A Routledge Television Guidebook
Bobby Ellerbee, of eyesofageneration.com writes: January 12, 1971… All In The Family Debuts On CBS http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NT6IC5tmCGQ Pilot 1, 1968 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vKQFLNUdwJ4 Pilot 2, 1969 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJNvIK7c_mc Pilot 3, 1970 As you can tell by the three pilot episodes listed above, launching the American versionRead more…
Tracking down the etymology of the phrase “situation comedy” and its abbreviation to “sitcom” is difficult. The Oxford English Dictionary points us to a 1964 Life magazine article by David Martin and the sentence, “Even Bing Crosby has succumbed to seriesRead more…
A history of developments in videotape technology and broadcasting. Not specifically about sitcoms, but it provides some background on how sitcoms must have been recorded over the years. Richard Wirth, “Technical and Engineering Advancements Made at NBC,” March 16, 2014. http://provideocoalition.com/pvcexclusive/story/the-demise-of-nbc-burbank-part-2
Antiques Roadshow appraisal of the machine used by Charlie Douglass to create laugh tracks. http://video.pbs.org/video/1754622115/
An outline of the standard structure of the conventional sitcom, by Noah Charney in The Atlantic. http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2014/12/cracking-the-sitcom-code/384068/
Flavorwire’s post on “25 Great Sitcoms You Can Watch Right Now on YouTube” is a great jumping-off point for investigating sitcom history. Of course, copyrighted material (as all these episodes must be) is frequently taken down from YouTube. So, enjoyRead more…