Is the traditional sitcom format dead or just evolving?
The Death of the Sitcom is exaggerated, but the format is clearly gasping for air. Broadcast networks canceled 14 comedies last season while prestige dramas get 10-episode runs on streaming, so where does that leave the traditional 22-episode laugh-track show? I grew up on Friends and Seinfeld, and I still rewatch them, but my own kids binge animated comedies on Netflix and rarely touch network TV. Can a weekly live-audience sitcom ever thrive again, or are we just nostalgic for a production model that no longer fits how anyone actually watches television?