Page 69 - A Handbook Genre Studies in Mass Media

CHAPTER 3

have to be much more demanding than ever before. Being good or less is
not going to make it. You have to really stand out. 26

As an example, the sitcom has long been a mainstay of the prime-time
television lineup:

• In every year except one since 1956, the average rating for situation
comedies has been higher than that for the average program.
• In 1964, sitcoms accounted for 43 percent of regularly scheduled
programming.
• In 1974 of the fifteen sitcoms on network television, ten were in the
Nielson top twenty programs.
• In 1978–89, comedy shows filled nine of the top ten positions on
television.
• In 1983–84, there were five comedies in the top ten and five in the
second ten.

However, a genre sometimes falls out of favor simply because the
audience becomes bored with the formula. Gary Newman, co-president
of 20th Century Television, declared, “For a lot of young people, the
sitcom format feels retro and tired.” As ratings declined, the networks
27
cut back severely on sitcom programming. NBC, which at one point in
the late 1990s had sixteen half-hour comedies on its schedule, scheduled
only four comedies in its fall 2005 lineup.
In order to revive interest in a genre, media communicators must chal-
lenge the parameters of the formula. For instance, the Fox series Arrested
Development, which garnered seven Emmy nominations and an award
from the Television Critics Association for best new program and best
comedy, departs from the usual sitcom formula by featuring running gags
that extend over several episodes, absurd plot twists, surreal flashbacks,
and unsympathetic heroes.
But even the creators of programs that challenge the parameters of
a genre are highly conscious of its formula. For instance, Arrested De-
velopment departs from the usual sitcom formulas. The series bounces
off of the sitcom formula, playing with the audience’s expectations for
comedic purposes. As an example, the end of an episode often includes
a “teaser” that previews the next week’s episode. However, the teaser
often turns out to be a stand-alone joke.
Formulaic twists occur when a slight change in one of the following
formulaic elements makes a program distinctive.

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