An open letter

Dear sitcom writers,

I’m getting a little fedup watching endless repeats of Friends and Frasier, and whilst Everybody Loves Raymond has some funny moments it’s a little sub-standard. Of course I’m quite content to fill my time with QI, and the like but ultimately I miss watching a good sitcom. I’ve tried most, few are palatable.

I’ll happily admit that I’m quite a fussy TV watcher (which is why I’m currently trying out things like The Wire) easily ditching bog-standard TV fare for a good (or bad) movie or live sport, after which you lose me to gaming, books or other non-TV activities. You seem to be aware you are losing this battle but you aren’t really putting up much of a fight, are you?

Yes, I know those writer people are on strike, but this has been going on for a while now. Lost, Desperate Housewives filled the void for a while but lack longevity, and Heroes is a completely different kettle of fish so don’t even start me on that.

I quite like a good sitcom, and their popularity suggests that others do as well (mind you, that also suggests that Coronation Street has some value.. hmmm) so, when you get a moment, could you please resurrect the concept and write a decent one, please!

Yours hopefully,

Gordon McLean

(And to my readers, ARE there any reasonable sitcoms out there? Am I missing out?)

Comments

  1. The only sitcoms I watch are 30 Rock (if that can even be called a sitcom in the truest sense of the word) and Scrubs, everything else out there (like Back to You, According to Jim, Till Death etc etc etc) is complete and utter bogwtaer

  2. God how I love Frasier. Recently though, 30 Rock and Californication (although that’s just finished it’s first season).

  3. There’s a really really good new one with three Irish priest living on an island in Ireland. Honestly – you should watch it. It is the future.

  4. If you like Friends and Desperate Housewives, you might like Brothers and Sisters.

  5. I haven’t seen a good original sitcom in years. I’d be hopeless if I got an office job now. I’d have nothing to contribute to the “what did ya watch last night” conversations. I keep falling asleep every time I sit down for a minute to watch TV.

  6. My wife watched days of our lives, that must be a sitcom.

    If you have a PS3 or a WII then download TVersity and set up a media server as it decodes on the fly allowing you to watch dixv/mpeg/avi on your PS3/WII on 1080p etc.

    I have House series 4, well the first 8 episodes anyway.

  7. Have you seen Weeds? If not, schedule a weekend and watch from episode 1 to [whatever the current episode is]. You will love it.

  8. Very sad, but actually the Scottish sitcom ‘still game’ made me laugh with a couple of episodes. Perhaps because they are not of the opinion that being a sitcom makes you a family comedy.
    I like ‘Ugly Betty’ too, so very daft.

  9. I’m not sure. I think it is sitcom format, but it doesn’t feel like a ‘proper’ sitcom… maybe because it is funny. There is no laugh track; there are no ‘young’ people; there is absolutely no heartthrob; there is no ‘will they won’t they’ on-off relationship; there isn’t the ‘funny’ one either, there are several main characters and they are all able to get the laughs and just as able to be the main character in any episode. In short I think ‘Still Game’ just ignores the cliches of the format and goes for laughs. Which is probably why most sitcoms are crap and why ‘Still Game’ isn’t?

Comments are closed.