Hear Ye! Hear Ye! Welcome to the new edition of the OTC Blog.
Since July 1st is National TV Heritage Day, I thought it would be fun to to talk about some of the most popular sitcoms. So slip into your PJs, cozy up on the couch and let's begin.
I Love Lucy (1951-1957)-This black-and-white sitcom was adapted for television from the popular radio comedy My Favorite Husband, which featured Lucille Ball opposite Richard Denning. The radio show was written by Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh, and Bob Carroll Jr., who all went on to write for I Love Lucy.
Schitt’s Creek (2015-2020)-Created by Dan and Eugene Levy, this sitcom is about an extremely wealthy family who lose all of their money due to fraud. The only asset left to them is a small, unsophisticated town named Schitt’s Creek. They relocate there. Culture shock ensues.
Friends (1994-2004) -Created by David Crane and Martha Kauffman, there’s no more iconic sitcom than Friends. The show follows the personal and professional lives of six 20 to 30-year-old friends living in the Manhattan borough of New York City.
Insecure (2016-2021)-Created by Issa Rae and Larry Wilmore, based on Issa Rae’s web series Awkward Black Girl, Insecure follows the awkward experiences and racy tribulations of a modern-day African-American woman. The characters in this show are so real and the day-to-day issues they face seem relatable as though they’re a portrait of a generation of women coming of age in the late 2010s.
The George Lopez Show (2002-2007)-Created by Bruce Helford, Robert Borden, and George Lopez, this show was groundbreaking simply by depicting a Latine middle-class family. The show had comedian George Lopez star as a Los Angeles manufacturing plant manager attempting to deal with his wacky family through random mishaps.
Will & Grace (1998-2020)-Created by David Kohan and Max Mutchnichk, this show is about a gay lawyer Will and a straight interior designer Grace who share a New York City apartment. Will & Grace originally went off the air in 2006 only to get a reboot in 2017 that began as if the show had never ended.
One Day at the Time (2017-2020)-This reboot of the 1975 sitcom with the same title follows three generations of the same Cuban-American family living in the same house: a newly divorced former military mother, her teenage daughter, her tween son, and her old-school mother.
Seinfeld (1989-1998)-Created by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld, this show was once known as the show about nothing. Seinfeld leaned on misunderstandings for plot and portrayed life in New York City as a single young person without many responsibilities. The show is about the continuing misadventures of neurotic New York City stand-up comedian Jerry Seinfeld and his equally neurotic New York City friends. Seinfeld broke ground by having the famous bottle episode, “The Chinese Restaurant.” The episode also takes place in real-time as the gang waits for their table to be ready.
The Simpsons (1989- )-Of course we had to include an animated show on our list of best sitcoms of all time! Created by James L. Brooks, Matt Groening, and Sam Simon, this show about the satiric adventures of a working-class family in the misfit city of Springfield started as animated sketches for The Tracey Ullman Show on April 19, 1987. It is the longest-running American animated series, the longest-running American sitcom, and the longest-running American scripted primetime television series, both in terms of seasons and number of episodes. The Simpsons have been around for so long, different generations have watched the show as it has evolved throughout the decades, and continues to be as current as ever tackling everyday issues each season.
The Office | US Version (2005-2013)-This workplace comedy is a mockumentary about a group of typical office workers, where the workday consists of ego clashes, inappropriate behavior, and tedium. Michael Scott, played by Steve Carell will forever be remembered as the world’s worst boss and many people have commented that the show could never be made today given Michael Scott’s highly inappropriate behavior.
*** Information for this BLOG was extracted from an article on We Screen Play, written by Julia Camara.
Much love,
AnnMarie and Rachel
**** Research done using Wikipedia and a 2017 article in Inside Notion Press.
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