A sitcom (short for situation comedy or situational comedy ) is a genre of comedy that centers on a recurring cast of characters as they navigate humorous situations within a consistent setting, such as a home, workplace, or community. Unlike sketch comedy , which features different characters and settings in each skit , sitcoms typically maintain plot continuity across episodes. This continuity allows for the development of storylines and characters over time, fostering audience engagement and investment in the characters' lives and relationships.
49-464: Family Affair is an American sitcom starring Brian Keith and Sebastian Cabot that aired on CBS from September 12, 1966, to March 4, 1971. The series explored the trials of well-to-do engineer and bachelor Bill Davis (Keith) as he attempted to raise his brother's orphaned children in his luxury New York City apartment. Davis' traditional English gentleman's gentleman , Mr. Giles French (Cabot), also had adjustments to make as he became saddled with
98-540: A 30-minute time slot. Throughout their history, American sitcoms have often drawn inspiration from British counterparts. Popular shows like All in the Family , Three's Company , and Sanford and Son were adapted from successful British series. More recently, The Office achieved significant popularity in the United States , following the success of its British counterpart. Numerous television networks in
147-700: A Chinese restaurant, he joined the Horace Heidt Orchestra in the 1930s, being responsible for the arrangements. Later, he toured with the Alvino Rey Orchestra , before embarking on his recording career. By the time De Vol was 16, "he was doing arrangements with professional skill." From the 1940s, De Vol wrote arrangements for the studio recordings of many top singers, including Nat King Cole , Ella Fitzgerald , Sarah Vaughan , Tony Bennett , Dinah Shore , Doris Day , Vic Damone and Jaye P. Morgan . His single most famous arrangement
196-518: A bandleader in the last season of My Three Sons , in addition to writing the theme music and serving as in-house composer for most of the show's twelve seasons. He also scored most episodes of Family Affair , including many of the same incidental music cues as My Three Sons . In 1980, he appeared in the second season of Diff'rent Strokes , in episode 22, "The Slumber Party". De Vol preferred to be credited as "Frank De Vol" for his acting appearances, and as "De Vol" for his musical work. De Vol
245-544: A core group of characters who interact in a recurring setting, such as a family, workplace, or institution. However, British sitcoms typically consist of shorter series, often six episodes, and are frequently developed by a smaller writing team. The majority of British sitcoms are half-hour comedies recorded in studio settings using a multiple-camera setup. While many adhere to traditional sitcom conventions, some have ventured into more unconventional territory. For example, Blackadder and Yes Minister/Yes Prime Minister shifted
294-453: A multicolored array of gems and precious stones. Most of the episodes in the fifth season opened with either Sebastian Cabot or the twins saying, "Good evening, so nice of you to join us," and closing the episode saying, "It's been very good of you to watch and we do hope to see you again next week on Family Affair ." Anissa Jones (who played Buffy) died of a drug overdose in 1976, aged 18. Sebastian Cabot (who played Mr. French) died of
343-418: A result, each season had a single director for each of the 30-odd scripts. Since the show's child actors (Whitaker and Jones) could only legally work eight hours a day, scenes with them were shot first, and as a result the cast and crew were often filming as many as four episodes at the same time. Due to the popularity of the series with girls, Buffy's doll, "Mrs. Beasley" (which she often carried with her),
392-576: A stroke in 1977, aged 59. Brian Keith (who played Uncle Bill) died by gunshot suicide in 1997, aged 75, two months after the suicide of his daughter, and an undetermined amount of time after he was diagnosed with cancer. MPI Home Video (under license from the Don Fedderson estate) has released all five seasons of Family Affair on DVD in Region 1. A remake of Family Affair aired on The WB from September 12, 2002, to March 13, 2003. The remake
441-583: Is an acclaimed example of De Vol's mood music; each track is by English composer Albert Harris and is named after a god or goddess of Greek mythology . In the 1950s, De Vol's orchestra played frequently at the Hollywood Palladium under the concert name "Music of the Century". De Vol's orchestra and arrangements were available to radio stations via electrical transcriptions . His work was syndicated by Capitol Transcriptions, for which he also
