Your Typical American: Television Comedies
Last week I talked about what Americans do and like as it relates to food, based on a book called What Americans Really Want… Really by Dr. Frank Luntz. In one section of the book, Luntz discusses what makes a popular television comedy show in the U.S. Here are his five guidelines (suggestions or rules) on what makes a good sitcom (situation comedy, a comedy about a certain group of people). See if this list holds true (is true, is the same) for comedy programs you watch in your own language:
1. Hold up a mirror. To hold up a mirror means to put a mirror in your hands to see what you look like. This is exactly what Americans like to see in their sitcoms — themselves! Luntz says that people want “shows and characters they can personally relate to,” meaning programs and people that they can feel connected to. This may mean people of the same race or geography, or perhaps even the kinds of jobs they have. But more generally, I think it means that the situations that are part of the show have to be situations that many of us are familiar with. (Remember, we’re talking about comedy shows, not dramas. One of the most popular kinds of drama shows involves police officers and lawyers, things with which, I hope, most of us are not very familiar.)
2. Connect the dots. The expression to connect the dots means that you have to see the connection between things that may seem otherwise unrelated. For Americans, apparently they want the television show itself to connect the dots, meaning that they want the relationship between different events to be very obvious. For example, Americans sometimes don’t watch every episode or show of a television program each week, but they want to be able to come back to the show later and still be able to understand what is happening in the story. It can’t be too confusing for them — I mean, for us! — such that we don’t have to have seen the previous shows to understand the one we’re watching now.
3. Relationships involving conflict. Nowadays, Americans no longer want sweet, innocent comedy. That is, they don’t necessarily want comedies where everything is nice and everyone gets along with everyone else. Instead, they want conflict (disagreement) among the characters. They want what we would call an edge, something that is a little dark (sad or tragic) but still lovable (something you can like or appreciate). A good example of this would be the popular television show The Simpsons.
4. Home is where comedy lives. Americans like comedies about people in their homes rather than their office. (This is not always true, since one of the most popular comedies on television nowadays is a show called The Office, but perhaps Luntz does not consider this a sitcom.)
5. Go live. There are very few comedies that are live — that is, when what you are watching on television is actually taking place at the same time in the television studio. I’m not quite sure why Luntz included this in the list, since he could name only one show that has recently done this. Even most talk shows (interview shows) are “taped” or recorded rather than live.
I think these observations are generally true, although I don’t watch very many sitcoms anymore, and the ones that I have seen I think are pretty awful, so perhaps I am not the best judge.
~Jeff
December 17th, 2009 at 1:43 pm
What Dr. Luntz wrote might work here too however stuff like Lost, CSI, Criminal Minds and other serial-killers stories seems to be even more popular. If that relates to the “hold up mirror” logic, we should be worried. We’d rather get “Lost”.
I really love Frieds with Ross, Rachel, Monica, Joey, Chandler and Phoebe. I have all episodes of the first six seasons. The first ones are really great.
I like the Simpsons. There are so many characters. Matt Groening is a genius (I hate the Family Guy and South Park).
And when I was a child I used to watch Happy Days with Arthur “Fonzie” Fonzarelli, Ricky Cunninghum, Pozzie, Ralf, Joanie and the others characters. Heyy Cunningham!!! All together in from of that Back&White TW. Really happy-go-lucky days …
Roberto, Tuscany
December 17th, 2009 at 3:27 pm
Very interesting topic you have brought up ,Jeff. It calls for a classy forum discussion.
Truth to be told ,I like sitcom comedy .They are fun to watch,besides there is no cliff hanger at the end of every single Episod like the way sequel movies do.
Don’t get me wrong.I am not implying that they are not suspenseful ,what so ever. As a matter of fact ,a very subtle suspense is being built as the episodes go unfold.
Typically, a sitcom comedy is a parody of what is really going on in the life of everyday people in U.S..
I personally prefer the situation comedy over other comedy formats out there such as the sketch ,and stand up comedy.Believe you me,it is an effort to sit through them . Silly to a fault some of them could be.
What I like best about the situation comedy is the story line vary completely from one episode to another,so there is no catch-up applies.I mean,if you miss one episode, you don’t miss out on anything. and it is the beauty of sitcom comedies.The story unfolds around a fixed format ,while every episode bears a seperat incident happening within the general format.
That pretty much it!
That is pretty much the gist!
by now
December 18th, 2009 at 12:38 am
recently, i’m watching one of most popular sitcom. I enjoy watching this very much because it makes me feel pretty comfortablel and it really seems release my fatigue from work . every characters in this situation comedy has very varieties of personily and the ways of their living is very simmilar to what i’m. sometimes they have some part of sad things but most of the parts are episode that familier with our actual life.
December 18th, 2009 at 3:37 am
May be I am the worst person to have an opinion about this theme as don´t see nearly anything of t.v., to say the truth I see
nothing at all.
I use the screen to see my own dvd or avi archives only.
No programs, no sitcoms, no informatives, ……nothing.
Every now and then a tennis game or I can record a movie that Cuca told me is going to be shown.
