The Fun With Handcuffs Syndrome Where 2 characters get locked together and no one can find the key! Made more fun if characters A) Are different sexes B) Have an important job interview/hot date C) Can’t stand each other.
The **“Gee, It’s a Long Way Down” **Syndrome How do so many sitcom people get stuck out on ledges? See, this is why windows in high rise buildings don’t open anymore, people!
It was called “his ego.”
Very early on when show was about the parents, it was funny and did less social issues and more just its tough making ends meet.
Then John Amos got sick of the direction the show took (towards JJ) and the writing deteriated.
The I’m in Labor, too, Honey! syndrome. If a pregnant character somehow manages to not go into labor and deliver her baby in an unlikely location (stalled bus, elevator), and she actually makes it to a hospital, her husband/SO/labor coach will fall ill with strange labor-like symptoms, namely sharp cramps. They will both moan and groan and double over at the same time.
He will end up having something needing surgery (choose one: kidney stones, appendicitis, etc.) and of course make it out in time to be there for the blessed event (although possibly hilariously drugged).
But the reasons why they had problems making ends meet were often related to greater social issues.
Towards the end, though, they moved past the usuals (poverty, gangs, racism, political corruption, etc.) into child abuse [the iron- ooh! I still cringe- it’s no wonder that little girl grew up to flash her boob at the Superbowl], deafness, alcoholism, gambling, cocaine [JJ briefly worked for some coke dealers], cancer, etc.). All in the Family (it’s grandparent show) and Roseanne both did a good job of dealing with social issues but remembering first and foremost it was a comedy, but most shows just don’t. (I appreciate sitcoms like Sanford & Son, Cheers and Frasier never felt the need to preach.)
The Spike Fonzarelli Syndrome- a less severe case of The Chuck Cunningham Syndrome, it’s when a minor but recurring character just suddenly isn’t there anymore and is never referred to again. Other examples include Peter from The Cosby Show, George Jefferson’s brother (a recurring character) and the Lorenzos from All in the Family, which reminds me of
The Vincent Gardenia Syndrome- occurs when the same memorable actor appears as different but unconnected characters during a show. (Vincent Gardenia played a bigoted neighbor who sold his house to a black family [the Jeffersons] on All in the Family, then later appeared (along with Rue MacLanahan) as a couple who enjoyed wife-swapping (Rue later appearing as Maude’s friend/neighbor in the same Lear-i-verse) and then as a recurring character, neighbor Frank Lorenzo. Also happened with Ron Glass on Sanford and Son, Gloria Leroy on All in the Family, and other cases. (I’m not counting Frank “Yesssssss!” Nelson from Sanford & Son as he was always basically the same character, just different locations- and it was always funny.)
The Henry Evans Syndrome- when a character is majorly rewritten. When Florida’s husband appeared on Maude his name was Henry (though he was still played by John Amos) and he was a lower-middle-class construction worker (later an unskilled laborer on his own show). Another example is Shawn on Boy Meets World, originally a middleclass kid with a sister, but later a trailer park kid with a single parent and an only child, though later a wealthy brother got drug in somehow.
The Mr. Feeney Syndrome- forget the song from Chess that says “No one in your life is with you constantly…”, some are. Mr. Feeney should have been arrested for stalking the kids as he followed them from grade school to high school to college, a rather odd career progression. Mirrored, among other places, by the decision of Laverne and Shirley to move to L.A. along with ALL of their friends and relatives from Milwaukee.
and one more:
The Janet Trego Syndrome- when TV and reality combine too much and you can’t enjoy a scene because you know what happened later to the actor or actress. Named for the secretary on Beverly Hillbillies played by Sharon Tate, it can also apply to any episode of Facts of Life with Dana Plato, the Heather O’Roarke episodes of Happy Days or David Strickland’s episodes of Suddenly Susan (not that you’d be likely to be enjoying that show anyway).
