Imagine sitting down to watch something on TV, only to realize that you have nothing new to watch— what is the go-to show you choose? Whether you realize it or not, the type of shows that people most consistently return to are sitcoms. Personally, I lean towards shows that are humorous, comforting, and generally help me to escape into someone else’s world for a bit. Programs like “New Girl,” “Ted Lasso,” “Parks and Recreation,” and “Curb Your Enthusiasm” all possess that crucial feature that drama shows do not, which is the characteristic I have coined, “rewatchability.”
While shows like “The Office” and “Friends” are far from being deemed “underrated” on the basis of their sitcom status, other dramatic shows such as “Breaking Bad” and “Stranger Things” have been more critically acclaimed for the cinematography and storylines. However, when comparing two shows like “Euphoria” and “Arrested Development,” I can’t imagine a single instance where I would put on a random episode of “Euphoria” out of the blue, but I can’t count the number of times I have rewatched “Arrested Development” because it never gets old.
While obviously the genres of drama, action, and sci-fi cannot be solely restricted to movies, sitcoms are a unique genre of TV based on the real development of characters that cannot be equally portrayed in similar movie genres, such as romantic comedies. While I must admit that shows such as “The Crown” and “The Morning Show” are interesting to watch, I could never consider a series that I watch one time, but never feel the need to rewatch, as a genuinely incredible show. With the stigma that sitcoms are “overdone” and “repetitive” in their storylines, directors, producers, and writers are consistently pressured to create new, unique TV shows that transcend anything that has ever been done, lessening the popularity and creation of new sitcoms.
While it may just be me, I find shows that stray from the sitcom genre are also the ones that I choose to begin and rarely actually finish out of either boredom or exhaustion at the everlasting storyline. If I want to see drama or action, I’ll watch a Tarantino film, but other than that— you can find me watching “New Girl” for the 10th time.
