Similar to All in the Family, the more contemporary family sitcoms also try to push the envelope to discuss the things that are considered taboo or politically incorrect. An example of a contemporary dysfunctional family is one of my favorite sitcoms ever, Arrested Development, which got canceled about 3 seasons into the show.
This sitcom plays with concepts of incest among cousins (that may or may not be related…), Oedipal complexes (concerning the 30 year-old Buster and his mother who, at one point, used a Korean child as a slave), dating the mentally-handicapped, political commentary on the wealthy and well-connected, and homosexuality – most that are topics which probably could not have been put on screen in the past. In All in the Family, the topics addressed are those that were less discussed in their time, and more controversial and shocking to viewers, such as homosexuality (still somewhat of a taboo), what defines being a man or woman, racism, et cetera.
In both sitcoms, the protagonists are both white, male adults (Michael Bluth is the protagonist in AD and Archie Bunker in AITF). This formula doesn’t seem to change very much in most mainstream, primetime television (the only exception in a family sitcom with a female leading lady is Roseanne, and as far as I know, there haven’t been any successful sitcoms with a non-white female as the lead). Also, in both sitcoms each character has an offbeat personality that is to be laughed at rather than with. In addition, the two families are dysfunctional, and there is a difference in the ordinary nuclear family structure regularly seen in older television shows like Leave it to Beaver.
On the other hand, the humor in both sitcoms is somewhat different. In more modern sitcoms, the humor circles around awkwardness and absurdity. Punch lines are becoming less frequent, although the dialogue may maintain wit, and there is no exact point when the viewer should laugh – hence there is also no laugh track. This allows the viewer to be more independent since they are not told when they should find something funny. Still, the humor is the same in that both use satire, although it is less apparent but intended, in All in the Family.
Another difference is the structure of the series. Most family sitcoms in the past, and even some more ‘traditionally structured’ sitcoms in the present such as Modern Family, have episodes in which every day is a new day – whatever happened in the episode previous to this one is usually not pertinent to the following one. However, in Arrested Development, it is a continuous story (with several sub-stories) that is playing throughout the whole series. This might be due to the change in technology since in the past viewers could not access the entire seasons to television series easily, which has obviously changed nowadays.
Additionally, the way that the show is shot has changed as well. The cameras nowadays take more license to angle themselves in a more informal manner, whereas decades ago the shows were shot in a very simple format that doesn't vary dramatically. With more shows jumping on the mockumentary television bandwagon, the actors even now look at the cameras, knowing they are being watched. In Arrested Development, the camera is frequently shot as if it is someone spying on them - peering through blinds and from behind trees or just shooting in shaky cam. These details show that the audience want sitcoms to be further realistic and less fabricated in order to relate more to its situations.
In seeing the evolution of sitcoms, it reveals how times have changed in revealing what is taboo and what is not, and it makes me wonder what we will find shocking decades from now.
Sorry for the long entry; I tend to ramble.
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