A sitcom, clipping for situational comedy (situation comedy in the
U.S.), is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who
carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with
sketch comedy, where a troupe may use new characters in each sketch,
and stand-up comedy, where a comedian tells jokes and stories to an
audience. Sitcoms originated in radio, but today are found mostly on
television as one of its dominant narrative forms.A situational comedy
television programme may be recorded in front of a studio audience,
depending on the programme's production format. The effect of a live
studio audience can be imitated or enhanced by the use of a laugh
track. During filming productions, the laugh track is usually
pre-recorded.Critics disagree over the utility of the term "sitcom" in
classifying shows that have come into existence since the turn of the
century. Many contemporary American sitcoms use the single-camera
setup and do not feature a laugh track, thus often resembling the
dramedy shows of the 1980s and 1990s rather than the traditional
sitcom. Other topics of debate have included whether or not cartoons,
such as The Simpsons or Family Guy, can be classified as sitcoms.The
terms "situational comedy" or "sitcom" were not commonly used until
the 1950s. There were prior examples on radio, but the first
television sitcom is said to be Pinwright's Progress, ten episodes
being broadcast on the BBC in the United Kingdom between 1946 and
1947. In the United States, director and producer William Asher has
been credited with being the "man who invented the sitcom", having
directed over two dozen of the leading sitcoms, including I Love Lucy,
from the 1950s through the 1970s. Sitcom Biography, NetWorth, Height, Age, Weight, Family, Married, Son, Daughter