490-430: Is not exactly a sequel to Family Affair ... but it has elements of the premise of that classic TV series, plus a few surprises." Several episodes were shot in late 2019. Gold Key Comics , an imprint of Western Publishing , published four issues of a Family Affair comic book series from January to October 1970. Merchandising efforts centered on Anissa Jones' "Buffy" character. Several books were published, including
539-564: Is one of the leading channels in India, dedicated entirely to Sitcoms. Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah is the longest-running sitcom of Indian television and is also known as the flagship show of SAB TV . On Tiptoes and Shabhaye Barareh were among the first and most important sitcoms that led to the growth of this type of comedy in Iran, both receiving wide critical and audience acclaim. El Chavo del Ocho , which ran from 1971 to 1980,
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#1732800950282588-444: Is probably the haunting string and piano accompaniment to Cole's " Nature Boy ", which was a United States Number One in 1948. That same year, he released a version of "The Teddy Bears' Picnic " (Capitol Records 15420), that he arranged and sang lead vocals on. In 1966–1967, he arranged the soundtrack for the 1967 Columbia Pictures comedy film The Happening (starring Anthony Quinn ) and co-produced The Supremes recording of
637-480: Is seen tearfully watching the show in his hideout. The 1982 the L.A. musical group Angel and the Reruns released a song named " Buffy Come Back " dealing with the "Buffy" actress Anissa Jones' teenage drug overdose. Sitcom The structure and concept of a sitcom have roots in earlier forms of comedic theater, such as farces and comedy of manners . These forms relied on running gags to generate humor, but
686-519: Is the one most capable of supporting them, so the three move in with him in New York. Consequently, Bill's bachelor lifestyle gets turned upside down. Initially, "Uncle Bill" is none too pleased to have the three youngsters living with him, but he soon grows fond of them. Mr. French, who effectively becomes a nanny in addition to his valet duties, is also flustered by the erratic situation at first, but he, too, develops an affinity for them. Over time,
735-725: The Canadian Screen Award for Best Comedy Series . In 2020, the sixth and final season of Schitt's Creek was nominated for 15 Primetime Emmy Awards . This broke the record for the most Emmy nominations given to a comedy series in its final season. During the 72nd Primetime Emmy Awards , the show became the first ever comedy or drama series to sweep the four acting categories ( Outstanding Lead Actor , Outstanding Lead Actress , Outstanding Supporting Actor , Outstanding Supporting Actress for Eugene Levy , Catherine O'Hara , Dan Levy , and Annie Murphy respectively) and one of only four live action shows, along with All in
784-753: The RTR channel. The "boom" of Russian sitcoms began only in the 2000s, when in 2004, the STS started the highly successful sitcom " My Fair Nanny " (an adaptation of the American sitcom " The Nanny "). Since that time, sitcoms in Russia have been produced by the two largest entertainment channels in the country — STS and TNT . In 2007, the STS released the first original domestic sitcom — " Daddy's Daughters " (there were only adaptations before), and in 2010, TNT released " Interns " —
833-577: The United States feature sitcoms in their programming. CBS , TBS, Nickelodeon , and Disney Channel are just a few examples of networks that air sitcoms. Frank DeVol Frank Denny De Vol (September 20, 1911 – October 27, 1999) was an American bandleader, arranger, composer and actor. As a composer, he was nominated for four Academy Awards . De Vol was born in Moundsville in Marshall County in northern West Virginia , and
882-664: The comedy-dramas of the 1980s and 1990s. Although there have been few long-running Australian-made sitcoms, many American and British sitcoms have been successful in Australia, since sitcoms are considered a staple of the government broadcaster Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). In the 1970s and 1980s many British sitcoms also screened on the Seven Network . By 1986, UK comedies Bless This House and Are You Being Served? had been re-screened several times by ABC Television ; they were then acquired and screened by
931-512: The theme from the film (with Motown producers Holland–Dozier–Holland ) which became a #1 American pop hit later that year. The success of "Nature Boy", recorded for Capitol Records , led to an executive position for De Vol at the rival Columbia Records . There, he recorded a series of orchestral mood music albums under the studio name "Music by De Vol" (which he also used for some of his film and TV work). The 1959 album Bacchanal! (The Passions and Pageantry of Gods and Goddesses of Mythology)
