TV Sitcoms

There is said to be two types of TV sitcom, episodic and serial. An episodic sitcom is a show like The Simpsons or Family Guy, where a single issue is presented for that episode and the episode ends with the resolution of that issue. Often times at the conclusion a lesson is learned. With more controversial and political episodic sitcoms like South Park or the Boondocks, a social issue is addressed or a political statement is made and episodes end when the point has been made and next week a brand new issue is addressed. Serial sitcoms are very different. With serial sitcoms, a plot is present throughout the entire series and every episode is an advance on that plot. Thus each episode may not end with a huge resolution or life lesson, in the case of the serial sitcom Lost, most episodes actually ended with no resolution and even more questions.

Using the examples previously given, one can see how TV sitcoms can be seen as black and white as episodic or serial sitcoms when comparing two shows like The Simpsons and Lost. However, many shows are in the gray, blending both characteristics of serial and episodic television. Once again I bring up my favorite show, Arrested Development, because it is one of the shows that lies in the gray. Arrested Development is both an episodic sitcom and a serial sitcom. Arrested Development doesn’t have the character development of a serial sitcom like Lost, however the depth of the characters in the serious is more so then that of a typical episodic sitcom. Also, every episode presents a new hilarious problem the family must deal with while simultaneously playing off of the central problem throughout all three seasons of the series. What Arrested Development does, which is why I believe they are distinguished from the rest is its ability to successfully function as an episodic sitcom and a serial sitcom in the sense anyone can view any episode and enjoy it, but at the same time the show makes references that transcend several seasons making the shows exponentially funnier to those who follow the series. 



(Funny clip from Arrested Development, however this clip is even funnier if you get all of the references to past episodes)

American Beauty: Progression of Intamacy

In the film American Beauty, there is an excellent scene where all three shot types are used as a progression of intimacy. In said scene, the daughter Jane has just been slapped following a confrontation with her mother and father. She looks out of her window and sees her neighbor, a boy that one can tell she likes at this point in the movie, filming her.

 At this point the audience sees two long shots of the two teenagers from both perspectives. Having just witnessed the confrontation between Jane and the rest of her dysfunctional family, we assume that she feels alone. The long shot gives the connotation of her feeling alone, and it is no coincidence that her neighbor is shot via a long shot as well. Though it is not clear as to why yet, he too is lonely in his household. However after a moment of subtle greetings with the wave of their hands the shot then become closer, and the audience is now viewing the teenagers in medium shots, implying a barrier has been broken, and even though at a distance, these two are figuratively becoming closer.

 It is at which point Jane begins to undress for him; she takes off her shirt, then lets down her hair, then eventually removes her bra. The movies camera stays at medium shots, however the neighbor’s camera zooms in to a close up of Jane’s nearly naked body. The removal of her cloths was not meant to be taken as a sexual act, but as a way of Jane saying, "I trust you, I need someone whom I can bare it all to". She allows herself to become vulnerable, however he has only opened up so much. This is translated in the closeness of the shots. At this point of the film Ricky, the neighbor, has gotten "closer" to Jane (having witnessed her mom just slap her) then Jane has to Ricky. This is why we only get a close up of Jane through Ricky's camera at the end of this beautiful scene.

Classic Hollywood and the Studio System

In the studio system, studios had actors, actresses, and directors under contract. Studios would use their big stars to promote their films. During the time of classic Hollywood, studios were known for certain style or genre of films. This paired with the fact that the same cast and crew were involved in these productions; led to a case in which actors/actresses were playing the same person in every movie. The studio system showed us our first glimpse of actors being casted in the same roles over and over again. A modern equivalent would be some one like Vince Vaughn or Seth Rogen or Michael Cera. The example used in class was the American icon, Judy Garland. In her younger years, when first breaking into the industry, Garland was paired with Mickey Rooney in a string of "backyard musicals"; some of these films included: Babes in Arms, Strike Up the Band, Babes on Broadway, and Girl Crazy. In all of these films the young actors are said to be portrayals of teenagers dreaming big, fighting with parents who don't understand them, facing rejection and disappointment, and dealing with low self-esteem and self-doubt.

    
     I usually find it kind of lame when actors/actresses play the same roles over and over again, but history had told us that it works. (I love Seth Rogan and Will Ferrel movies, so I guess I really does work)

All in the Family and Arrested Development

My favorite family-based TV situation comedy is by far, Arrested Development. This show follows the Bluth family as they try to survive legal issues and the demise of the family business. Hilarious and well-written scenarios occur, as the family has to deal with the fall out of the collapsing business and the arrest of the head of the family.

         

Mitchell Hurwitz, the creator of Arrested Development, made a show that was purely for entertainment. He never addressed any social issues or never tried to bring to light any sort of injustice. To find anything of substance is simply overanalyzing the work. If anything, Arrested Development was a parody of a show like All in the Family because it poked fun of social issues by creating hilarious and absurd “social issues” of their own. For example, Tobias Funke’s ridiculous “never nude” condition or his daughter’s fake disease rightfully named B.S. Norman Lear on the other hand had an intended reading for his show in which he was purposely trying to address social issues. While Arrested Development spent three seasons of poking fun of Tobias’ implied homosexuality, All in the Family makes jokes about the subject via Archie Bunker, but quite blatantly asks the audience to take a serious look at the idea of sexuality.

        

The similarities and differences in these two shows are really just signs of the times. The ability to poke fun of issues of race, disability, and sexuality show that as a nation we have grown past the unacceptable ideology stage, through the “it’s a sensitive issue” stage, and have just surpassed the “this is an important issue that needs to be brought to attention” stage and now we can laugh about it. Of course there are still issues that deal with things such as race and sexuality, however on a larger scale these social issues are less issues and becoming more of social norms. When we look at the fact we have a black president and that homosexuality is portrayed in the media all the time in a neutral or even positive light, we must admit that we have seen progress. For these are all things that would have never been allowed to come to fruition as little as 40 years ago.