Analysis of Sitcom: Action Comedy - Movie Review Example

Analysis of Sitcom: Action Comedy In this essay, the paper discusses the reasons for Sitcom continued appeal to a number of audiences, year after year and network by network. In addition, the paper analyzes Sitcom based on the conventions, structural elements, formulae and expectations. In order to examine Situational comedy (sitcom), the paper uses a traditional form, Friends, and I Love Lucy as the principle sources of inferences. As a result of a continued relevancy of Friends and I Love Lucy shows over the years, the paper demonstrates the appealing elements of such audience desirability. Sitcom refers to the situational comedy in a television vernacular but ‘Sitcom’ has been used to refer to all other types of situational comedy. Three types of comedy such as action, domestic and dramatic comedies are noted. However, in this context, the paper intend to analyze action comedy as the kind of Sitcom. The anlysis of action comedy is based on the inference from the traditional form, I Love Lucy. For the purpose of this research, the investigator uses ‘actcom’ to refer to the action comedy. To this end, the discussion proceeds in the following manner; Sitcom is regarded as a corporate product, shares corporate ideas, an expression of the family, an escape, a teacher, entertainment and hence makes a sitcom more appealing and selling. ‘I Love Lucy’ shows what a typical woman should do to ensure happiness in her family for both children and husband. Lucille Ball’s personal role in developing the show went against domestic norms just as Lucy’s zany antics on the show did little to accommodate the period’s perception of a good wife and mother (Havens 87). Despite the contradictions, to the 1950s standard, the show demonstrates the willingness of Americans to recognize women in a more untraditional roles and this help audience thwart down the traditional oppressive view of women since American in 1950s was dominated by men. Thus through Lucile’s brevity to challenge stereotypes of women of postwar in America, made the show famous through establishing a nontraditional female character. Sitcom has been appealing on yearly basis as well as network by network due to the following reasons: The sitcom appeals to fans year after year as a result of keenness in social awareness. In I Love Lucy Show, Lucille is portrayed as a typical woman that broke away from the bondage of traditional stereotyping that downtrodden women in order to realize her plight in the American society. America 1950s was male-dominated, and the realization of social awareness by Lucile indicated how Americans were willing to take women in a nontraditional manner. Currently, actcom have increasingly become popular based on their ability to help the audience realize their plight in the society. Such aspects of actcom accounts for the continuous year by year appealing of the sitcom (Havens 56). In addition, the actcom employ themes of social undercurrent in the establishment. Such contemporary issues have become of greater interest to the audience and hence attract fans yearly. Also Sitcom is appealing year by year as a result of being a Mirror up to Society. The satisfactory comedy must hold a mirror to the community. Over the last twenty years, Friends is still being aired. Friends tracked sociological trend of friendships that has remained significant to young adults contrasted to family. Friends also employed ‘Kidult’ element that remained prominence in the 1990s where people delayed marriage that further accounts for Friends continued relevancy. Friends tapped on the feature of delayed marriage where people had to make critical life decisions while feeling toddlerhood (Staige 65). Many attributed Cheers as Friends predecessor, however, the debut broke the mold possessed the comedy off niche place. Friends remain relevant over the years with its era; the catchphrases, hairstyle, and language all seemed relevant to pop culture. On the other hand, Sitcom appeals based on Network by network such as television, goggle-box and magazine due to; Sitcom repeatedly remains the most shared in goggle-box especially Friends that has been shown 3500 times on a Comedy Central box alone. In addition, Friend covers 50% of the digital channels’ rankings in the United Kingdom. The reason behind such massive figures is that the sitcom are highly rated as a cultural touchstone (Mills 34). Friends have kept the partisan audience hooked to the very end based on a higher degree of comfort packages attached to such sitcom. For the younger generation, sitcom employs a vaguely exotic aspects about the 1990s with the rest being pure nostalgia. Audience are increasing being time-poor, and thus they only invest time in Television that often regarded as escapists options with an expectation of being guaranteed a heart-warming experience (Mills 65). The absolute congeniality of Friends accounts for its perpetual entreaty. I Love Lucy got recognition by the Life Magazine that