980-504: The 1970 hardback Family Affair: Buffy Finds a Star by Gladys Baker Bond and Buffy's Cookbook . There were dolls (Mattel's "Small Talk Buffy" and Mrs. Beasley, Buffy's doll on the show) and various other toys. A Mrs. Beasley doll, with her glasses missing, appears in the music video for the song "California Tuffy" by the Geraldine Fibbers . In Police Academy 2: Their First Assignment , gang leader Zed ( Bobcat Goldthwait )
1029-431: The 1990s these included: Dekh Bhai Dekh (1993), Zabaan Sambhalke (1993), Shrimaan Shrimati (1995), Office Office (2001), Ramani Vs Ramani (Tamil 2001), Amrutham (Telugu 2001–2007), Khichdi (2002), Sarabhai vs Sarabhai (2005) F.I.R. (2006–2015), Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah (2008–present), Uppum Mulakum (Malayalam 2015–present), and Bhabiji Ghar Par Hain (2015–present). SAB TV
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#17328009502821078-482: The 1990s, sitcoms have since expanded to animated sitcoms , with successful shows of the genre including The Simpsons , King of the Hill , and Family Guy . Critics have debated the exact definition of a sitcom, mostly regarding productions created at the turn of the 21st century. Many contemporary American sitcoms use a single-camera setup and do not feature a laugh track, instead more resembling documentaries or
1127-482: The 2010s, resulting in a decline in sitcom popularity. Nevertheless, there have been recent efforts to revive the sitcom genre. For instance, Netflix released So Not Worth It in 2021, featuring many creators from popular South Korean sitcoms. Popular South Korean sitcoms include the High Kick series, which has spawned several spin-offs. British sitcoms , like their American counterparts, often revolve around
1176-417: The Family , The Golden Girls , and Will & Grace where all the principal actors have won at least one Emmy Award. Sitcoms started appearing on Indian television in the 1980s, with serials like Yeh Jo Hai Zindagi (1984), Nukkad (1986), and Wagle Ki Duniya (1988) on the state-run Doordarshan channel. Gradually, as private channels were permitted to operate, many more sitcoms followed. In
1225-633: The Night That Was" & 1969 episode: "The Organ Fund" - as Reverend Barton), Mickey starring Mickey Rooney , The Brady Bunch , Get Smart (at least 2 appearances as Professor Carleton) and The Jeffersons . He had also comic roles as Chief Eaglewood, the head of the Thundercloud Boys' Camp in 1961's The Parent Trap , and as the onscreen narrator in Jerry Lewis 's 1967 comedy film The Big Mouth . De Vol appeared as
1274-516: The Phoenix (1965), The Glass Bottom Boat (1966), The Dirty Dozen (1967), Hustle (1975), Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo (1977) and Herbie Goes Bananas (1980). He also scored many Doris Day comedies and films for director Robert Aldrich . De Vol also composed the jingle for the Screen Gems ' "Dancing Sticks" logo (1963–1965), which appeared on all television series produced by
1323-728: The Seven Network. In 1981, Daily at Dawn was the first Australian comedy series to feature a regular gay character (Terry Bader as journalist Leslie). In 1987, Mother and Son won the Television Drama Award for portraying a woman suffering from senile dementia and her interaction with her family, presented by the Australian Human Rights Commission . In 2007, Kath & Kim ' s first episode of series 4 attracted an Australian audience of 2.521 million nationally. This
1372-588: The United States in 1926 with the radio show Sam 'n' Henry . The subsequent success of Amos 'n' Andy , also created by Freeman Gosden and Charles Correll , solidified the sitcom's place in American radio programming. The transition to television brought about significant changes in the sitcom format. Mary Kay and Johnny , which premiered in 1947, became the first American television sitcom. Today, American sitcoms typically run for 22 minutes, allowing for approximately eight minutes of advertising within
1421-902: The bachelor, the butler, and the three orphans find themselves becoming a close-knit family. When Sebastian Cabot became ill, Giles' brother, Nigel "Niles" French ( John Williams ) was introduced. He worked for the Davis family for nine episodes in 1967, while Giles was said to be touring with the Queen in the Commonwealth countries . In the final season, Bill hired a part-time housekeeper, Emily Turner ( Nancy Walker ), to assist Mr. French. Various other characters were also seen regularly, including several acquaintances of Mr. French who are in service (most notably Miss Faversham, played by Heather Angel ), colleagues of Bill's, and friends of Cissy's. Due to Don Fedderson 's strong track record, Family Affair
