Why Are Good TV Comedies So Hard to Find?

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. The Office. Scrubs. Brooklyn Nine Nine. Great TV comedies are out there. The only problem is that for every great TV comedy that pops up, ten average comedies follow suit. So what separates the two?

1. The Laugh Track

Don't get me wrong, there are some good comedies that have utilised a laugh track. Shows such as Friends and Seinfeld. Do you spot the problem yet? Both these shows are decades old, and in modern times especially, the laugh track feels incredibly dated. Not only does a laugh track feel slightly desperate, with huge laughs following only slightly humorous jokes. Also, a large studio laugh often kills the chance of comedic timing, which is a huge part of the success of shows, such as It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia and Scrubs. Modern examples of shows that include laugh tracks include the show that stretches the definition of comedy to the absolute max: The Big Bang Theory. In this case (sorry Big Bang Fans), the laugh track is used to try and create comedy that just isn't there. The laugh track will follow big words and silly facial expressions to try and create humour that just isn't there. So yeah, if the show's funny enough the audience will know when to laugh, they don't need hints.

2. Outstaying Their Welcome

Think of the comedies of British genius, Ricky Gervias. The Office, and Extras both follow the same format: two six episode series followed by a feature length Christmas special. Why does this format work? Well, for one thing, keeping a show short and sweet reduces the need to introduce your characters to extreme scenarios. If you look at Modern Family however, this becomes clear. In the first few seasons, we watched the normal day-to-day life of a dysfunctional, but still loving family, as they tried to succeed in all areas of life. Fast forward to more recent story lines and they are no longer relatable. One episode sees a daughter try to prove to her mother that her relationship with her boyfriend is sexual. Pretty much every character in the show has changed careers, purely to give them something new to do, and what was once an accurate and playful look at family life, has now become a far-fetched caricature of real life.

There are however, examples of shows that have long runs, but are still largely hilarious. The main problem with extended runs, such as that of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, which is about to begin its fourteenth season, is that bad episodes are bound to creep in. In the thirteenth season of the show there were arguably an equal number of good and bad episodes, and that is probably a result of the long run. With the minds of Charlie Day and Rob McElhenney behind the show, I have total faith that the fourteenth season will be a return to form.

3. Losing the Direction of the Show

When it comes to a show losing its way, you needn't look any further than Arrested Development. The first three seasons of which are incredibly funny and brilliantly written. After a long delay and a move to Netflix, the show has returned with two underwhelming seasons. The first three seasons followed the Bluth family as they bickered and fought and Michael Bluth fought to keep his family together. In the fourth season however, the members of the family were divided into separate episodes, only appearing as a whole cast on rare occasions. The fifth season of the show reunited the family, but introduced a murder mystery element that they only half-heartedly explored and by the series finale I had lost all interest in who the killer actually was.

This is a common problem with comedy shows. With shows, such as How I Met Your Mother and Two and a Half Men, suffering from a loss of direction too. Again, this problem seems to arise in long running series, and it raises the question of whether or not a comedy show can survive beyond season six.

4. Character Changes/Recasting a Lead

This one's obvious, and I'm sure that at one point or another you've been frustrated by a stranger pretending to be somebody you've come to love. The most obvious example of this comes with Two and a Half Men. The ultimate example of a show that didn't know when to quit. Despite its lead actor criticising the show and its creators before a very public firing, the show survived. Charlie Sheen was out, and Ashton Kutcher was in. Ashton's character, Walden, was a total stranger to the Harper family, who ended up living in the house and allowing Alan and Jake to live with him. The problem with this? It made absolutely no sense. It's hard to find more to say about this problem because it's all so self explanatory. In future, if the lead actor of your show says he has tiger blood and makes announcements on rooftops, just call it a day.