...but it is poorly

The traditional sitcom isn’t dead – but it is critically ill.

That was the verdict of a panel of American network executives discussing the state of TV comedy at Montreal’s Just For Laughs comedy festival.

Stories about the death of the old-fashioned sitcom, filmed in a studio with fixed sets and three cameras, have been rife since Frasier, Friends and Sex And The City all ended their successful runs this season.

In their place, reality shows and unconventionally shot comedies such as The Office and Curb Your Enthusiasm have been lauded as the future of the genre.

But the consensus of senior figures from NBC, CBS, Fox, Comedy Central and Canadian broadcasters CBC and The Comedy Network was that old-fashioned shows would still have a place on their networks – provided they offered a distinctive comic tone.

“The sitcom’s ill, but it is going to recover,” said Gina Girolamo of NBC. “Half-baked ideas are not going to fly, but if there is a distinctive comedy voice, we are going to go for it.”

Brian Banks of CBS, regarded as the most conservative of networks, agreed: “The bad sitcom is dead. You can’t put up with mediocrity taking up two or three years of your schedule.”

Namechecking Frasier, Scrubs and Malcolm In The Middle, he said: “A traditional sitcom with a distinctive point of view can still work. I get most interested when I see a traditional sitcom doing interesting things. That is harder to achieve than other types of comedy.

Anne Masey of Fox said: “We are yearning for smart people for something to say”, adding that networks should be prepared to invest more in getting non-broadcast pilots so talented comedians can demonstrate their ideas.

The only voice of dissent was Lou Wallach of Comedy Central, When asked if the sitcom form was dead, he said: “I hope it is – because we don’t do it.”

He added: “We are looking at alternative ways to deliver comedy so we feel like we’re getting something fresh.

“There are ways to do sitcoms, without doing three-camera studio ones. The more real we can make it look, the funnier it is.”

The executives were speaking at Just For Pitching, an event which gives a handful of selected comics and writers the chance to publicly try to sell their shows to broadcasters.

Most were given short shrift, except for Greg Proops, whose Sex And The City- style sitcom Simply Svelete, set in the world of high fashion, was greeted with approving moises.

Published: 23 Jul 2004