situation comedy

noun

1. a comedy drama, especially a television series made up of discrete episodes about the same group of characters, as members of a family.

situation comedy

noun

1. Also called: sitcom. (on television or radio) a comedy series involving the same characters in various day-to-day situations which are developed as separate stories for each episode

Word History and Origins

Origin of situation comedy¹

First recorded in 1945–50

Example Sentences

One reviewer went so far as to say, “It may be the first situation comedy truly to achieve the status of art.”

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It brought new depth and possibilities to situation comedy, and paved the way for shows that operated at the intersection of the fictional and the real.

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The first time was in 1997 when “Roseanne,” the situation comedy that introduced us to the tight-knit but combative working class family from Lanford, Ill., came to a close after nine seasons.

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Lane is not an actor who has ever lacked for work, but the one thing that has evaded him in his much-laureled stage and screen career is a starring role in a successful situation comedy.

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But in the world of situation comedy, unlike that of prestige drama, unhappy families are all potentially happy families, or actually happy if only they knew it.

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Related Words

• sitcom