One of the best stress relievers in the world is laughter. This is why it's so relaxing to watch a really funny comedy when you need to wind down after a day at work. There are many comedy shows on television and while they keep the laughs coming, classic TV sitcoms have also helped to change society's attitudes.
The humor in a sitcom normally comes from the situations in which the characters find themselves. This is why the genre is more formally known as the situation comedy. One of the great American classics in the genre was 'I Love Lucy' in the Fifties, while lines from the British 'Fawlty Towers' from the Seventies are still quoted even by people who've never seen this hilarious show.
The focus of many popular sitcoms has been the family. This was especially the case in the USA in the Seventies and Eighties, with shows like 'The Brady Bunch', 'Eight Is Enough', 'Family Ties' and 'The Cosby Show'. These families were usually the traditional idea of what a family should be, with a mom, a dad and several children, and fit in with the 'family values' spirit of the time.
Today not many families resemble the traditional model. There are many households headed by a single parent, for instance. Some shows of the Eighties started touching on this idea, notably 'Full House', which showed men in all the parenting roles, and 'Kate and Allie' with its two single mothers. Some families today consist of adult relatives living in the same household, such as Frasier Crane and his father Marty in 'Frasier'.
With many young adults moving to the big city, they often find themselves substitute families to act as support system. These new 'families' usually consist of several close friends and have featured in hugely popular shows such as 'Seinfeld', 'How I Met Your Mother' and 'Friends'. 'Will and Grace' added another dimension by featuring openly gay characters.
Back in the Seventies, the British had a show called 'Mind Your Language'. It was about a hapless teacher trying to teach English to a class full of recent immigrants from countries as far afield as India, Pakistan, China and Spain. It helped expose audiences to different cultures and to be more understanding of immigrants. The USA has had some wonderful shows for creating cultural tolerance too, such as 'Aliens in America' with its Pakistani Muslim main character, which was aired when the fear of Islam was widespread.
The most unexpected settings can provide hit comedies. For example, nobody would have thought that war could provide as many laughs as it did in 'MASH'. The interesting thing about this show set against the backdrop of a Korean War field hospital was that it's actually very common for doctors and nurses in a war situation to try and alleviate the stress through madcap antics.
These days it's incredibly easy to watch almost any classic sitcom you can think of. Sometimes you may find reruns on TV. Many shows are available on DVD as well and with a good internet connection, you also have the option of simply streaming the episodes you want to see.
The humor in a sitcom normally comes from the situations in which the characters find themselves. This is why the genre is more formally known as the situation comedy. One of the great American classics in the genre was 'I Love Lucy' in the Fifties, while lines from the British 'Fawlty Towers' from the Seventies are still quoted even by people who've never seen this hilarious show.
The focus of many popular sitcoms has been the family. This was especially the case in the USA in the Seventies and Eighties, with shows like 'The Brady Bunch', 'Eight Is Enough', 'Family Ties' and 'The Cosby Show'. These families were usually the traditional idea of what a family should be, with a mom, a dad and several children, and fit in with the 'family values' spirit of the time.
Today not many families resemble the traditional model. There are many households headed by a single parent, for instance. Some shows of the Eighties started touching on this idea, notably 'Full House', which showed men in all the parenting roles, and 'Kate and Allie' with its two single mothers. Some families today consist of adult relatives living in the same household, such as Frasier Crane and his father Marty in 'Frasier'.
With many young adults moving to the big city, they often find themselves substitute families to act as support system. These new 'families' usually consist of several close friends and have featured in hugely popular shows such as 'Seinfeld', 'How I Met Your Mother' and 'Friends'. 'Will and Grace' added another dimension by featuring openly gay characters.
Back in the Seventies, the British had a show called 'Mind Your Language'. It was about a hapless teacher trying to teach English to a class full of recent immigrants from countries as far afield as India, Pakistan, China and Spain. It helped expose audiences to different cultures and to be more understanding of immigrants. The USA has had some wonderful shows for creating cultural tolerance too, such as 'Aliens in America' with its Pakistani Muslim main character, which was aired when the fear of Islam was widespread.
The most unexpected settings can provide hit comedies. For example, nobody would have thought that war could provide as many laughs as it did in 'MASH'. The interesting thing about this show set against the backdrop of a Korean War field hospital was that it's actually very common for doctors and nurses in a war situation to try and alleviate the stress through madcap antics.
These days it's incredibly easy to watch almost any classic sitcom you can think of. Sometimes you may find reruns on TV. Many shows are available on DVD as well and with a good internet connection, you also have the option of simply streaming the episodes you want to see.
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