1470-647: The first sitcom, filmed as a comedy (unlike dominated "conveyor" sitcoms). Sitcoms, or "시트콤" in Korean, gained significant popularity in South Korea during the 1990s. This popularity was fueled by the success of shows like Dr. Oh's People , LA Arirang , and Men and Women . The use of computer graphics (CG) in sitcoms began to increase in the late 1990s as more broadcasters adopted CG technology. This led to more visually dynamic and creative sitcoms. However, viewer preferences shifted towards dramas and thrillers in
1519-496: The focus from domestic or workplace settings to the world of politics. A more recent development in British comedy is the mockumentary , a style that blends documentary and comedic elements. Shows like The Office , Come Fly with Me , W1A , People Just Do Nothing , and This Country have successfully employed this format to explore a variety of topics and characters. Sitcoms, or situation comedies, made their debut in
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1568-448: The responsibility of caring for 15-year-old Cissy ( Kathy Garver ) and the six-year-old twins, Jody ( Johnny Whitaker ) and Buffy ( Anissa Jones ). Family Affair ran for 138 episodes in five seasons. The show was created and produced by Edmund Hartmann and Don Fedderson , also known for My Three Sons and The Millionaire . Indiana native William "Bill" Davis is a successful civil engineer who develops major projects all over
1617-532: The show has earned an estimated $ 1 billion in syndication fees alone for Televisa . Gliding On , a popular sitcom in New Zealand in the early 1980s, won multiple awards during its run including Best Comedy, Best Drama and Best Direction at the Feltex Awards . The first Russian sitcom series was "Strawberry", which resembled "Duty Pharmacy" in a Spanish format. It was aired from 1996 to 1997 on
1666-543: The television division of Columbia Pictures . De Vol was musical director (and occasionally seen) on Edgar Bergen 's CBS Television prime-time game show Do You Trust Your Wife? (1956-1957). "Frank De Vol's orchestra" was featured on the NBC Television prime-time musical variety series The Lux Show Starring Rosemary Clooney (1957-1958). During this time, he appeared on The Betty White Show (1954) and Rod Cameron 's syndicated State Trooper . In 1964 he
1715-434: The term "sitcom" emerged as radio and TV adapted these principles into a new medium. The word was not commonly used until the 1950s. Early television sitcoms were often filmed in front of a live studio audience using a multiple-camera setup , the latter of which continues in some modern productions such as The Big Bang Theory and Fuller House . Other formats make use of a laugh track or "canned laughter". Since
1764-545: The world. A wealthy bachelor, Bill lives in a large apartment in Manhattan 's Upper East Side , and has a British manservant, Giles French (usually called "Mr. French" or just "French"), as his valet . A year prior to the series, Bill's brother Bob and his wife Mary were killed in a car crash in Indiana, orphaning their three children – teenager Cissy, and younger twins Jody and Buffy. His other relatives believe that Bill
1813-927: Was criticized by several social commentators as inappropriately disrespectful to the office of the Prime Minister. The show nevertheless proved very popular with both television audiences and critics, becoming the most-watched Australian scripted comedy series of 2011. It was nominated at the 2012 Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Awards for Best Television Comedy Series. Although there have been several notable exceptions, relatively few Canadian sitcoms attained notable success in Canada or internationally. Canadian television has had much greater success with sketch comedy and dramedy series. The popular show King of Kensington aired from 1975 to 1980, at its peak garnering an average of 1.5 to 1.8 million viewers weekly. The 1999 movie Trailer Park Boys
1862-530: Was followed up by a television series of the same name that ran from 2001 to 2018, airing in Canada, the U.S., and the U.K. Corner Gas , which ran for six seasons from 2004 to 2009, became an instant hit, averaging one million viewers per episode. It has been the recipient of six Gemini Awards and has been nominated almost 70 times for various awards. Other noteworthy recent sitcoms have included: Call Me Fitz , Schitt's Creek , Letterkenny , and Kim's Convenience , all of which have been winners of
