many of today's sitcoms or the ones from the last couple of years. there have been so few multicam sitcoms i have sat through. plus, there were better ones during the 50s-90s.

another problem is that networks focus too much on reality TV and drama shows.

irehtman · 09-29-2014, 07:17 AM

Two And A Half Men has to end their series this season right away!

born2late · 09-29-2014, 02:47 PM

I agree, almost all of today's sitcoms are not funny. With very few exceptions, you cannot watch these things with the family without cringing. When I was growing up, you could watch one station all night and every sitcom was funny. Now there's only one sitcom in prime time that I watch.

Frenky · 09-29-2014, 05:17 PM

Comedy is dying, both on broadcast and cable, after TBBT ends will it be any comedy with 15+ million viewers, looking at upcoming developments, it would say unlikely, FOX is stuck with those niche sitcoms, NBC with rom-coms, if there weren't laugh track on CBS comedies I wouldn't know the difference between them and dramas, ABC needs more multi-cams.

broadmoor · 09-30-2014, 02:25 PM

I'd love for there to be a new sitcom hit that I could enjoy and look forward to tuning in each week. But, I just no longer see it in the cards. Modern comedy has gone off in directions that just don't speak to me anymore. I truly don't expect to see another sitcom in my lifetime that will ever resonate for me again.

waichingliu81 · 09-30-2014, 02:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Frenky

Comedy is dying, both on broadcast and cable, after TBBT ends will it be any comedy with 15+ million viewers, looking at upcoming developments, it would say unlikely, FOX is stuck with those niche sitcoms, NBC with rom-coms, if there weren't laugh track on CBS comedies I wouldn't know the difference between them and dramas, ABC needs more multi-cams.

i'd say the multi-cam sitcom is dying, not just on ABC, but CBS, fox, NBC where it has been almost non-existent.

i too want more multi-cam sitcoms, but i wish they were as good as friends, frasier, the jeffersons, fresh prince of bel air, will and grace.

what i loved most a lot about 70s-90s sitcoms was not just the characters, humour, writing. it is the fact that the major networks at the time cared for sitcoms so much that so many of them were produced.

that is the difference- they cared for the genre.

LUNCH · 10-01-2014, 01:05 PM

I tried watching a few of the new fall shows and couldn't even get through more than 5 minutes of any of them.Absolutely un-watchable.

loaferman · 10-03-2014, 02:45 PM

Comedy needs time to take a breath occasionally. They used to run 25 minutes. I saw a new one on Demand the other night that was listed as 21 minutes. Everything has to be more rapid fire than ever.

09-28-2014, 10:15 AM	#3
tlc38tlc38 Every day’s a Dolly day! Forum Star Join Date: May 02, 2008 Location: I’m just travelin’ thru Posts: 19,257	I think the #1 problem is the networks and shows depend too much on shock value and crude humor instead of relying on good old fashioned comedy. When will they realize this?
	__________________ Give generously to them and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the LORD your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to. Deuteronomy 15:10 In loving memory of my best friend, my Mama.

10-01-2014, 01:05 PM	#14
LUNCH Member Senior Member Join Date: Oct 23, 2010 Location: New York State Posts: 1,304	I tried watching a few of the new fall shows and couldn't even get through more than 5 minutes of any of them.Absolutely un-watchable.
	Last edited by LUNCH; 10-03-2014 at 03:46 PM.

10-03-2014, 02:45 PM	#15
loaferman Member Forum Regular Join Date: Jun 23, 2011 Location: Virginia Posts: 642	Comedy needs time to take a breath occasionally. They used to run 25 minutes. I saw a new one on Demand the other night that was listed as 21 minutes. Everything has to be more rapid fire than ever.
	__________________ “It was ‘Will and Grace,’ it was the social media. Literally. That’s what changed peoples’ attitudes. That’s why I was so certain that the vast majority of people would embrace and rapidly embrace” gay marriage, Biden said. “Think behind of all that, I bet you 85 percent of those changes, whether it’s in Hollywood or social media are a consequence of Jewish leaders in the industry. The influence is immense, the influence is immense." -Vice President Joe Biden May 2013

09-28-2014, 12:51 AM	#1
waichingliu81 debbie allen Forum 4000 Club Member Join Date: Dec 28, 2006 Location: london, england, UK Posts: 4,347	Networks' need for hit sitcoms is no laughing matter ....The major networks — ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC — are not giving up as the fall season kicks off this week, rolling out 18 new comedies that will seek to mine laughs from romantic entanglements and family dynamics. It's not hard to see why. Comedies have long been the ratings and profit drivers of the television industry, cheaper to produce than hour-long dramas and lucrative in syndication long after new episodes have been canceled. Hollywood's production studios bank on them to sustain their businesses. And cable channels rely on sitcom reruns to pad schedules and lure advertisers. "There is always a desperation for something to hit — and there's been so few of them over the last several years," said Darcy Bowe, a vice president at advertising giant Starcom USA. "There's such a high demand for them." The major broadcasters in past decades gave life to such cultural touchstones as "All in the Family," "MASH," "Roseanne," "The Cosby Show" and "The Simpsons." The 1990s provided fertile ground with "Frasier," "Everybody Loves Raymond" and "Will & Grace." There have been few blockbuster sitcoms since. "Two and a Half Men" is in its 12th season and running out of steam. "The Big Bang Theory" and "Modern Family" have been out for years. What happened? Those working in network television point to several factors, including increased competition from cable channels and video streaming services, such as Amazon and Netflix, that are aggressively developing original content. ....."You cannot deny the success of the multi-cams, and people want to try it again," said Bela Bajaria, executive vice president of Universal Television. "Why should CBS have all the fun?" But there's fun only with success. If the past is any indication, the networks will give most new shows only a few weeks to prove themselves before the cancellations begin. http://www.latimes.com/entertainment...ry.html#page=1

09-28-2014, 06:51 AM	#2
king of comedy Member Forum Veteran Join Date: Aug 31, 2012 Location: New Jersey Posts: 5,140	A lot of these sitcoms aren't funny.

09-29-2014, 07:17 AM	#9
irehtman Member Forum 4000 Club Member Join Date: Mar 15, 2013 Location: Montgomery County, Maryland Posts: 4,825	Two And A Half Men has to end their series this season right away!

09-29-2014, 02:47 PM	#10
born2late Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Oct 01, 2011 Location: Tn Posts: 360	I agree, almost all of today's sitcoms are not funny. With very few exceptions, you cannot watch these things with the family without cringing. When I was growing up, you could watch one station all night and every sitcom was funny. Now there's only one sitcom in prime time that I watch.

09-29-2014, 05:17 PM	#11
Frenky Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Dec 28, 2013 Posts: 146	Comedy is dying, both on broadcast and cable, after TBBT ends will it be any comedy with 15+ million viewers, looking at upcoming developments, it would say unlikely, FOX is stuck with those niche sitcoms, NBC with rom-coms, if there weren't laugh track on CBS comedies I wouldn't know the difference between them and dramas, ABC needs more multi-cams.

09-30-2014, 02:25 PM	#12
broadmoor Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Jul 10, 2010 Location: texas Posts: 489	I'd love for there to be a new sitcom hit that I could enjoy and look forward to tuning in each week. But, I just no longer see it in the cards. Modern comedy has gone off in directions that just don't speak to me anymore. I truly don't expect to see another sitcom in my lifetime that will ever resonate for me again.