I often hear here and there that sitcom is dead. Well, I want to tell you: »I want to watch « Who’s the boss? » ».

For as long as I can remember I’ve always watched a lot of tv shows and movies. This is what inspired me in the first place to take an after school acting class when I was 9 years old. I loved it so much that I never wanted to leave the stage and I became the annoying kid who always wanted to read the lines during French class… What can I say? I’m a story telling addict!!! It was in fact half a surprise for my parents when I decided to quit law school for an acting school.

Who’s the Boss is the first sitcom I watched and followed. It felt familiar. By the time it was aired in France, Samantha was slightly older than me and a tomboy. Something I related to. My father was remarried and lived away like Jonathan’s. Tony was Italian and I’ve always been proud of my Italian heritage as well. It was funny and romantic. The chemistry between Angela and Tony was incredible and I’m not just talking about romance. Right after EW set up a little « Who’s the Boss » reunion, last October, I watched several episodes. I didn’t watch a single one in 20 years! Maybe more. This time in english which was a first. You loose so much in the translation especially the quality of acting. It confirmed the amazing chemistry I’ve always seen between those two. I mean between those five! It was a fun show that made you feel good with great family values. Something you can bring back home. I wish my nephews could watch it too. Unfortunately they don’t air it anymore.

Tv has this amazing quality of being a testimony of our past. My childhood, in my case with « Who’s the boss? » and many others like: The Cosby Show, Full House, 8 is enough, The little house on the Prairie… It’s funny to see how life has changed since the internet bubble. Computers, cell phones, internet… Tony would have probably gone crazy with Sam! I guess he would have loved the GPS tracking device!
I was hooked on that show. How many times did I fight with my mother and my sister so I could watch it!! French tv had the « fantastic » idea of airing the show at 8pm which is usually the time slot for dinner and the news. I remember my big sister telling me numerous times: « We already watched that one » and me replying: « No, not that one. It’s the first time. I’ve never seen it before ». She was getting crazy and I have to admit, I wasn’t honest. We still laugh about this to this day. My Mom usually asked me to tape it. VCR, another testimony of our past… If I don’t have those tapes anymore I actually found some episodes of Cheers and Seinfeld in a box, the other day. It is how much I love watching tv. That I didn’t even throw away the old tapes! Don’t get me started on Friends. But seriously, what’s not to like? First of all, the word sitcom says it all. « Sit » for « situation » and « com » for comedy. You put characters in a situation, often confusing and you have fun with it. A blend of theater and cinema. It’s hilarious, entertaining and the story telling is as smart as it is challenging in the writer’s room. Think Friends and the Thanksgiving episodes, Frasier and how smart they combine crazy funny situations and psychological facts, HIMYM (How I met Your Mother) and all the brillant throwbacks… The Big Bang Theory and those adorable nerds.
Seriously, how can people say sitcom is dead! I don’t think, even for a second that the viewers would stop watching. We need to have fun. We need to laugh and have a break from the crazy world we live in.
It seems people say, it’s all the same now and there’s a lack of creativity. Seriously?? Because when I watch « Mom » or « Hot In Cleveland », I’m really confident that we have years of sitcoms to come. So many themes haven’t been explored yet and so many to be again. As society changes so do the shows.

On a more personal note, I have a selfish reason to love sitcoms. It helped me quite a lot while I was studying acting. When you are on stage you learn as much as when you are watching your friend acting. It is also true with tv and movies. I used to rewind several times the same exact scene in order to see how they were acting. From their expressions to the way the cameras move along. I even sometimes stole some acting ideas from tv shows. Like the way Joey Tribbiani says « I know » in an episode of the third season when he teaches a class. I used his « I know » for a play written by Feydeau. It seems silly but it is true. It worked! What can I say? You keep learning. Oh and by the way, thanks you M. Leblanc!

I mostly mentioned the sitcoms in this post but it is only because I didn’t like the idea that sitcom is dead. I could speak as much about drama. From Game of Thrones to Grey’s anatomy, from The Practice to Desperate Housewives, from LA Law to the Wire… A world of possibilities…
I want this blog to be yours as much as mine so feel free to speak up and tell me what are your thoughts. We can have a chance to share our opinions about anything, here. Even if we don’t agree. As long as it is done with good intentions and respect. 🙂

Audrey

Keep dreaming, Keep Smiling!

Photo credits: from @tony Danza on instagram.