The Evolution of Sitcoms: A Journey into Experimental Storytelling

The Changing Face of Sitcoms

Sitcoms have been undergoing significant change in the past few years, thanks to some shows which push the limits of the format. Traditional sitcoms tend to revolve around one of three things. There are workplace sitcoms, family sitcoms, and friendship sitcoms. Each of these subgenres has been experimented with and subverted in recent years, and this has produced shows which are both hilarious and unprecedented.

Phil and Jay in Modern Family

Some of these changes have been bigger and more obvious than others, but in a competitive TV landscape, most sitcoms have to try something new just to stand out. Some of the most popular sitcoms of recent times represent minor revolutions of the form, and their success has caused a knock-on effect whereby other shows see innovation as a necessity. Sitcoms are becoming increasingly experimental, with every traditional convention of the genre being scrutinized.

Modern Family: Redefining Family Sitcoms

Family sitcoms are nothing new. They’ve become one of the most prevalent types of sitcoms since shows like The Brady Bunch first gained popularity. Modern Family’s Dunphy/Pritchett/Tucker clan is far from the traditional TV family, though. The show presents a more diverse definition of family life, with divorce, same-sex marriage, adoption, and other things that break genre conventions. As the cast grew up along with their audience, the young stars contributed just as much to the comedy as their older peers.

Lily and Mitch looking at a laptop while Cam watches them in the Modern Family episode The Last Christmas

Detectorists: A Friendship Sitcom with Depth

Detectorists is a strangely bleak comedy, not explicitly so, but in the way that it paints the quiet tragedy of lives half-lived. As two middle-aged friends meet up to use their metal detectors in the fields of England, it becomes clear to everyone except themselves that they are pointing their noses to their ground to avoid the world around them. Lance and Andy find solace in the romantic past, if only to ignore the divorce and financial troubles of their present. Detectorists does eventually give its characters a happy ending, but they achieve this achingly slowly, and partly by luck.

Lance and Andy in Detectorists

Ted Lasso: A Heartwarming Antidote to Cynicism

In an age of cynical sitcoms, critics and audiences can easily look down upon more optimistic shows as being twee or sickly, but Ted Lasso’s infectious warmth is hard to resist. The show’s message of kindness and inclusion works because every character in Ted Lasso has their own personal journey, even AFC Richmond’s kitman Will, and the bombastic pundit George Cartrick. Ted Lasso deconstructs testosterone-fueled locker room culture and proposes an alternative vision of a world where everyone is a little more thoughtful.

Juno Temple as Keeley and Hannah Waddingham as Rebecca in Ted Lasso