She likes to watch two programs ever day, one is an informative where people are talking about things that are happening at this
moment, and the other is a program about questions and answers that is called “knowing and gainer” but just when the program begins I fell asleep in the armchair, it is the moment of my nap…..so at the end I have watched nothing.
Last year I remember that my daughter asked us about Friends, and when we replied we have not seen a single episode of it
she told us if we were aliens.
After that she let us all the ten series of episodes of this nice tv., sitcom?. And yes, we were watching all, more of three hundred episodes one after the other. Some days two or three of them, as we liked it very much.
Cuca and me were two months seeing Friends every night, it was really amusing.
There was a long time I did not laugh so much watching a TV. show. as watching Friends, and yes I enjoyed it very much.
As a rule I don´t see anything that is made by spaniards. I don´t like spanish movies, TV. Shows, or songs.
Nothing.
Here the majority of these persons are very close to the Government that support them with money and when there are elections they, the bad called “artist” rewarded their Government friends accordingly.
So nothing to be with free criticism or open mind, nothing to do with me. So I have been an outsider for a long time.
Till when?…..I don´t know may be for ever.
TV. informative does not exist at the moment for me, the same as the movies who are made with the money of all the spaniards
and always are about the last civil war, strange people or similar. I don´t hold a mirror seeing these kinds of things.
So, from six years I have not seen a single spanish movie or TV. spanish sitcom and I follow with the willing of not seeing them as long as we have the same situation.
My money is taken off by socialist and given to these people close to their way of doing things, and that´s enough to my body or
mind.
December 18th, 2009 at 9:39 am
“La tierra no pertenece a nadie. Sólo al viento” (Nobody belongs The Land only the Wind belongs It)
Who has been the author of this beautiful sentence?…..
You can look for it searching in the web……….our nice president Zapatero in Copenhaguen yesterday?…yes, he said it at the end of his public speech (without mentioning the author), but he has not been the first, of course, it was writen by Noah Sealth an Indian American Chieve in a letter sent to the USA president Frankling Pierce in the year of 1854 when Mr. Pierce wanted to buy the lands where the Indians live and sent them to the bad lands of the reserves.
And it was done in the Point Elliot trade just a year later, year 1855.
But it´s sure that our president Zapatero was not aware of this even and use the phrase as original from his own in the speech he did yesterday.
If he would be aware of it, it should be a courtesy to mention the author as everybody do when he is using other´s famous phrases.
No coments about the matter by my part but sometimes I feel we are doing the ridiculous which ever place our represents have to go.
December 18th, 2009 at 11:03 am
Going back to the blog, “Friends” has been one of my favorite comedies by all means.
I liked also “Up and Down” from BBC too many years ago, and “Two meters under the earth” that was not a comedy precisely.
The last I have watched, in AVi archives not at the TV., same as the others that I saw in DVD, has been “Dexter” not a comedy too, but extrange and very good done despite so many blood.
I think you need a good stomach to see it, but I have a strong one.
Not any more politic comentaries for today, that´s enough, and I don´t want to bored the Blog friends.
December 20th, 2009 at 5:49 am
Another interesting point regarding situation comedy is their dialogs. Characters cominicate with one another in way more advanced level than people normaly keep up in their daily interactions with one another.
Screen writers apply sophisticated terms to thier story lines.sophisticated in a sense that native speakers keep checking dictioneries in order to catch up with the stoy line. Believe you me I put it into test more often than not.
December 20th, 2009 at 8:00 am
Christmass is uppon us,
Thanks God, we have at least a couple of days off. Even one day away from the rat race is one day
specialy for me, after all, I m the black sheep in my work place
what can I do I am a lame duck ,I have always been, and i am putting it lightly
sorry for the moan, I m a bit gruff today.
My boss didnot aprrove my vacation request,as a result,I am as gruf as a bear
I wish ,I had a boss as affable as Jeff
Jeff ,I believe you have been making a good boss,assertive but amicable
what is your angle Lucy,
pour out your heat.We keep it from Jeff(LoL) joking ofcourse
feel better already
you guys always bug-eye me( funny as hell)
Laughter is the best medicine
taking it out on this blog because this blog ligthen up the mood.it does ,it really and truely does.
The Blog always does the trick for me
by now
December 20th, 2009 at 12:46 pm
Hi ! A good sitcom in my country ? I think it has to be with the following : connect the dots , relationships involving strong conflict and especially go live .
I can watch all the above mentioned comedy shows even Oprah . I do not waste too much time with TV comedy shows .
But I am happy to stop to smell the roses with a good comedy like Big Mama with Martin Lawrence or The Nanny with R. Williams .
Tania
December 21st, 2009 at 12:59 am
Thank you for summarizing the the mentioned section of the book , i hope you organize or a allocate one podcast about summarizing and paraphrasing techniques in writing skill in English of course, in relation to the list you have prepared it looks great, actually in our media in Kurdistan of Iraq we don’t have real popularTV comedy shows or sitcoms , our local mass media and all journalise have engaged to political, security and corruption those are burning issues not some thing like SNL, or others. i don’t know how my fellow citizens live up with kind of situation, we are realy live in abject culture out of history and humor spirit and interesting or exciting matters.
