Introduction of Sitcom—A Genre of the US TV SeriesApplicant: Benjamin YouSupervisor: Li HuiFaculty: Communication EngineeringDecember 10, 2015East China Normal UniversityAbstract (ii)1. Comedy (1)1.1 Definition (1)1.2 History ............................................................................................... 错误！未定义书签。

1.2.1Dionysiac origins, Aristophanes and Aristotle ....................... 错误！未定义书签。

1.2.2 In ancient Sanskrit drama ....................................................... 错误！未定义书签。

1.2.3 Shakespearean and Elizabethan comedy ................................ 错误！未定义书签。

1.2.4 19th to early 20th century (3)1.2.5 20th century film and television (3)2. Situation Comedy (4)2.1 Definition (4)3. Three Typical American Sitcoms (5)3.1 Friends (5)3.2 How I Met Your Mother (6)3.3 Modern Family (7)4. Comparison between the American and the Chinese Comedy (7)Bibliography (9)With the extensive global communication, people in each nation learn something new, mostly from other countries, much more easily. As a part of the culture exchange, TV series, especially the situation comedy, is just a case in point. A successful TV industry always has its vast influence. Take the US TV industry as an example, the situation comedy is one of the major genre of the US TV series, and its wide recognition and acknowledgement has made the entire industry so influential, not only in the mainland America, but even in some other countries and regions as well, like China. This essay is a brief introduction of the situation comedy of the US, and it will present three well-known sitcoms to illustrate the idea.Key words: US TV series, comedy, situation comedy, daily life, cultural influenceedy1.1 DefinitionIn a modern sense, comedy (from the Greek: κωμῳδία, kōmōidía) refers to any discourse or work generally intended to behumorous or to amuse by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, television, film and stand-up comedy. The origins of the term are found in Ancient Greece. In the Athenian democracy, the public opinion of voters was influenced by the political satire performed by the comic poets at the theaters. The theatrical genre of Greek comedy can be described as a dramatic performance which pits two groups or societies against each other in an amusing agon or conflict. Northrop Frye depicted these two opposing sides as a "Society of Youth" and a "Society of the Old". A revised view characterizes the essential agon of comedy as a struggle between a relatively powerless youth and the societal conventions that pose obstacles to his hopes. In this struggle, the youth is understood to be constrained by his lack of social authority, and is left with little choice but to take recourse in ruses which engender very dramatic irony which provokes laughter.Satire and political satire use comedy to portray persons or social institutions as ridiculous or corrupt, thus alienating their audience from the object of their humor. Parody subverts popular genres and forms, critiquing those forms without necessarily condemning them.Other forms of comedy include screwball comedy, which derives its humor largely from bizarre, surprising (and improbable) situations or characters, and black comedy, which is characterized by a form of humor that includes darker aspects of human behavior or human nature. Similarly scatological humor, sexual humor, and race humor create comedy by violating social conventions or taboos in comic ways. A comedy of manners typically takes as its subject a particular part of society (usually upper class society) and uses humor to parody or satirize the behavior and mannerisms of its members. Romantic comedy is a popular genre that depicts burgeoning romance in humorous terms and focuses on the foibles of those who are falling in love.1.2 History1.2.1 Dionysiac origins, Aristophanes and AristotleStarting from 425 BCE, Aristophanes, a comic playwright and satirical author of the Ancient Greek Theater wrote 40 comedies, 11 of which survive. Aristophanesdeveloped his type of comedy from the earlier satyr plays, which were often highlyobscene. Of the satyr plays the only surviving examples are by Euripides which are much later examples and not representative of the genre.In ancient Greece, comedy originated in bawdy and ribald songs or recitations apropos ofphallic processions and fertility festivals or gatherings.Around 335 BCE, Aristotle, in his work Poetics, stated that comedy originated in Phallic processions and the light treatment of the otherwise base and ugly. He also adds that the origins of comedy are obscure because it was not treated seriously from its inception. However, comedy had its own Muse: Thalia.Aristotle taught that comedy was generally a positive for society, since