Bart and Lisa Essay

The word Sitcom derives from the words Situational Comedy. Sitcoms are a series of programs shown on television that usu tot anyyy involve a family or a close group of characters. Sitcoms seem to have been around perpetually since television was introduced to the family home, and are continuing to change along with television itself. Traditionally, sitcoms were broadly speaking sum of moneyd around men, usually having only one or two effeminate characters. Examples of this are, Yes Prime Minister, Black transmiter, and the unchanging popular Only Fools and Horses.They complied with the social and ethnic majorities of old day society lay aged, middle single out, and colour characters dominating sitcoms of that day. genuinelyly young or old people were not represented, along with the alter and ethnic minorities. This may have been so as not to scandalise the more(prenominal) narrow-minded views of society. Men and women had very stereotypical traits that were incorporat ed into the chief(prenominal) characters of a sitcom. Male characters were shown as independent, irrational and delusional, whereas the leading woman was usually the opposite. She was domesticated, caring and motherly towards her blundering husband.As sitcoms positive further, camp characters were introduced along with the convention of role reversal between men and women. An example of this is Some Mothers Do Ave Em, where role reversal is apply to make the sitcom funnier and more unique. In modern times, some conventions of traditional sitcoms have been of importtained, and as sitcoms developed some devices have been subverted. My Family is still centred around a typical middle class family, the leading man possessing the same characteristics as traditional virile characters, and role reversal being used between come characters.However, as times and views have changed, other sitcoms have become more controversial, at once featuring homosexuality (Will and Grace, and Ellen), different religions (The Vicar of Dibley) and ethnic minorities, with women as main characters, as in Sex and the City. However, older sitcoms appear to still be held in such affection by the older generation, who watched the sitcoms with their families and donjon watching as a tradition. My Family compendium My Family is an in- stick out production for BBC1, and was first shown in 2000.Robert Lindsay and Zoi Wanamaker (the producers) designed My Family to appeal to a wide audience and included many another(prenominal) conventions of older sitcoms. Set in the south of England, It stars a middle class family who are shown going about day by day life in the kitchen, on the sofa and around the theatre of operations in general. Ben is the head-of-the-house male, typical of many sitcoms as being arrogant, cynical and delusional, and he seems to resent his family. In my opinion he sometimes behaves like a teenager. Role reversal is used with his espouse womans character, Susan.She adopts some traits of a housewife, as she is middle aged and house based, but her characteristics are mainly those of a man. With her husband Ben she is stubborn and with her manipulative nature, seems more in charge. This is effective as it plays on some situations of certain life. Michael and Nick, their two sons, are strong opposites. Michael is the voice of reason in the family, sometimes even taking over his parents role, whereas Nick is clumsy and is the source of slapstick humour. Abi, the familys cousin, acts as the centre point for easy jokes.She is slow and a bit kooky. In the title sequence, the family is introduced as shots of their faces appear, complemented by cheerful riant music. The mise-en-scene, their house, is furbish up almost like a theatrical stage, so that the audience can fully see the very staged drama. The house is decorate in a middle class suburban way, with characters entering/exiting from the real world as if in a play. Lines are de stick outred as if perform in a theatre, and this is accompanied by a laughter track. well-k nowadaysn(a) actors are used to increase audience, and midshots and medium close-ups are used in the sitcom. The general opinion (or voice) of the production team is conveyed to the audience that it is a sternly life for men, and women add to it. My Family is shown pre-watershed time, so it can be viewed by the hearty family at home. Slapstick comedy combined with sardonic humour is used to related to children and adults alike. It is technically well made, but some critics say it is withal bland and conventional to be a main sitcom of the BBC. The Simpsons AnalysisThe Simpsons is a cartoon sitcom starring a typical suburban working class family. Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and baby Maggie are animated in their house and around their fictional town of Springfield. The sitcom opens with the family members going about daily chores, introducing the characters to an up-beat, bouncy theme tune. They are seen o n the sofa, (the main setting) watching TV. To add originality, a different humorous sofa scene is shown every time. The Simpsons is real in the sense that the family is dysfunctional, yet tried to be perfect.Homer, the leading head-of-the-house male, is blundering and delusional. Bart, the disobedient teen is constantly arguing with sister Lisa, who acts as the moral centre of the family. There is also Maggie, the humorous baby, and Marge, who tries to hold the family together. However, in many ways, this sitcom is also very unrealistic, for example the inclusion of aliens, the exaggerated biased governing and the fact that the sitcom itself is a cartoon. Viewers are entertained by slapstick comedy from Homer and Bart.Their typical traits are used to piss humour, e. g. Homers generic delusional views and lovable stupidity, and Barts immoral ways and evil sense of humour. Another convention that the creator, two-dimensional Groening, uses is the idea of including two contrastin g personalities. This is done with Bart and Lisa. Bart is an under-achieving troublemaker, whereas Lisa is moralistic and the school swat. The Simpsons started out as a series of 48 shorts in a different program before its popularity increased.It is now a sitcom of its own. It is made by a team of US animators and supported by a wide, loyal audience for its slapstick and sarcastic humour. Matt Groening vents his thoughts on politics, race and family life in the Simpsons, for example all the characters have yellow skin not black or white to show racial equality. Sitcom Comparison The Simpsons, My Family and The Royle Family WHO/SETTING Each of these trey sitcoms features five main characters, all members of conventional families.Each family consists of a married couple and 2/3 children (the national average). The 3 sitcoms being compared all share these basic similarities, but their backgrounds and lifestyles are different. My Family and The Royle family are both set in England, but the different areas of the country depict their social status. The Royle Family live in the North of England, which is conveyed to the audience by their strong accents. The north is appreciate as an underprivileged area, ands this shows the Royles as a working class family.