User:JoelyB/Television comedy/Bibliography

Information to add to 'Lead' (still in planning stages)

 * Aim to add citation(s) to parts of the original article's lead, talking about the popularity of the different TV comedy genres
 * Will search to find a credible definition for "television comedy" as my introductory sentence
 * Also try to cite the first TV comedy shows that existed (maybe include one per category that is mentioned in the article)

Information to add to 'Sitcom' (mainly citing information already in the original section)

 * I Love Lucy -> ratings were high when on the air; Lucy and Ricky = unconventional couple
 * First 30-minute sitcom aired on BBC, and was titled Pinwright's Progress.
 * Citation to support laugh tracks commonly being associated with sitcoms
 * The sitcom is the highest genre of comedy popularity, according to Wunsch

Information to add to 'Improvisational comedy'

 * In the UK, improvisation first popularized on the radio, with several shows eventually being transferred over to television, such as The Day Today and The Mary Whitehouse Experience.
 * Several improvisation game shows were broadcast in both the US and UK, with some also being broadcast in Australia.
 * Drew Carey starred the American Whose Line is it Anyway? until its cancellation, but he then began a stint on a similar show Green Screen.
 * Some sitcoms will include improvisation by actors; one example is Curb Your Enthusiasm.

Information to add to 'News comedy'

 * Comedy = popular way for young adults to learn about the political news and events of their time
 * 11% more viewed in 2004 than 2000 prior to presidential election.
 * One prominent program famous for doing this is Jon Stewart’s The Daily Show.
 * The show mocks political events and candidates, bringing in “correspondents” to report further on these events and people.
 * Jon Stewart took over hosting duties in 1999.
 * By the time of the 2000 election, 435,000 young adults watched his coverage vs. 459,000 watching traditional news.
 * Won several awards in the early 2000s.
 * Despite its satirical approach, journalists have stated that The Daily Show still effectively broadcasts real news.
 * SNL - Weekend Update in particular - is also seen as a show that young people can get real political information from.

Information to add to new section: "Impact on society"

 * Television can relate to forming an imagined community, as Anderson suggested in 1991.
 * Laugh track goal = collective sense of viewing TV and enjoying shows' humour all together, as well as to lightheartedly accept the fun being poked at characters; but for some, it is seen as restricting viewers to certain times when it is appropriate to laugh
 * The laugh track can create a collective sense of unity by taking over the laughter of viewers watching at home
 * Mention how comedy is typically a genre to introduce concepts that do not align with society's norms at the time of the shows' airing
 * Same-sex intimacy -> many sitcoms were hesitant to film these scenes, and as Martin argues, camera shots support this (over-the-shoulder shot that only shows one person's face); rating of TV-14 and warning of "mature content" appeared after Ellen (actress and her character) came out as lesbian
 * I Love Lucy introduced the first multicultural and multilingual couple on TV, with Lucy being American and speaking English, and Ricky being Cuban and speaking Spanish.
 * With couples, the man would typically be the one to criticize the woman for doing something wrong, but there are some sitcoms now that show the opposite
 * SNL was a source of controversy when Fred Armisen imitated politician David Paterson, not only poking fun at his political abilities, but also his blindness
 * Two forms of humour commonly used by comedy shows: one which prioritizes the joke itself, and one that prioritizes the personal characteristics of whom they impersonate