An Exploration into the Representation of Families in Sitcoms Essay

The purpose of my exploration is to take stock whether family stereotypes inwardly the media be merely exaggerations, or whether they ar complete observations. I render foc employ in the of import on sitcoms as they be kn accept for their absurd situations and characters, provided they provoke a hint of the true to them at the same period. I change this exploration down to three illustrious British sitcoms Outnumbered, Only Fools and Horses and The Royle Family. I primarily wanted to ch completelyenge the viewpoint that both sitcom characters ar created for body fluid, rather than for cosmos similar to our own family members.Roy Stafford defined sitcoms as a scene and a convention of characters providing the opportunity for a comic record (Stafford, 2004). Most British sitcoms are establish on the c at oncept of families, and build on these characters throughout series and episodes. Typical family members king include a grumpy granddad or boisterous brother for mannikin. In Only Fools and Horses, they base the other(a) episodes on two brothers and a Grandad, later decorous two brothers, their wives and their war veteran Uncle. The main stereotype from the show was that the brothers were actually dis dedicateatious towards each other barely remained stuffy throughout, and the Grandad or Uncle was a light and dopey, but knowable man.They were much put into tricky arguably un documentaryistic situations but the main outcome was an equilibrium whereby they were all a wholesome family, no publication how bad the foregoing conflict was. This is something very common amongst television shows and comes under Todorovs narrative theory of a shape quo at the start followed by a disruption but in the end cultivation with the same equilibrium as seen in the beginning, which is somewhat unrealistic in real family lives. The show whitethorn originate from the early 80s, but shares many common elements to those 30 years on and remains a s relevant as ever.After find an episode of Outnumbered, I noticed how contrastive the narratives were but how similar the overall sum and moral was to Only Fools and Horses. The sitcom is found on a set of parents with a young son and daughter, and a young son living in a semi-detached hearth in the south of capital of the United Kingdom a fairly normal setting and wiz that the audience can stir to.The character Ben is a prolific liar, whilst his baby Karen is a smart and argumentative misfire and Jake is an fairish, mood-swinging teen. The mother and her sister argue often the Grandad is battling early signs of dementia which is exercised comically but sympathetically at the same time and the lugubrious bring forths parents are separated and have a huge hatred for one another. These differences in character and their situations create a dysfunctional family redeemed by love in the words of Ben Dowell (Dowell, 2008).Erving Goffman stated that carriage itself is a dr amatically enacted thing henceforward the dramatisitions featured in the show are very similar to our own families and their attitudes and business offices (Goffman, 2009). These characters are all very significant for audiences that are in, or have been in, similar situations within their families, with their parents being outnumbered by their tykeren and the hectic dwelling house getting the better of them. Ben Dowell said in an article in the protector These are the kind of parental vignettes that are win over many that British comedy has finally succeeded in telling the embarrassing, ridiculous and frustrative truth about novel, competitive child rearing (Dowell, 2008). This quotation reiterates the point that British sitcoms are becoming increasingly dead-on(prenominal) as time goes on, and the mundane, understated humour is effective in proving how spot-on comedies can be.The Royle Family is a comedy sitcom from the early nineties based on a family from Manchester and is mainly set in the familys house and mainly their living room. The house is frequently in the mid-stage of decoration due to the indolence of Jim, and the mass of the familys time is worn-out(a) in the living room sat around their television, which is symbolic of the composition that modern family life is dominated by technology and that we steer all the way of activities and exercise. The short-tempered, sarcastic baffle Jim rarely moves from his armchair and takes the man of the house role into great effect, with his hard-working wife Barbara taking a more family-orientated role and looking later on her kids and husband consistently.Denise is their daughter and takes on the average blonde style character, and remains incompetent of looking after her kids whilst her husband Dave is a kind-hearted but has an apathetic attitude of which Denise exploits. Antony is abuse by his parents due to his typical puerile antics and attitudes, and Norma is a sweet old dame that J im despises.There is certainly diversity betwixt the characters, and arguments occur frequently, but there is a hidden stick around between those who may seem to dislike each other. This is once again a fine example of the dysfunctional family that surprisingly works well, and it is clear that they have shared memories that make this bond stronger and this uses the clich of you dont know what youve got until its gone. This style of show may be most realistic to shutting families who watch television religiously and were brought up in a lower kin background.In conclusion, I believe that the same sitcoms are very accurate in describing family life albeit in a comedic way. The judgement of dismissal of a laughter track in all three of the shows add to this realism, and the use of one setting in the majority of the episodes create the idea that modern families in fact spend most of their time together rather than out socialising. The simpleness of the three shows also adds to th is, and connotes the idea that our idea of fun in modern propagation is being with one another notice television. The roles of the characters are also very accurate as I believe at least one of the roles is easily identifiable for the audience i.e. the sarcastic manner of Jim from Royle Family or the argumentative but clever record of Karen from Outnumbered. In one way or another, these sitcoms can be related to by their audience and is a very good, although now and then exaggerated, way of showing just how modest our lives are.Works CitedDowell, B. (2008, December 6). In their own words sitcom lets kids improvise. Retrieved 2 10, 2012, from Guardian http//www.guardian.co.uk/media/2008/dec/06/television-bbcGoffman, E. (2009, June 9). The Presentation of Self in Everday Life. Retrieved February 10, 2012, from Slide Share http//www.slideshare.net/Wellingtonisgreat/goffmanStafford, R. (2004, February 1). TV Sitcoms and Gender. Retrieved February 10, 2012, from Media acculturation http//www.mediaculture-online.de/fileadmin/bibliothek/stafford_sitcoms/stafford_sitcoms.pdf