Sitcoms Deserve More Love

I have grown up consuming sitcoms and using their lighthearted nature to comfort me to sleep when I need a good laugh or just when I need some background noise. The voices of Chandler and Ross from Friends, Ted and Robin from How I Met Your Mother, or Jess and Nick from New Girl have become voices I know so well, humor that never fails to make me laugh. 

It wasn't until I was older that shows like The Vampire Diaries, Stranger Things, Breaking Bad, and Game of Thrones became popular, and I realized that others did not have the same appreciation for sitcoms as I did. They didn't have the same level of tension, the same complex stories and characters, or high-end cinematic scenes. 

To others, they're boring and predictable. But to me, they represent a life not taken so seriously, one filled with love, humor, friendship, and drama. The point is, sitcoms deserve more love.

Don't get me wrong, I am a fan of tension-filled, dramatic shows that keep you on the edge of your seat, but I am getting tired of receiving disappointed reactions when I dote on Friends or Gilmore Girls because it's not a new action-packed show for them to binge. 

When you break it down, sitcoms have everything we love about dramatic TV shows without the high stakes and tension. Almost every episode has new drama and reasons to be entertained by the characters' current predicament (and oftentimes slightly embarrassed for them) on top of the heartfelt moments of romantic dynamics being formed and families being found. And although predictable, there is something comforting about knowing that every episode will have a happy ending. I don't know about you, but I can't sleep being left on a cliffhanger in a dramatic fantasy show or after watching one of my favorite characters die. 

The beauty in sitcoms is often overlooked and seen as boring, especially in today's society, where attention spans are at an all-time low, and the only thing drawing people in is intense storylines and scenes. However, more people should give sitcoms a chance because they will likely love them just as much as I do (if that's possible). 

Another aspect of sitcoms that deserves more credit is their relatability to daily life. The situations that the characters find themselves in, whether plot-wise or just within themselves, are often a realistic representation of many people's everyday lives. Financial struggles, saying the wrong things, dating without falling madly in love, and even just laughing with a best friend. They portray the mundane aspects of life in a humorous way, which can, a lot of the time, be just what some people need to see at the end of the day instead of vampires and wealthy private school characters. 

References from sitcoms are woven into the jokes we make every day without people even realizing it. Providing us with the ability to bond over a shared interest or understanding of them. Most people giggle when they hear a Chandler Bing "Could this BE…" joke, but its source rarely gets the credit it deserves. 

Dramatic TV shows will always remain popular, and for good reason, but sitcoms deserve their chance in the spotlight, an appreciation for the characters we grew up with and the languages of love we have learned from them. 

Strike Out, 

Madi Denizard 

Boca Raton 

Madi Denizard is a content writer for Strike Magazine Boca. In typical Leo fashion, she is a social butterfly and loves self-expression of all kinds. When she's not writing, you can find her with her nose stuck in a book, mermaiding in the ocean or crocheting her newest masterpiece. 

You can reach her by email at madison.denizard@gmail.com or on Instagram @mpaigee_