Film and TV Studies

American and British television comedy are both rooted from the same history. In general, situation comedy is based on the same principles. So why does American television often seem more universal than British sitcoms when both rely heavily on stereotyped representations of social class? American television comedy has a universal approach because of its mass appeal. It has three networks supplying many different sitcoms geared towards people of all races, sexuality and age. Therefore American …

…th occasional emphasis on sports and drama. British television has increasingly been open to multiple goals and programming approaches. Audiences have responded to new demands, periodically been returned to chime both with shifting social needs and with more pragmatic imperatives. British television has simultaneously pursued intrinsic communication purposes with the goal of enriching viewers, serving society and extrinsic societies. References Goodwin and Whannel. Understanding Television. (Routledge 1990). Neale and Krutnik. Popular Film and Television Comedy. (Routeldge 1990).