it brings forth happiness, which for Aristotle was the ideal state, the final goal in any activity. For Aristotle, a comedy did not need to involve sexual humor. A comedy is about the fortunate arise of a sympathetic character. Aristotle divides comedy into three categories or subgenres: farce, romantic comedy, and satire. On the contrary, Plato taught that comedy is a destruction to the self. He believed that it produces an emotion that overrides rational self-control and learning. In The Republic, he says that the Guardians of the state should avoid laughter, " 'for ordinarily when one abandons himself to violent laughter, his condition provokes a violent reaction.' " Plato says comedy should be tightly controlled if one wants to achieve the ideal state.Also in Poetics, Aristotle defined Comedy as one of the original four genres of literature. The other three genres are tragedy, epic poetry, and lyric poetry. Literature in general is defined by Aristotle as a mimesis, or imitation of life. Comedy is the third form of literature, being the most divorced from a true mimesis. Tragedy is the truest mimesis, followed by epic poetry, comedy and lyric poetry. The genre of comedy is defined by a certain pattern according to Aristotle's definition. Comedies begin with low or base characters seeking insignificant aims, and end with some accomplishment of the aims which either lightens the initial baseness or reveals the insignificance of the aims.1.2.2 In ancient Sanskrit dramaAfter 200 BCE, in ancient Sanskrit drama, Bharata Muni's Natya Shastra defined humor (hāsyam) as one of the nine nava rasas, or principle rasas (emotional responses), which can be inspired in the audience by bhavas, the imitations of emotions that the actors perform. Each rasa was associated with a specific bhavas portrayed on stage. In the case of humor, it was associated with mirth (hasya).1.2.3 Shakespearean and Elizabethan comedy"Comedy", in its Elizabethan usage, had a very different meaning from modern comedy. A Shakespearean comedy is one that has a happy ending, usually involving marriages between the unmarried characters, and a tone and style that is more light-hearted than Shakespeare's other plays.The Punch and Judy show has roots in the 16th-century Italian commedia dell'arte. The figure of Punch derives from the Neapolitan stock character of Pulcinella. The figure who later became Mr. Punch made his first recorded appearance in England in 1662. Punch and Judy are performed in the spirit of outrageous comedy —often provoking shocked laughter — and are dominated by the anarchic clowning of Mr. Punch. Appearing at a significant period in British history, professor Glyn Edwards states: "[Pulcinella] went down particularly well with Restoration British audiences, fun-starved after years of Puritanism. We soon changed Punch's name, transformed him from a marionette to a hand puppet, and he became, really, a spirit of Britain - a subversive maverick who defies authority, a kind of puppet equivalent to our political cartoons."1.2.4 19th to early 20th centuryIn early 19th century England, pantomime acquired its present form which includes slapstick comedy and featured the first mainstream clown Joseph Grimaldi, while comedy routines also featured heavily in British music hall theatre which became popular in the 1850s. British comedians who honed their skills in music hall sketches include Charlie Chaplin, Stan Laurel and Dan Leno. English music hall comedian and theatre impresario Fred Karno developed a form of sketch comedy without dialogue in the 1890s, and Chaplin and Laurel were among the comedians who worked for him. American film producer Hal Roach stated: "Fred Karno is not only a genius, he is the man who originated slapstick comedy. We in Hollywood owe much to him." American vaudeville emerged in the 1880s and remained popular until the 1930s, and featured comedians such as W. C. Fields, Buster Keaton and the Marx Brothers.1.2.5 20th century film and televisionThe advent of cinema in the late 19th century, and later radio and television in the 20th century broadened the access of comedians to the general public. Charlie Chaplin, through silent film, became one of the best known faces on earth. The silent tradition lived on well in to the 20th century through mime artists like Marcel Marceau, and the physical comedy of artists like Rowan Atkinson as Mr. Bean. The tradition of the circus clown also continued, with such as Bozo the Clown in the United Statesand Oleg Popov in Russia. Radio provided new possibilities - with Britain producing the influential Goon Show after the Second World War. American cinema has produced a great number of globally renowned comedy artists, from Laurel and Hardy, the Three