TV/Movies Megathread

[The Brain]

A sitcom taking place nearer the present, like Modern Family, The Office or The Jetsons. 

I can' speak to Modern Family, but The Office is not a sitcom.

Elaborate.

A sitcom is done using a multi-camera set-up and often in front of a live studio audience (or at least with a laugh track).  The Office is done in a single-camera mockumentary style, and with no laugh track.

The most recent sitcom I can think of would be Big Bang Theory.

I see.

[Sheilbh]

Sitcom: a television series that involves a continuing cast of characters in a succession of comedic circumstances

I agree. But it's basically form v content - which I'd never really thought about with sitcoms.

[The Brain]

The Brothers Grimm. Charlatan brothers are forced to fight real evil. Not very good. On the plus side some environments are a bit Warhammery (fantasy).

[Josephus]

The Brothers Grimm. Charlatan brothers are forced to fight real evil. Not very good. On the plus side some environments are a bit Warhammery (fantasy).

That a sitcom?

[grumbler]

A sitcom taking place nearer the present, like Modern Family, The Office or The Jetsons. 

I can' speak to Modern Family, but The Office is not a sitcom.

Elaborate.

A sitcom is done using a multi-camera set-up and often in front of a live studio audience (or at least with a laugh track).  The Office is done in a single-camera mockumentary style, and with no laugh track.

The most recent sitcom I can think of would be Big Bang Theory.

So in your opinion, Modern Family, Arrested Development, Community, The Good Place, Schitt's Creek or Peep Show do not fit your definition of situation comedy?

No.

Well, so long as you remember that your personal definition of sitcom is only valid for you, it really doesn't matter that you don't use the widely-accepted one.  You can privately believe that The Office is not a sitcom, and that's fine so long as you don't try to use your personal definition to argue that the vast majority of people who recognize it as a sitcom are wrong.

[celedhring]

Technically, a sitcom is comedy where humor arises from putting a set of stable characters through fictional stories ("situations") as opposed to other kinds of comedy like stand-up, panel shows, or sketch comedy.

Some people have narrowed it down to "people sitting in the living room with a laugh track", because that was the most common sitcom back in the time (given that it was easier to shoot) but that's not correct.

[crazy canuck]

The Brothers Grimm. Charlatan brothers are forced to fight real evil. Not very good. On the plus side some environments are a bit Warhammery (fantasy).

That a sitcom?

There were multiple camera angles. 

[Barrister]

Technically, a sitcom is comedy where humor arises from putting a set of stable characters through fictional stories ("situations") as opposed to other kinds of comedy like stand-up, panel shows, or sketch comedy.

Some people have narrowed it down to "people sitting in the living room with a laugh track", because that was the most common sitcom back in the time (given that it was easier to shoot) but that's not correct.

But we're talking about Wandavision - which is very deliberately copying that very specific "sitcom" style that you mentioned.  And it's that style that my kids have absolutely no frame of reference to.

If you all want to get all technical and point to the definition of "situational comedy" then yes - any comedy with recurring characters is a sitcom.  But then what is the phrase for "multicamera with a laugh track" that was used on hundreds and hundreds of different shows, but has now almost entirely disappeared from existance?  Only "current" show I can think of is The Conners, but that of course is just a continuation of Roseann from the 80s-90s.

[The Larch]

Technically, a sitcom is comedy where humor arises from putting a set of stable characters through fictional stories ("situations") as opposed to other kinds of comedy like stand-up, panel shows, or sketch comedy.

Some people have narrowed it down to "people sitting in the living room with a laugh track", because that was the most common sitcom back in the time (given that it was easier to shoot) but that's not correct.

But we're talking about Wandavision - which is very deliberately copying that very specific "sitcom" style that you mentioned.  And it's that style that my kids have absolutely no frame of reference to.