made the covers as TV’s First Family due to its intensive coverage of American households. The success of the show was due to its ability to keep a safe distance from controversial topics as well as politics making millions of families eager to watch segments of Lucy, Ethel, Fred and Ricky (Quaglio 56). In addition, I Love Lucy interestingly continued with situational comedy that let American enjoyed the era they lived despite equality of men and women always conveyed in a joking manner that was laughed. However, through Lucy, women realized how to break away from the patriarchy so stringently through advancing personal power. Sitcom is expressed in television shows. Television offers us values, social remark. Political opinion and a range of ideology. Such help our knowledge to be reinforced and make us inquisitive our beliefs hence greater impacts to our lives (Quaglio 67). Many television shows have shown Sitcom shows as a result of the popularity of these shows since Sitcom sells. Such TVs have also benefit as a result of many viewers of the movies and thus drawing a lot of revenues. Sitcom shows are generally designed for TVs where and audience will always go for such TVs channels that meet their expectation such entertainment education based on how a family should be structured. Sitcom has the following conventions on a global perspective; Sitcom is conventionally seen as a corporate product, share corporate ideals, an expression of family and a societal mirror. Besides, they are regarded as an escapist, entertainment, and a teacher. Sitcom is a mass of consumption commodity designed as a sedan constructed year after year on same safe, pattern but still allow adequate surface variations to resell as new product yearly (Quaglio 46). Sitcom embrace ideals that modern bureaucratic business and government are erected. Ideology and self-interest hindrances to mutual benefits with consensual solution being the satisfactory solution and hence we can all be happy. Sitcom directly touches on family and workplaces than it is to the society. It agrees that family concept have considerably from families shifting from traditional family consisting of a father, mother and children to single parent families and workplace families. Sitcom is also regarded as a mirror that shows American family to itself based on the perception of a family (Haggins 65). Sitcom is also considered as a teacher teaching via reinforcement making us feel right by reflecting and dramatically reconfirming that we want to believe besides helping us strengthen our confidence. Sitcom is quintessential entertainment that help us relieve stress as we laugh alongside educative elements. Sitcom is also conventionally regarded as an escape when the family is threatened, and coworkers become opponents while neighbors strangers, sitcom presents an imitation family to resort. Structural elements of Sitcom especially Action comedy is modern and expansive in Television structured in a number of themes; the family (I Love Lucy, The Dick Van Dyke Show), the gimmicks (Alf and Bewitched), places (Harry), occupations (Throb) with stress put on verbal, physical and action. Such range of themes accounts for the greater degree of actcom appeal to its audience Havens 52. The action comedy employs a number of characters to convey themes that may at times be showcased in a humorous way. Such structural elements as humor have helped Sitcom shows to trap their audience attentions to the end and audience always wait with a breath to watch some sections. Sitcom Formulas and expectations particularly the action comedy such as Friends stuck to a number of time-honored and weather-beaten formulae. Such sitcom was pals with Friends being de facto household component possessing their personal, situational, local spats. The characters and the performers frolicked off each other to establish radiantly enthused and magical ensembles. Besides, the actors in Friends employed their individual strengths. Execrated to educate, entertainment and as an escapist. Such expectations of sitcom have been met as such debuts have educated and reinforced the knowledge and beliefs of their respective audience. Many televisions channels have aired these shows that have continuously inspired and entertained audience thus satisfactorily meeting their expectations. In addition, sitcom shows have met the expectation of expression of family as well as a mirror to society based on several themes the shows convey. Work Cited Haggins, Bambi. Laughing Mad: The Black Comic Persona in Post Soul America. New Brunswick, N.J: Rutgers U.P, 2007. Print. Havens, Timothy. Black Television Travels: African American Media Around the Globe. , 2013. Print. Mills, Brett. Television Sitcom. London: BFI, 2005. Print. Quaglio, Paulo. Television Dialogue: The Sitcom Friends Vs. Natural Conversation. Amsterdam: John Benjamins Pub. Co, 2009. Print. Staiger, Janet. Blockbuster Tv: Must-see Sitcoms in the Network Era. New York: New York University Press, 2000. Print. Read More