American SitComs

[BoringSupreez]

SitComs aren't as good as they used to be. I don't mean that every SitCom today isn't good, but we don't seems to have any undeniable classics like The Fresh Prince of Bel-Aire running these days. Nothing that will be fondly remembered even by the mainstream 20 years from now, anyway.

[Bradtemple87]

always sunny is the bee's knees.

forgot this one. good call.

One of my favorite shows on tv

[Hatta]

the "show" part of Louie is really hit and miss.

Man I can't agree with that. Every second of Louie is dripping with unmitigated brilliance.

undeniable classics like The Fresh Prince of Bel-Aire

That's a joke, right?

[BoringSupreez]

undeniable classics like The Fresh Prince of Bel-Aire

That's a joke, right?

You don't like the Fresh Prince?

You are actually the first person I've ever met who didn't like that show.

[dsheinem]

the "show" part of Louie is really hit and miss.

Man I can't agree with that. Every second of Louie is dripping with unmitigated brilliance.

You really think so? I thought that there were a few episodes this season that had maybe one or two funny bits surrounded by a bunch of monotony and lameness. The visit to his aunt and the house hunting episodes in particular come to mind as less than "unmitigated brilliance". On the other hand, the episode with his sister, the one last week with the subway bit, and basically most episodes where he tries to date/get lucky have been pretty solid.

[benderx]

Lets see here Married with children and simpsons put it together FUTURAMA
Roseanne equals Big Bang Theory

[Limewater]

hello!

I was wondering where are all the American SitComs are?
there used to be like a bazillion sitcoms in the 90's, now I think there is only how I met your mother and one other I can't remember.
Dont you like Sitcoms any more?

As Luke said, there are a bunch. One big difference is that sit-coms in the nineties were mostly of the four-camera variety. These are shot in a studio, often with an audience, and four cameras are used at once. Examples include Friends, Seinfeld, Full House, Family Matters, How I Met your Mother, etc.

Now, single-camera sit-coms are more popular. These are comedy shows that aren't shot in a studio (usually), don't have laugh tracks, and seem a bit more natural in a lot of ways. Examples include Scrubs, The Office, Arrested Development, Parks and Recreation, Curb Your Enthusiasm, etc.

speaking about them, what do you think about sitcoms in the 90's?
A lot of them seem just like the same thing something like Saved by the Bell, City Guys, California dreams.
Like if it wasn't for the different actors and the setting, you would think it was the same show.
Same jokes, same expressions, same stories, same time length, same everything.

Actually, all of the examples you just gave were made by the same studio, broadcast on the same network, and intended to be similar to each other. These were teen-targeted sit-coms broadcast on Saturday mornings (or maybe early afternoon) after saturday morning cartoons. Saved by the Bell was the first, and then they just made more similar shows.

There's actually a decent bit of variety in 90's sit coms. There are family shows like Step by Step, Family Matters, and Full House. There were shows aimed at teenagers like the ones you mentioned and Family Matters. There were also more adult-targeted shows like Seinfeld, Married With Children, and the Drew Carey show. I am under the impression that there is a lot more variety in this group.

Did they have something like a Holy guide to Sitcoms that they can not go out of its rules?
but it did work, I guess if it ain't broken, dont fix it!

I think you have a sampling bias, but there also are a lot of Sitcom conventions that exist to allow full plots in a short runtime and to make it easy to get cheap laughs.

[Dylan]

Yeah, sitcoms oversaturated the market. I don't think there's been a good one since Arrested Development, which was canceled because it was too different (and good).

I've been watching it on Netflix, and I reckoned it got cancelled because after about halfway through season 2 it started losing steam. Don't get me wrong, the first season is absolutely hilarious, but I'm about a third of the way through season 3 and it's not even the same show. It's been like watching a 10/10 comedy show very gradually drop down to something like a 3/10.

[lisalover1]

I really miss My Name Is Earl...

That show was good because it was the only show I know that, in my opinion, got neither better nor worse throughout its entire run on television; something very few shows can claim.

[BoringSupreez]

I really miss My Name Is Earl...

That show was good because it was the only show I know that, in my opinion, got neither better nor worse throughout its entire run on television; something very few shows can claim.

Not getting worse is a good thing, but why would you like it for not getting better either?