Stooges, Abbott and Costello, Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis, as well as Bob Hope during the mid-20th century, to performers like George Carlin, Robin Williams, and Eddie Murphy at the end of the century. Hollywood attracted many international talents like the British comics Peter Sellers, Dudley Moore and Sacha Baron Cohen, Canadian comics Dan Aykroyd, Jim Carrey, and Mike Myers, and the Australian comedianPaul Hogan, famous for Crocodile Dundee. Other centers of creative comic activity have been the cinema of Hong Kong, Bollywood, and French farce.American television has also been an influential force in world comedy: with American series like M*A*S*H, Seinfeld and The Simpsons achieving large followings around the world. British television comedy also remains influential, with quintessential works including Fawlty Towers, Monty Python, Dad's Army, Blackadder, and The Office. Australian satirist Barry Humphries, whose comic creations include the housewife and "gigastar" Dame Edna Everage, For his delivery of Dadaist and absurdist humor to millions, was described by biographer Anne Pender in 2010 as not only "the most significant theatrical figure of our time ... [but] the most significant comedian to emerge since Charlie Chaplin".2. Situation Comedy1.1 DefinitionA situation comedy, often shortened to the portmanteau sitcom, is a genre of comedy that features characters sharing the same common environment, such as a home or workplace, with often humorous dialogue. Such programs originated in radio, but today, sitcoms are found mostly on television as one of its dominant narrative forms. This form also includes mockumentaries such as The Office and Parks and Recreation.A situation comedy television program may be recorded in front of a studio audience, depending on the program's production format. The effect of a live studio audience can be imitated by the use of a laugh track.3. Three Typical American Sitcoms3.1 FriendsThe show starts as Rachel Green flees her wedding day and seeks out childhood friend Monica Geller, a New York City chef. They become roommates, and Rachel joins Monica's social circle of single people in their mid-20s: struggling actor Joey Tribbiani, business professional Chandler Bing, masseuse and musician Phoebe Buffay, and newly divorced paleontologist Ross Geller, Monica's older brother. To support herself, Rachel becomes a waitress at Central Perk, a Manhattan coffeehouse where the group often hangs out; when not there, the six are usually at Monica and Rachel's nearby West Village apartment, or Joey and Chandler's across the hall.Episodes typically depict the friends' comedic and romantic adventures and career issues, such as Joey auditioning for roles or Rachel seeking jobs in the fashion industry. The six characters each have many dates and serious relationships, such as Monica with Richard Burke and Ross with Emily Waltham. Ross and Rachel's intermittent relationship is the most often-recurring storyline; during the ten seasons of the show they repeatedly date and break up, even while Ross briefly marries Emily, he and Rachel have a child, Chandler and Monica date and marry each other, and Phoebe marries Mike Hannigan. Other frequently recurring characters include Ross and Monica's parents in Long Island, Ross's ex-wife and their son, Central Perk barista Gunther, Chandler's ex-girlfriend Janice, and Phoebe's twin sister Ursula.Friends received acclaim throughout its run, becoming one of the most popular television shows of all time. The series was nominated for 62 Primetime Emmy Awards, winning the Outstanding Comedy Series award in 2002 for its eighth season. The show ranked no. 21 on TV Guide's 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time and no. 7 on Empire magazine's The 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time. In 1997, the episode "The One with the Prom Video" was ranked no. 100 on TV Guide's 100 Greatest Episodes of All-Time. In 2013, Friends ranked no. 24 on the Writers Guild of America's 101 Best Written TV Series of All Time and no. 28 on TV Guide's 60 Best TV Series of All Time. In 2014, the series was ranked by Mundo Estranho the Best TV Series of All Time.3.2 How I Met Your MotherHow I Met Your Mother (often abbreviated to HIMYM) is an American sitcom that originally aired on CBS from September 19, 2005, to March 31, 2014. The series follows the main character, Ted Mosby, and his group of friends in Manhattan. As a framing device, Ted, in the year 2030, recounts to his son and daughter the events that led him to meeting their mother.The series concerns the adventures of Ted Mosby (played by Josh Radnor) and how he met the mother of his children. The story starts with the younger Mosby living in New