1911-569: Was initiated as an honorary member of the Gamma Omega chapter of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia , the national fraternity for men in music, in 1962. In the mid-1990s, well into his eighties, De Vol was active in the Big Band Academy of America. He was married twice, first to Grayce Agnes McGinty in 1935. The 54-year marriage produced two daughters, Linda Morehouse and Donna Copeland, and ended with Grayce's death in 1989. His second marriage
1960-424: Was marketed as a Mattel talking toy in the United States. Mattel went on to produce two additional dolls, as well, patterned after Buffy: the "Tutti" -sized Buffy and larger "Small Talk Buffy" (talking doll), both of which featured accompanying miniature Mrs. Beasley dolls. The theme song was composed by veteran television composer Frank DeVol . The opening featured credits appearing over a kaleidoscopic view of
2009-410: Was musical director. De Vol wrote the scores for many Hollywood movies, receiving Academy Award nominations for four of them: Pillow Talk (1959), Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte (1964), Cat Ballou (1965) and Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967). De Vol's numerous scores included Kiss Me Deadly (1955), What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962), McLintock! (1963), The Flight of
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2058-455: Was musically complex, with a marimba playing a triplet obligato (the famous tune "Chopsticks") over the melody in 4 time , and was a hit single in 1961. He composed scores for episodes of McCloud and The Love Boat , amongst other work for television. Beginning in 1969, "The Fuzz" became the theme song of Brazilian television newscast Jornal Nacional . De Vol was also an actor specializing in deadpan comic characters. He
2107-468: Was perhaps best known as the dour bandleader Happy Kyne on the Norman Lear talk show parodies Fernwood 2 Night and America 2-Night , in 1977–78. He also had a recurring role in I'm Dickens, He's Fenster as Myron Bannister, Dickens & Fenster's boss; and appeared on The Cara Williams Show , I Dream of Jeannie , Gidget , Bonanza , Petticoat Junction - (1967 episode: "That Was
2156-451: Was produced by Sid & Marty Krofft Pictures, Pariah Films, and Turner Television . Gary Cole played the role of "Uncle Bill" Davis and Tim Curry played Mr. Giles French. Fifteen episodes were produced, including the one-hour pilot, but only thirteen episodes were aired by The WB. A Travis Hunt production titled Aunt Cissy and starring Cissy actress Kathy Garver was announced in the second quarter of 2019 as "a new family comedy that
2205-581: Was reared in Canton, Ohio . His father, Herman Frank De Vol, was band-leader of the Grand Opera House in Canton, Ohio , and his mother, Minnie Emma Humphreys De Vol, had worked in a sewing shop. He attended Miami University . De Vol began composing music when he was 12. When he was 14, he became a member of the Musicians' Union. After playing violin in his father's orchestra and appearances in
2254-472: Was seen in an episode during the first season of, My Favorite Martian and several guest spots on different television shows throughout the 1960s. In the 1970s, he appeared as the ironically named dour bandleader Happy Kyne on the talk show satire/parody Fernwood 2 Night (1977) and America 2-Night (1978). De Vol is best recognized for his television theme tunes, like Family Affair , The Brady Bunch and My Three Sons . The My Three Sons theme
2303-514: Was sold to CBS even before the pilot had been filmed. As Fedderson's other program, My Three Sons , had done for Fred MacMurray , Family Affair used a 60-day production schedule to accommodate Brian Keith . All of his scenes for the season would be shot in two 30-day blocks, while his co-stars would fill in after the actor's work was completed. This enabled Fedderson to harness movie stars like Keith and MacMurray into television commitments, while still enabling each to make motion pictures. As
2352-559: Was the highest rating for a first episode in the history of Australian television, until the series premiere of Underbelly: A Tale of Two Cities in 2009, which garnered 2.58 million viewers. In 2013, Please Like Me received an invitation to screen at the Series Mania Television Festival in Paris, was praised by critics, and earned numerous awards and nominations. Also in 2013, At Home with Julia
2401-546: Was the most-watched show on Mexican television and had a Latin-American audience of 350 million viewers per episode at its popularity peak during the mid-1970s. The show continues to be popular in Central America as well as in Colombia, Venezuela, Brazil, Spain, the United States, and other countries. Syndicated episodes average 91 million daily viewers in all its American markets. Since it ceased production in 1992,
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