Friendly Sitcoms.

Televisions have become a central aspect of every American home. Its functions range from furniture, home decor, to even mediums for family bonding. One of the more important aspects of televisions is the actual programming. Programs are usually divided into dramas and sitcoms. The American sitcom is a short humorous show centered around everyday situations and normally retains the same aspects regardless of the producer or network it's being aired on.

One aspect that seems to be a part of every sitcom is similar cycles and repeated patterns. Every episode contains a humorous introduction that seems to set-up the eventual conflict that makes up the rest of the episode. The conflict usually involves at least two of the characters involved in the show and causes a rift between the two until the eventual resolution at the end. These plot cycles are present throughout every episode which then cumulate into the show's season. Most sitcoms fall short when it comes to plot and character development, which may be due to the shorter time allocations.

One of my favorite sitcoms, which most people have seen, is Friends. The sitcom revolves around a group of six friends and details their days living with each other in New York City. This show is no different than any other sitcom because it follows the same format. The scene before the opening credits and theme song usually involves a humorous interaction between the cast members and usually has nothing to do with the actual plot line. When the show returns from the commercial break, it progresses toward the conflict of the episode. This usually ranges from inner-conflict between the characters or something involving an outside source. Such as Ross and Rachel's continuous bickering because of their past relationship or something involving Joey's inability to get steady acting jobs. Part of the show focuses on these shortcomings but then eventually resolves them before the last scene of the episode. The last scene often involves most of the characters and another humorous interaction before the closing credits. Sometimes there is a plot development that spans over three to four episodes, which somewhat helps with character development.

Although sitcoms are usually predictable, I appreciate them for what they are supposed to be -- half an hour of humorous entertainment.