I didn’t go into much detail last entry about how sitcoms can be so bad, but it’s really intangible beyond recycling storylines. Humor is hard to quantify. Remember that study on the so-called world’s funniest joke?

On the flip side, what can make a sitcom bearable, or, dare I say it, good? That’s a bit easier to describe. I say it’s the characters, the loveable characters.

Locale doesn’t really define a sitcom. Many can easily take place in another city. No, it’s definitely the characters that define a sitcom. “All in the Family” had the bigot, the meathead, and the dingbat. “Cheers” had its cast of bar-goers. “Home Improvement” had Tim, Al, and Wilson. It’s not just the single characters that can make a show good; it’s the interaction between the particular combination of characters. That’s why when a character leaves a show, or enters the show, it can make the show “jump the shark.”

Tomorrow: More on characters.