# Why no sitcoms on American daytime TV?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-sitcoms-on-american-daytime-tv/925776>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Tags:** tv-shows-scripted\
**Created:** [November 17, 2020, 10:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-sitcoms-on-american-daytime-tv/925776 "2020-11-17T10:09:20Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 3

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**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\
**Post date:** [November 18, 2020, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-sitcoms-on-american-daytime-tv/925776/41 "2020-11-18T14:19:22Z")

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Yeah in a sitcom each episode has to be about something. It has to have a distinctive story that begins and ends in that episode. Soap operas don’t have any of that.

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**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\
**Post date:** [November 18, 2020, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-sitcoms-on-american-daytime-tv/925776/42 "2020-11-18T14:52:22Z")

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The radio version of Amos ‘n’ Andy used to be a daily comedy/soap opera.

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**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\
**Post date:** [November 18, 2020, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-sitcoms-on-american-daytime-tv/925776/43 "2020-11-18T15:17:15Z")

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It was a 15 minute show. Same for _Lum and Abner_. I’m more familiar with the latter, and it did have continuing story lines, so the story could go on for a week or more.

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**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\
**Post date:** [November 18, 2020, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-sitcoms-on-american-daytime-tv/925776/44 "2020-11-18T16:07:58Z")

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> [@hogarth](#):
>
> The radio version of Amos ‘n’ Andy used to be a daily comedy/soap opera.

As I understand it, it went through two distinct phases. First it was a daily 15-minute serial, and then it became a weekly traditional sitcom.

> [@Wikipedia](#):
>
> In 1943, after 4,091 episodes, the radio program went from a 15-minute CBS weekday dramatic serial to an NBC half-hour weekly comedy. While the five-a-week show often had a quiet, easygoing feeling, the new version was a full-fledged sitcom in the [Hollywood](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hollywood) sense

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