Are we just nostalgic? - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

Ericguy · 10-14-2002, 01:24 PM

Is the sitcom truly a dying beast? Do we long for the shows of yesterday because they represent an easier time or because they were just so much better than today's shows, or that today's sitcoms just plain stink. Just wondering if the shows of today can possibly be as bad as we make them out to be. In my opinion the answer is YES!

Sitcomwriter · 10-14-2002, 02:29 PM

No.I personallyu find today's show funnier,smarter and less boring.SO many older shows were VERY,VERY boring IMO.

Chocoholic · 10-14-2002, 03:15 PM

Personally, I think that most of the sitcoms today are just bad. I hardly find any of them funny any more. I love Scrubs though. It's so fresh, funny, and origional. That's the only new sitcom these past couple of seasons that I really like.

Ericguy · 10-14-2002, 03:34 PM

I totally agree with you wingsfan. I have tried to watch many of the shows today and I just don't laugh. I am not saying that anyone is wrong for liking the shows they do (that starts fights) but to me they just are poor. I think it says how unfunny today's sitcoms are when Friends is the funniest show on TV. Although I keep hearing good things about Scrubs from lots of people so I think I might have to watch it and see if it is really funny. It is a shame when there are so many good dramas and so many average to below average sitcoms. I need to laugh more than I need drama!

Impressions · 10-14-2002, 04:31 PM

I don't think today's sitcoms haven't maintained their innocence and ignorance, compared to yesterday, but todays shows are more modern and they have a strong quailty that viewers can go for.

MBFTfan · 10-14-2002, 10:19 PM

I think every era has its good shows and its bad shows. In general I like old shows better, but lets be realistic, surely not EVERY show from the 50's - 80's was great. Everyone makes mistakes sometimes. Also I think that the standard was higher back then because there were only a few channels and everything stood out. As TV has grown in the past two decades and there are soooo many shows and channels now, being noticed is very difficult and the odds of finding something that stands out have almost disappeared. There is a definite lack of originality in today's sitcoms, and they have become pretty generic. Still, look at Will & Grace, I think that show was pretty original with its no holds barred humor. Scrubs is also highly original and very funny and quirky, it definitely stands out. There are other new shows I like, but I know they are really not that great. I think the reason there are no new groundbreaking sitcoms is because the ground has already been broken by great shows of the past. In due time something great will come along, and until then, when you feel disheartened by modern TV, just break out the classics and enjoy!

ClassicTV4Ever · 10-15-2002, 01:48 PM

Her's my summary of the history of sitcoms (and this is all just my opinion

)

The 50's and 60's were boring. The 70's and 80's rocked, the 90's were just OK. And today, just plain barf!

Brian Damage · 10-15-2002, 01:58 PM

It's all a matter of taste. I think the 60's was by far the worst era for sitcoms. I mean how funny can a show be if you need a laugh track?

Will and Grace Fanatic · 10-15-2002, 03:38 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by briandamage
It's all a matter of taste. I think the 60's was by far the worst era for sitcoms. I mean how funny can a show be if you need a laugh track?

You are so right. If a show has to have a laugh track and can't get the laughter from the live studio audience how can you call that funny.

Show's like Roseanne, All in the Family, Will and Grace, and many more didn't even need a laugh track. Because the live audience was cracking up.

Attmay · 10-17-2002, 08:32 PM

To me, it's not necessarily one era that represents the highest quality, but perhaps the fact that time has filtered out much (but not all) of the garbage. MBFT Fan has a point about there being too many channels today. It's too late to go back to that time, as there are over 1000 channels (including local stations) in the US, but virtually nothing on.

The problem today is not sex and violence (unless they're used as a substitute for something worthwhile), but bad writing and acting. There may have been bad writing and acting on some shows in the past, but it's worse now.

Network TV is dead; most of the shows now are watered down so heavily by focus groups and network executives who STILL don't know which one is Shine-ola. An unfunny, 30-year-old bean counter of a network executive has no business telling Mary Tyler Moore or Norman Lear or Bob Newhart or Bea Arthur what's funny. Ad revenues are down, and their audiences have been permanently eroded by cable. There's no saving them; I say let them die dignified (and long overdue) deaths.

HBO allows its shows creative freedom (not getting HBO, I cannot comment on their programs). Perhaps if the broadcast networks stop interfering with the creative aspect of shows as much as they seem to be, they can be saved. And don't dismiss the over-30 crowd so easily!

The only use I have for the television is for videotapes and DVDs, The Simpsons, Futurama, King of the Hill, and news and information. On Tuesday I watched C-SPAN for a 4-hour stretch, as my state's senate debates were on. That's right, C-SPAN!