December 21st, 2009 at 2:36 am
Hi ! Talking about comedy … I am in a hurry to write a letter with my wishlist to Santa Claus . Maybe he has not left the North Pole yet riding on his eight or nine flying reindeer sleigh . What gifts would I like to bring me ?
To Mr. Santa Claus
North Pole , Alaska
Dear Santa ,
I have not been naughty . I would like heartily to bring me … Please , decide you for me . Any present is a pleasure for me .
See ya ,
Tania
December 21st, 2009 at 2:45 am
Hi ! Peter , I do not know if you agree to Santa Claus but I send you his address in case you want to write your wishlist :
Santa Claus , North Pole , Canada , HOH OHO .
I hope to be useful for all our blog friends .
Tania
December 21st, 2009 at 2:51 am
Hi ! Emiliano , I am sure you agree to Santa Claus and you know his address .Do you use his address from Finland ?
Have you been naughty or nice ?
Tania
December 21st, 2009 at 7:51 am
Only naughty with the politicians here in this poor country, but at home and with my friends I think I have been a very good
boy.
For sure that Santa Claus is going to be nice with me and I have in mind something to ask for at the good man.
Thank you Tania, I hope your good wishes should be pleased by the Big and Nice man.
May we know something about your wishes?
Do you mind to tell us, your friend here, what are you looking forward?
Don´t be shy, and let us know something about Tania, the nice person that sure you are.
You know me well Tania as I tell here everything, and I like to know something about every friend we have at the Blog.
We can´t do as Flat Jeff did, traveling every-country to know us, but I like to do it virtually.
Now we know Bathkiar and make figure out how is him and his life, also we know something about his country, thank you Bathkiar and well come to the Lucy/Jeff´s Blog.
December 21st, 2009 at 11:53 am
Hi ! I am not ready for this , Emiliano . But your good thought about me means a lot for me and a very nice gift .
Tania
December 21st, 2009 at 2:10 pm
Like Lucy you are the other misterious nice girl ?
Yes, you are till now. But think about it and please all of us, if you like.
We know that you are a poet, your nice country and mountains, that you see and watch your surroundings, and of course
your good character…..but who is this poet girl?…our second nice Fairy?.
Or at least what are you asking for to Dady Noel.
All the best to you. emiliano
December 22nd, 2009 at 12:32 am
Hi ! A very , very Merry Christmas to you all and to our dear ESLPOD team .
Tania
December 22nd, 2009 at 12:37 am
Oh , Christmas tree , Oh , Christmas tree ,
How lovely are your branches .
In summer sun or winter snow
A coat of green you always show.
Oh , Christmas tree , Oh , Christmas tree ,
How lovely are your branches .
To you all ,
Tania
December 22nd, 2009 at 5:16 am
Hang in there Bakhtyar
all the abject misery you are talking here ; all the unbearable living condition you are dealing with down there in your country and others in your
neigbouring countries blow over soon.
The inflicted war,the imposed misery ,and the exerted dictotership dominating the reigon will be over.
Writing is an skill requiring practise.the key is iteration.all the talking about brainstorming, introduction,body ,conclusion,drafting ,spell checking,consistency,flow ,and parallel materials or ideas not working unless you iterate like you do in maths which is repeating over and over until you get a grasp of it.
To sum it,to more you practis ,the better you get
that is all there is to it
The blog is a good means just get involved.Burn the midnight oil ,next thing you know you come up with meaningfull, solid matterials;not like me ,jotting down gibberish
keep in mind my friend ;every wall is a door.;
to reiterate, keep practising and you will be there!
Fare well not for a longtime though
be easy on yourself ,English comes to you
December 22nd, 2009 at 5:28 am
The more you practise ,the better you are.
I can talk ,talk about everything! Just name it ,and I am on it .But, when it comes to writing I couldnot be more worse
my spelling sucks , totally illiterate.Thans God our dear profs are not tetchy otherwise they would kick my ars!
man,I am a disaster!
They way Jeff and Lucy express themselves couldn’t go wrong!
It was nice chewing the fat with you Bakhtyar.
December 22nd, 2009 at 5:40 am
Trying hard is a becoming quality that struggle towards the hight is enough to fill a man’s heart
beautiful meaningfull saying like “every wall is a door.”
I wish I could come up with such insightful lines
not now ,but one day perhaps!
I know Jeff ,I know you are saying ” You wish”
don’t be so hard on me .it is just a stimul that keeps me going.
December 22nd, 2009 at 10:20 am
I agree with you Emiliano
Lucy is our mystique prof. unlike Jeff with no mystique attached to him
this is the way it is.
I made my peace with that
December 30th, 2009 at 7:16 am
Wow, it’s amazing the ability of certain people to make the off-topic his way of life!
However….. regarding the american sitcoms, I allways noted american people appear eating most of the time in that shows. And I always wonder why.
Something cultural, I suppose. In the awful spanish sitcoms in 90′s ( e. g “medico de familia” , family doctor) here we were just starting to copy this “food-manía”. Of course, the reason was no naive: it was a remarkable way of incomes by publicity .
See you later, there’s a kit-kat waiting alone for me!