After a long day at work, there's no better way to relax than to watch a comedy on TV. A good laugh, after all, helps you to forget about the stresses of the day. Some classic TV sitcoms have even helped to change the way people look at certain issues but did it by using humor, so that people didn't even realize that their perspective changed.
A sitcom, or situation comedy, basically involves a cast of characters whose interactions provide the humor. The television version of this genre has been around since the Forties and some shows have become so ingrained in popular culture that even people who've never watched them will know some of the famous lines from those shows. One example is the line 'Don't mention the war', which originated in the hit British comedy of the Seventies, 'Fawlty Towers'.
A recurring theme in the history of sitcoms is that of family life. Often that family consists of a man and woman as the parents to several children. This type of set-up was very popular in the Eighties, when the Reagan administration focused on family values such as those shown by the Keatons in 'Family Ties' and the Huxtables in 'The Cosby Show'.
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.
Some situations, such as war, may not seem like a laughing matter. However, one of the most popular sitcoms in television history was 'MASH', about a group of army surgeons during the Korean War. Those who were medical personnel during the real war would tell you that the situations in 'MASH' were quite realistic in the way that doctors would get up to crazy antics to help them deal with the horrors they saw every day. After all, the book that inspired the series was written by an army surgeon about his own Korean War experiences.
There are different ways in which to watch those old classics again. Some TV channels will air reruns and even show back-to-back episodes. You can also get many series on DVD. Another option is to stream the episodes live via the internet.
A sitcom, or situation comedy, basically involves a cast of characters whose interactions provide the humor. The television version of this genre has been around since the Forties and some shows have become so ingrained in popular culture that even people who've never watched them will know some of the famous lines from those shows. One example is the line 'Don't mention the war', which originated in the hit British comedy of the Seventies, 'Fawlty Towers'.
A recurring theme in the history of sitcoms is that of family life. Often that family consists of a man and woman as the parents to several children. This type of set-up was very popular in the Eighties, when the Reagan administration focused on family values such as those shown by the Keatons in 'Family Ties' and the Huxtables in 'The Cosby Show'.
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.
Some situations, such as war, may not seem like a laughing matter. However, one of the most popular sitcoms in television history was 'MASH', about a group of army surgeons during the Korean War. Those who were medical personnel during the real war would tell you that the situations in 'MASH' were quite realistic in the way that doctors would get up to crazy antics to help them deal with the horrors they saw every day. After all, the book that inspired the series was written by an army surgeon about his own Korean War experiences.
There are different ways in which to watch those old classics again. Some TV channels will air reruns and even show back-to-back episodes. You can also get many series on DVD. Another option is to stream the episodes live via the internet.
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Watch your favorite classic TV sitcoms by paying a visit to the online source. You can find all the programs right here at http://www.fvtvn.com.
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