Ebook: Sitcom: a history in 24 episodes from ''I love Lucy'' to ''Community

The form is so elemental, so basic, that we have difficulty imagining a time before it existed: a single set, fixed cameras, canned laughter, zany sidekicks, quirky family antics. Obsessively watched and critically ignored, sitcoms were a distraction, a gentle lullaby of a kinder, gentler America—until suddenly the artificial boundary between the world and television entertainment collapsed.

In this book we can watch the growth of the sitcom, following the path that leads fromLucytoThe Phil Silvers Show; fromThe Dick Van Dyke ShowtoThe Mary Tyler Moore Show; fromM*A*S*HtoTaxi; fromCheerstoRoseanne; fromSeinfeldtoCurb Your Enthusiasm; and fromThe Larry Sanders Showto30 Rock.

In twenty-four episodes,Sitcomsurveys the history of the form, and functions as both a TV mixtape of fondly remembered shows that will guide us to notable series and larger trends, and a carefully curated guided tour through the history of one of our most treasured art forms.