What exactly is a "sitcom?"

Just wondering. I know it means situation comedy, but why not just call it a comedy? I mean you don't have a sitdram. Every show is based on some sort of situation. Anybody know when it first started being called that?

SITuation COMedy. Take a situation, find comedy in it. Sitcom.

I don't think the term is to distinguish between comedy and drama, but rather between types of comedy shows. Sitcoms (though probably not called that) existed in early TV (and radio too), but the 70's were full of variety hours, and sketch comedy. So sitcom may have come about to distinguish it from sketcom.

I wonder what a sketch drama show would be like.

All I can offer is speculation.

Or maybe it just means: Single Income, Two Ckids, Oppresive Mortgage.

Bill

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Probably the closest thing would be the old anthology dramas like "Twilight Zone"; they had a thousand of them in the '50s. A few even used a sort of stock company of actors. ---------------------------------------------------

"The strong must protect the sweet"

Every show is based on some sort of situation.

       ** The idea is that in a situation comedy the comedy
          comes from the situation itself.  Jerry has a new
          girlfriend and he doesn't know her name.  George's
          hospitalized mother wants him to run an errand but
          he wants to stay for her neighbor's spongebath.
          Funny situations.

          Laurel and Hardy, on the other hand, don't depend
          on funny situations.  There's nothing funny about
          being carpenters or soldiers or salesmen, but they
          make amusing chaos as they try.  It's comedy, but
          not situation comedy.

          (Maybe today's situation comedies, by and large,
          should be called not situation comedies but
          wisecrack comedies.)