The Clone House Syndrome: Most sitcom that are featured in the suburbs have houses that share same basic layout. The main entrance of the house is at the far left of the set (the layout can be reversed, but it seems to be more common to go from left to right), and the first room will be the living room. The main staircase is either right next to the door or at the far wall. The main feature of the living room is a couch that seats three people and faces a (sometimes imaginary) TV, with matching chairs on each side. On the right side of the room there is a door to a random room that is never shown from the inside. It’s usually a den, bathroom, or spare bedroom. The next room is the kitchen, which has ample counter space on the left side and an island in the middle. If the house doesn’t have a separate dining room, the table where everyone eats will be on the right side of the room. There is another staircase in the back. There will be a door going out to the backyard on the far right. There is a 50-50 chance that the upstairs only consists of random bedrooms that have no discerable relationship to each other. If not, the bedrooms will go in ascending order, with the youngest child in the room next to the stairs and the master bedroom at the end of the hall.
Jack of all Trades Everybody is equally skilled at everything and can solve any problem. I’m mainly thinking of Deep Space 9, where everybody is an expert pilot, engineer, fighter, scientist, etc.
Father (or mother) knows best Where a parent(s) still treat their kids like they’re still children. Full House had an episode like that, there was also Night Court where Christine’s father visited, and not only tried to run her life, but sold her car and bought her another…all without her permission. Of course, after it saved her life in a car crash she decided he did the right thing, but still.
Yes Dear Not only does the wife run the house (nothing wrong with that in and of itself), but the husband is afraid of her. An example is just about any episode of Everybody Loves Raymond.
[QUOTE=AesironYes Dear Not only does the wife run the house (nothing wrong with that in and of itself), but the husband is afraid of her. An example is just about any episode of Everybody Loves Raymond.[/QUOTE]
Another example is Lois from Malcolm in the Middle.
I was flipping channels one night and came across a sitcom (possibly Yes, Dear) where the wife had taken that very couch and turned it around so that was facing away from the “wall”. The husband came in and was immediately alarmed. She insisted he try it first before changing it back. Now everyone was sitting on the couch with their backs to the “wall”. Each person, including the wife, commented that it felt weird in some way, but couldn’t figure exactly why.
Later in the show, she changed everything back.
A pretty funny moment in an otherwise mediocre sitcom.
The last two posts were by me. Aesiron used my computer earlier and forgot to log himself out.
Convenient Weather Syndrome: There’s never rain, or snow, or a sweltering heat wave unless it’s in some way connected to the plot. Otherwise, outdoors it’s always clear and mild, when the outdoors is shown or mentioned at all. Examples are too many to count.
One of my favorite examples is not a sit-com but a drama: Little House on the Prairie. It was set in rural Minnesota and it snowed one time in 13 years (and of course the plot was built around it). There’s also MAS*H, which also had one snowstorm (and the plot was built around it).
WE-ALL-EAT-IN-A-HUDDLE SYNDROME–No matter how big the table, the characters always eat on one side in a space that is coincidentally just narrow enough for the camera lens. “All In The Family” was a prime exaple.
IT-MUST-BE-MY-METABOLISM-SYNDROME–No matter how much sitcom people eat or how much alcohol they drink, they are for the most part thin and sober. “The Golden Girls” would all weigh 300 lbs in real life.
And the Christmas Corollary: no matter where you live, it always snows at Christmas - and only at Christmas.
I’ve always wondered why this is the case in sitcoms. I’ve seen plenty of houses and/or apartments in dramas that are set up more like a normal house, and usually you can have a glimpse of all four walls since they film with different cameras and switch views more often. Is it that much more expensive to have a four-walled, normally set up house? Or is it just tradition? There are a few sitcoms (Malcolm in the Middle is the first to come to mind) that have normal-looking houses without an invisible fourth wall, so it CAN be done.
No PTSD for Me: If something tragic happens in an episode (Grandma dies, best friend moves away, pet gets run over), it will be forgotten by the next episode, with no apparent ill effects being suffered by the characters. Everyone is returned to the same emotional starting line, and even if by some remote chance Grandma is mentioned later on, the characters who reacted badly to her death will not be affected by it. Nobody’s personality is ever changed forever by anything that happens, they all stick with the type they were on the day they were created. This is the main reason I hate sitcoms, nobody ever changes or grows as a person.
If you are filming before a live audience, you can’t use a complete house. The actors and the sent have to play to where the audience is sitting.
The static, three-camera system has been discussed before. Most sit-coms are filmed with this setup. It’s much cheaper and faster than a one-camera system. Some sit-coms are done one-camera – Scrubs, Arrested Development, Malcolm in the Middle – but most aren’t.
Ah, I see. I tend to avoid those shows anyway since I hate laugh tracks and/or live audience laughter.