Luke Mills
In the revolutionary age of Netflix and Disney+, and the fresh entertainment that comes with it, why is it that we continue to run back into the open arms of TV’s nostalgic classics?
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[The instantly recognisable set of hit 90s sitcom, ‘Friends’]
Sitcom fans can be ruthless. Absolutely ruthless. If a show fails to survive in this cut-throat genre, it can become a laughing stock overnight - a complete and utter failure banished to the hidden depths of Netflix’s home page. But, succeed, and become a TV phenomenon iconic enough for people to flawlessly quote it in their everyday lives 20 years later. Even as you read this article a million quotes from ‘Friends’ have probably sprung to mind. Indeed, if you were to approach your average person on the street and ask them what their favourite TV show is right now, it would not be unprecedented to be met with a confident ‘Friends’ or ‘The Office’. For years it seems that this has become an almost unconscious response - no thought required, no hesitation whatsoever. And yet, when pressed further on why we hold these shows in such high regard, we often struggle to say much other than “I’ve just always loved it”. One possible explanation as to why we simply cannot move on from the same old sitcoms can perhaps be summed up in one very short word; comfort.
Above all else, sitcoms are comforting because they never stray too far from the popular (albeit predictable and relatively unrealistic) algorithm that we have become so accustomed to. Typically, there are a group of friends who hang out in spacious apartments, live in romanticised cities such as New York or Los Angeles, struggle to understand what it means to be a twenty-something and (at least) one couple always ends up getting married. Sound familiar? Whilst some criticise this as lazy and cliched writing, other viewers find comfort in immersing themselves in such easy-watching. Indeed, in the words of one sitcom fan, there is something “relaxing” about watching a sitcom at the end of a long day as it provides “the perfect opportunity to wind down”. After all, even the theme song for 90s hit Friends reassures us, “I’ll be there for you” after a tough day.
[‘The Big Bang Theory’ succeeded in cracking the sitcom genre with an impressive 81% Rotten Tomatoes’ rating]
In recent years, we have been bitterly disappointed by several flopped attempts by TV networks to recreate the magic of 80s, 90s and early 00s sitcoms. Their transparent desperation to make a hit has ultimately led to an influx of weak shows being constantly pumped out by streaming services and has ironically pushed viewers back to the classics. However, there have been some immense successes over recent years with shows such as ABC’s ‘Modern Family’ taking a more modern approach (yes, the clue’s in the title) to television sitcoms and celebrating a more diverse representation of 21st Century life. Amongst various other successes is American sitcom ‘The Big Bang Theory’ which explores the lives of several socially awkward friends, replacing bars and coffee houses with comic book stores and science labs. While these shows are of course lacking in the sense of nostalgia which has kept the likes of ‘Fresh Prince of Bel-Air’ fascinating for younger audiences who ‘wish to have been around at the time’, they too replicate the laid back style of the shows we all adore.
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