Sitcoms aren’t viewed as the paragon of TV. I’m not about to disagree with anyone on that point. 99% of sitcoms are crap. And that probably gives a lot of shows too much credit.

Rehashed predictable plots are a mainstay among several sitcoms. I’d have to recommend the short-lived “That’s My Bush” for a parody of the sitcom.

However, bad plots aren’t the worst thing about bad sitcoms; the worst thing would have to be not being funny at all. The main goal of sitcoms is a laugh. If it does not ever achieve this, then the show should never have been made.

So, sure, reusing old formulas is easy, but it’s not always funny because it’s been done before. People don’t remember what happened on the news last week, but they do remember what they’ve seen on TV before. (Ain’t that funny.) In that respect, people know when they’ve been cheated. That commodity they’re being cheated of is the most valuable out there: time. This applies to other genres of shows, as well.

More on Sitcoms tomorrow.