| History of the Sitcom | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | Television documentary |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | John Ealer Bill Carter |
| Running time | 42 minutes |
| Original release | |
| Network | CNN |
| Release | July 11 – August 22, 2021 |
| Related | |
| The History of Comedy The Movies (miniseries) The Story of Late Night See It Loud: The History Of Black Television | |
| Infobox instructions (only shown in preview) | |
History of the Sitcom is an eight-part CNN documentary television series that traces the development of the American situation comedy show from the 1950s to the 21st Century. The show features 184 interviews with creatives, actors and directors including Norman Lear, Mel Brooks, Yvette Lee Bowser, Marta Kauffman, and Carl Reiner (in his last recorded interview).[1][2] The series follows a similar format of the CNN Original Series The History of Comedy.
The series takes an expansive view of what can be considered a sitcom; it includes traditional programs shot with multiple cameras in front of a live audience like I Love Lucy as well as modern single camera programs like Fleabag. The decision about which programs to include, according to series producer Bill Carter, came down to: "If the overarching purpose of the show is to make you laugh, it can be considered a sitcom. And in almost all cases, the shows are half-hours rather than hours."[3]
- ^ Schneider, Michael (July 9, 2021). "'History of the Sitcom' Producers on Carl Reiner's Last Interview, Tackling 'The Cosby Show' and What Makes a Comedy". Variety.
- ^ Bramesco, Charles (July 8, 2021). "'It's an inherent comfort zone': why the American sitcom has endured". The Guardian.
- ^ Carter, Bill (July 11, 2021). "Analysis: From 'Friends' to 'Fleabag,' the history of sitcoms is bigger than you think". CNN.