#8 And the Tradition Continues (Sitcoms and the TV, from The Honeymooners to the Big Bang Theory)

TV has been, and always will be, self-reflexive. In this, I mean that TV programming, especially prominent in sitcoms, provides visual representation of the TV itself, whether implicit or explicit, and how it can be used by showing its usage within the show. Since its deployment in the domestic space (as discussed in Spigel’s “Installing the TV Set”), the TV has become a focal point in almost any living space. The sitcom, usually a reflection of reality, mirrors the contemporary living space by incorporating the TV into the set of the show or implying its existence in the proscenium. By doing this, the producers of the program make the show more relatable by incorporating familiar objects (TV in this case) and self-promotes the TV by requiring some scenes to have the TV as the focus.

For my example, I’ll use the Big Bang Theory as a comparison to the above described usage of the TV. In season 3, episode 22, one of the first scenes is when Leonard first meets Sheldon and first walk into the apartment. The set of the living rood, with the sparse furnishings of only two lawn chairs, there is still the all important TV (even though it rests on cinderblocks). By showing the TV, the audience can still identify the room as a living room, despite the lack of other familiar living room objects. Since the living room is identified, the audience can identify with the characters, even if only loosely, due to this reflection of reality.