If you all want to get all technical and point to the definition of "situational comedy" then yes - any comedy with recurring characters is a sitcom.  But then what is the phrase for "multicamera with a laugh track" that was used on hundreds and hundreds of different shows, but has now almost entirely disappeared from existance?  Only "current" show I can think of is The Conners, but that of course is just a continuation of Roseann from the 80s-90s.

Classic sitcom. 

[Sheilbh]

But we're talking about Wandavision - which is very deliberately copying that very specific "sitcom" style that you mentioned.  And it's that style that my kids have absolutely no frame of reference to.

If you all want to get all technical and point to the definition of "situational comedy" then yes - any comedy with recurring characters is a sitcom.  But then what is the phrase for "multicamera with a laugh track" that was used on hundreds and hundreds of different shows, but has now almost entirely disappeared from existance?  Only "current" show I can think of is The Conners, but that of course is just a continuation of Roseann from the 80s-90s.

And actually not just sitcoms - I think soap operas are about the only show left in that style on UK TV - the shift was definitely in the 90s for sitcoms. It's really interesting but it feels like an almost redundant style. Maybe in a few years it'll look as dated as black and white does now

Edit: So I definitely remember a few old style sitcomes: Desmonds, Men Behaving Badly etc. But at a certain point it all becomes the Royle Family, The Office, Spaced etc which are doing something little bit different.

[crazy canuck]

Make Sitcoms great again!  Let's all deny that modern sitcoms are actually sitcoms, they are the product of socialist hollywood! 

[celedhring]

Technically, a sitcom is comedy where humor arises from putting a set of stable characters through fictional stories ("situations") as opposed to other kinds of comedy like stand-up, panel shows, or sketch comedy.

Some people have narrowed it down to "people sitting in the living room with a laugh track", because that was the most common sitcom back in the time (given that it was easier to shoot) but that's not correct.

But we're talking about Wandavision - which is very deliberately copying that very specific "sitcom" style that you mentioned.  And it's that style that my kids have absolutely no frame of reference to.

If you all want to get all technical and point to the definition of "situational comedy" then yes - any comedy with recurring characters is a sitcom.  But then what is the phrase for "multicamera with a laugh track" that was used on hundreds and hundreds of different shows, but has now almost entirely disappeared from existance?  Only "current" show I can think of is The Conners, but that of course is just a continuation of Roseann from the 80s-90s.

I'd call it "Classic American sitcom"

Audiovisual genres evolve with time. We don't invent new names for 21st century musicals when comparing them to 1930s musicals (and they are nothing alike), but we can certainly contextualize them.

Even trying to define a subgenre as "sitcom shot in multicamera with a laugh track" will probably leave out a lot of shows that use the same style and tropes but not the same production technique. Bewitched was shot using single-camera.

[The Brain]

The Four Feathers (2002). Young officer soils breeches when he learns that the Victorian army actually fights wars, and resigns his commission just before the regiment ships out. Then, with his reputation and fiancée (that he had lied to about his officer career) gone, and his life worthless, he travels to the theater of war in some misguided attempt at redemption. Blind luck makes a local elite warrior take pity on him and completely carry him through some adventures which the ex-officer then takes credit for.  Even after all this he doesn't do the right thing and disappear, but returns to England to fuck with the lives of his best friend and his beloved.

It's not a horrible movie, but a problem with it is that the main character is thoroughly despicable, and you therefore don't care what happens to him. Lord Jim's courage failed when it was tested, but this guy doesn't even have the guts to risk it ever getting tested in the first place. On top of that lying to your fiancée isn't a great look.

[Syt]

Willy's Wonderland comes out in February.

It's Five Nights at Freddie's, but with Nic Cage.

https://youtu.be/0v27rfaoB2Y

[Josquius]

Willy's Wonderland comes out in February.

It's Five Nights at Freddie's, but with Nic Cage.

https://youtu.be/0v27rfaoB2Y

It is indeed. FNAF I reimagined by a fan who doesn't get the point.
I thought there was an actual licensed FNAF film on the way too. Ouch.