Sean Snow · 10-17-2002, 08:44 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Will and Grace Fanatic

If a show has to have a laugh track and can't get the laughter from the live studio audience how can you call that funny.

Most shows of the '60s didn't have an audience. Hazel, Gilligan's Island, The Brady Bunch (even tho that's a '70s sitcom), The Donna Reed Show, Dennis the Menace, Leave it to Beaver, and many other '60s sitcoms were filmed on a soundstage.

JT · 10-17-2002, 09:12 PM

Thank you Sean. Not every sitcom was done in front of live studio audiences. I thought we had a discussion on this a long time ago......

James · 10-18-2002, 02:00 PM

Is the sitcom truly a dying beast?

If today's shows don't use the mold of true classics like Leave It To Beaver, The Donna Reed Show, The Andy Griffith Show, The Brady Bunch, The Waltons, and Happy Days, then yes, the sitcom is definitely a dying beast.

Do we long for the shows of yesterday because they represent an easier time or because they were just so much better than today's shows, or that today's sitcoms just plain stink.

Yes, yes, and yes. An exception is State of Grace on the ABC Family Channel, because (1) it is set in 1965, and (2) there is no sex, violence, or foul language. It "takes place before" the actual air dates just like The Waltons and The Wonder Years--a quality that makes a show watchable.

Just wondering if the shows of today can possibly be as bad as we make them out to be. In my opinion the answer is YES!

Mine too!!!

dawsongirl · 10-18-2002, 03:55 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by JT
Thank you Sean. Not every sitcom was done in front of live studio audiences. I thought we had a discussion on this a long time ago......

Some couldn't. Honestly, how would you film Bewitched or I Dream of Jeannie in front of an audience? There were too many special effects to film with an audience.

Penny Lane · 10-18-2002, 06:47 PM

Yes! sigh........................................

10-14-2002, 01:24 PM	#1
Ericguy Banned Banned!! Frequent Poster Join Date: Sep 09, 2002 Posts: 185	Are we just nostalgic? Is the sitcom truly a dying beast? Do we long for the shows of yesterday because they represent an easier time or because they were just so much better than today's shows, or that today's sitcoms just plain stink. Just wondering if the shows of today can possibly be as bad as we make them out to be. In my opinion the answer is YES!

10-14-2002, 10:19 PM	#6
MBFTfan Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Sep 07, 2002 Posts: 180	I think every era has its good shows and its bad shows. In general I like old shows better, but lets be realistic, surely not EVERY show from the 50's - 80's was great. Everyone makes mistakes sometimes. Also I think that the standard was higher back then because there were only a few channels and everything stood out. As TV has grown in the past two decades and there are soooo many shows and channels now, being noticed is very difficult and the odds of finding something that stands out have almost disappeared. There is a definite lack of originality in today's sitcoms, and they have become pretty generic. Still, look at Will & Grace, I think that show was pretty original with its no holds barred humor. Scrubs is also highly original and very funny and quirky, it definitely stands out. There are other new shows I like, but I know they are really not that great. I think the reason there are no new groundbreaking sitcoms is because the ground has already been broken by great shows of the past. In due time something great will come along, and until then, when you feel disheartened by modern TV, just break out the classics and enjoy!
	__________________ AbFab Fan Forever...........Sin is in, sweetie Patsy: One snap of my fingers and I could raise hemlines so high, the world is your gynecologist Edina: This is a sort of corpse in an open, oaken, oblong coffin. It's a dead body, Pats. Patsy: Yeah, but is it art? Edina: No Sweetie, it's my father. Patsy: The last mosquito that bit me had to book into the Betty Ford Clinic http://www.lukes-diner.net/season3/01/007.jpg LUKELORELAI

10-17-2002, 09:12 PM	#12
JT Member Forum Veteran Join Date: Apr 29, 2001 Location: USA Posts: 7,219	Thank you Sean. Not every sitcom was done in front of live studio audiences. I thought we had a discussion on this a long time ago......
	__________________ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GrEbJBFWIPk

10-18-2002, 02:00 PM	#13
James Member Forum Veteran Join Date: Jan 07, 2001 Location: Dayton, Ohio, USA Posts: 6,370	Re: Are we just nostalgic? Is the sitcom truly a dying beast? If today's shows don't use the mold of true classics like Leave It To Beaver, The Donna Reed Show, The Andy Griffith Show, The Brady Bunch, The Waltons, and Happy Days, then yes, the sitcom is definitely a dying beast. Do we long for the shows of yesterday because they represent an easier time or because they were just so much better than today's shows, or that today's sitcoms just plain stink. Yes, yes, and yes. An exception is State of Grace on the ABC Family Channel, because (1) it is set in 1965, and (2) there is no sex, violence, or foul language. It "takes place before" the actual air dates just like The Waltons and The Wonder Years--a quality that makes a show watchable. Just wondering if the shows of today can possibly be as bad as we make them out to be. In my opinion the answer is YES! Mine too!!!
	Last edited by James; 10-18-2002 at 02:05 PM.

