As Buzzfeed asks, “Which Friends character are you?”, you must choose wisely — this is a crucial, personality-defining question. How odd to ask which character you are from a fictional TV show, yet this question perfectly reflects the essence of a sitcom: relating, identifying, and existing in another reality to the point that you can be quizzed on who you are in this alternative universe.
During the Friends Reunion special, many shared stories of moving to foreign countries and feeling lost and exhausted, but coming home to Friends, have found comfort even for just a moment. That’s what these shows are for: comfort and companionship.
Since the second half of the 20th century, sitcoms have dominated comedy worldwide. In the U.S., the first one appeared just after World War II, with Mary Kay and Johnny, a domestic tale of New York newlyweds. From then on, the U.S. produced some of the most memorable and culturally revolutionary series, such as Seinfeld, The Office, How I Met Your Mother, and Brooklyn 99.
We categorize all these shows under the same label, yet beyond their length and number of episodes, they don’t necessarily share much on screen. Loving a sitcom isn’t like loving a genre like crime or thriller—you can adore one and have never watched anything similar. Sitcoms appeal to different audiences and showcase vastly different styles of humour. So what actually defines a sitcom if they’re all so different? What binds them together is the communities they create.
Sometimes it’s friends, but it can also be classmates, colleagues, neighbours, or police officers. The common denominator in these series is always a focus on a small community, a group of individuals who, for whatever reason, belong together.
The success of sitcoms seem to lie in the fundamental human need for connection. Specifically, a niche, a group, friends, family, or even weird coworkers. Nobody truly dreams of working in The Office, yet we watch it over and over, finding comfort in something so distant from our own lives.
Sitcoms seemingly came out of nowhere and took over the entertainment industry in just a few decades. And there’s a reason for that: as many feel that the sense of community is fading in an increasingly individualistic world, sitcoms remain a steady, familiar presence in a changing society.
The New York Times once covered a look-alike contest in New York and explored the intriguing reasons behind its popularity. Thousands of people showed up to a Timothée Chalamet look-alike contest, and the explanation was simple: it fostered a sense of belonging. Strangers bonding over something absurd or trivial is increasingly rare, or rather, strangers bonding at all. Sitcoms, like look-alike contests and other cultural phenomena, create new universal spaces for people to connect, share, and understand one another.
Here’s a specific but telling example. If you haven’t seen The Office yet — run. But! Until you become a true die-hard fan, observe how The Office fans react when they meet a fellow Scranton lover. The same sentences come out of their mouths every time, and a systematic trivia exchange begins, usually culminating in the inevitable question of which character they’d want to be (Dwight is the only right answer, by the way). But I digress—this isn’t actually about The Office, but rather about the instant connection people form through sitcoms. They relate to each other in a way that is both lighthearted and deeply meaningful.
So, what to watch next? Well, it seems there is a shortage of sitcoms that has been occurring for a while on streaming platforms and TV. Except for rare successes like Abbott Elementary, no new show has come close to achieving the level of cultural impact Friends once had. Maybe it’s due to the overwhelming number of entertainment options today, maybe the format feels outdated, or maybe the demand just isn’t as strong anymore. Either way, sitcoms are struggling to find their place in the modern entertainment landscape. Whatever the reason for this struggle, the joy that sitcoms have provided to millions make them essential to culture.
“Central Perk” by wwarby is licensed under CC BY 2.0.