One of the characteristics of sitcoms as discussed in Wednesday’s lecture was the serial format sitcom. A serial format sitcom advances a long-term plot, is not as focused on lessons as episodic sitcoms, and the characters have long and complicated arcs. Serial sitcoms also do not have very predictable plots, and they can take a long time to develop (possibly multiple seasons). Many sitcoms may follow this format, but it is important to remember that they also may take some characteristics from episodic sitcoms (lessons may sometimes be taught/ multiple-part episodes usually leave off where they begin). In my opinion, truly good sitcoms have elements of both but for the sake of this blog I’ll focus on just the serial aspects of my favorite sitcom of all time:
Friends ran for ten seasons from 1994 to 2004 and during that long run it developed an overall plot from the first season to the end. The major long-term plot question was obviously the Ross and Rachel situation (will they? Wont they? It took ten years to answer). Another example of a long-term plot is Monica and Chandler’s relationship (got together at the very end of season 4 and didn’t get married until the end of season 7), as well as However the show also demonstrates other aspects of a serial format in that it is not lessoned based, and the characters have long developments as exampled in Joey’s acting career (started as small time stage actor and worked his way up to a star of Days Of Our Lives) and Rachel’s career (started as a waitress and got a job in fashion, eventually ending up at Ralph Lauren). Overall this show follows a serial format (though taking episodic elements here and there) and as one of the longest running sitcoms of all time, people seemed to have enjoyed it.
(1994)
(After long & complicated character arcs)
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(2004)
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