York City and working as an architect; the narrative deals primarily with his best friends, including the long-lasting couple Marshall Eriksen (Jason Segel) and Lily Aldrin (Alyson Hannigan); the eccentric, womanizing-playboy Barney Stinson (Neil Patrick Harris); and news anchor Robin Scherbatsky(Cobie Smulders). The series explores many storylines, including a "will they or won't they" relationship between Robin and each of the two single male characters, Marshall and Lily's relationship, and the ups and downs of the characters' careers.The show's frame story depicts Ted (voice of Bob Saget, uncredited) verbally retelling the story to his son Luke (David Henrie) and daughter Penny (Lyndsy Fonseca) as they sit on the couch in the year 2030. This future-set frame is officially the show's "present day" and How I Met Your Mother exploits this framing device in numerous ways: to depict and re-depict events from multiple points of view; to set up jokes using quick and sometimes multiple flashbacks nested within the oral retelling; to substitute visual, verbal or aural euphemisms for activities Ted doesn't want to talk about with his children (sexual practices, use of illicit substances, vulgar language, etc.); and even to add some elements of humor: in the episode "How I Met Everyone Else", Ted describes his dates with a girlfriend whose name he has forgotten, leading all characters to act as though her given name were "Blah-Blah."While the traditional love-story structure begins when the romantic leads first encounter each other, How I Met Your Mother does not introduce Ted's wife (Cristin Milioti) until the eighth season finale, and only announces her name (Tracy McConnell) during the series finale. The show instead focuses on Ted's prior relationships and his dissatisfaction with those women, thus setting the stage for his eventual happiness with Tracy.3.3 Modern FamilyModern Family revolves around three families living in the Los Angeles area who are interrelated through Jay Pritchett and his children, Claire Dunphy (née Pritchett) and Mitchell Pritchett. Patriarch Jay is remarried to a much younger woman, Gloria Pritchett (formerly Delgado and née Ramirez), a passionate Colombian with whom he has a baby son, Fulgencio (Joe) Pritchett; and a son from Gloria's previous marriage, Manny Delgado. Jay's daughter Claire is a homemaker married to Phil Dunphy, a real-estate agent and self-professed "cool dad". They have three children: Haley Dunphy the stereotypical ditzy teenage girl; Alex Dunphy, a nerdy, smart middle child; and Luke Dunphy, the offbeat only son. Jay's lawyer son Mitchell and his husband Cameron Tucker have an adopted Vietnamese daughter, Lily Tucker-Pritchett. As the name suggests, this family represents a modern-day family and episodes are comically based on situations which many families encounter in real life.Modern Family is an American television mockumentary that premiered on ABC on September 23, 2009. Christopher Lloydand Steven Levitan conceived the series while sharing stories of their own "modern families". Modern Family employs an ensemble cast. The series is presented in mockumentary style, with the fictional characters frequently talking directly into the camera. The series premiered on September 23, 2009 and was watched by 12.6 million viewers.4. Comparison between the American and the Chinese ComedyAfter so many years' development, the US comedy has already been very evolved. While when it comes to China, it's a much younger one. Since the Chinese Reform and Opening Policy was raised up, China has also tried to produce various TV series, including comedies or sitcoms, and many excellent sitcoms emerged around the year 2,000, such as Stories of the Cooking Squad, Stories from the Editorial Board, My Own Swordsman. Nevertheless, the Chinese sitcoms appears to be vanished in the markets in recent years. Apart from the Love Apartment, there seems to be no other sitcoms at all. Meanwhile, sitcoms in the US are booming. The different themes with different tastes have given the audience a multiple choice.The most important of all, sitcoms are often originated from the daily life of theordinary people. It may seems boring, but that’s all a scriptwriter need. True happiness is always from the deepest part of life, and life also carries happiness at the same time. A good comedy doesn't just make people laugh, it teaches. It can be a life-long experience of some kind, or a lesson which we can learn from. The US comedies have done very well in this part, but it's still a long way to go for the Chinese.Bibliography[1] Comedy, from Wikipedia[2] Situation Comedy, from Wikipedia[3] Friends, from Wikipedia[4] How I Met Your Mother, from Wikipedia[5] Modern Family, from Wikipedia。