10-18-2002, 06:47 PM	#15
Penny Lane Butter Pie Forum Icon Join Date: Jul 03, 2001 Location: Beneath the blue suburban skies Posts: 50,933	Yes! sigh........................................
	__________________ Vulgarity is no substitute for wit- Lady Violet Crawley

10-14-2002, 02:29 PM	#2
Sitcomwriter Member Forum Veteran Join Date: Feb 27, 2001 Posts: 7,354	No.I personallyu find today's show funnier,smarter and less boring.SO many older shows were VERY,VERY boring IMO.

10-14-2002, 03:15 PM	#3
Chocoholic Member Forum Star Join Date: Dec 01, 2000 Location: Between a rock and a hard place. Posts: 11,235	Personally, I think that most of the sitcoms today are just bad. I hardly find any of them funny any more. I love Scrubs though. It's so fresh, funny, and origional. That's the only new sitcom these past couple of seasons that I really like.

10-14-2002, 03:34 PM	#4
Ericguy Banned Banned!! Frequent Poster Join Date: Sep 09, 2002 Posts: 185	I totally agree with you wingsfan. I have tried to watch many of the shows today and I just don't laugh. I am not saying that anyone is wrong for liking the shows they do (that starts fights) but to me they just are poor. I think it says how unfunny today's sitcoms are when Friends is the funniest show on TV. Although I keep hearing good things about Scrubs from lots of people so I think I might have to watch it and see if it is really funny. It is a shame when there are so many good dramas and so many average to below average sitcoms. I need to laugh more than I need drama!

10-14-2002, 04:31 PM	#5
Impressions She died the way she lived Forum 4000 Club Member Join Date: May 08, 2002 Posts: 4,640	I don't think today's sitcoms haven't maintained their innocence and ignorance, compared to yesterday, but todays shows are more modern and they have a strong quailty that viewers can go for.

10-15-2002, 01:48 PM	#7
ClassicTV4Ever Coming November 27th! Senior Member Join Date: May 02, 2002 Location: TV Land! Posts: 1,420	Her's my summary of the history of sitcoms (and this is all just my opinion ) The 50's and 60's were boring. The 70's and 80's rocked, the 90's were just OK. And today, just plain barf!

10-15-2002, 01:58 PM	#8
Brian Damage I'm Rich Bitch Forum Icon Join Date: Feb 03, 2002 Location: What Ain't No Country I Ever Heard Of...They Speak English in What? Posts: 63,108	It's all a matter of taste. I think the 60's was by far the worst era for sitcoms. I mean how funny can a show be if you need a laugh track?

10-17-2002, 08:32 PM	#10
Attmay Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Feb 06, 2000 Posts: 137	To me, it's not necessarily one era that represents the highest quality, but perhaps the fact that time has filtered out much (but not all) of the garbage. MBFT Fan has a point about there being too many channels today. It's too late to go back to that time, as there are over 1000 channels (including local stations) in the US, but virtually nothing on. The problem today is not sex and violence (unless they're used as a substitute for something worthwhile), but bad writing and acting. There may have been bad writing and acting on some shows in the past, but it's worse now. Network TV is dead; most of the shows now are watered down so heavily by focus groups and network executives who STILL don't know which one is Shine-ola. An unfunny, 30-year-old bean counter of a network executive has no business telling Mary Tyler Moore or Norman Lear or Bob Newhart or Bea Arthur what's funny. Ad revenues are down, and their audiences have been permanently eroded by cable. There's no saving them; I say let them die dignified (and long overdue) deaths. HBO allows its shows creative freedom (not getting HBO, I cannot comment on their programs). Perhaps if the broadcast networks stop interfering with the creative aspect of shows as much as they seem to be, they can be saved. And don't dismiss the over-30 crowd so easily! The only use I have for the television is for videotapes and DVDs, The Simpsons, Futurama, King of the Hill, and news and information. On Tuesday I watched C-SPAN for a 4-hour stretch, as my state's senate debates were on. That's right, C-SPAN!