Will & Grace: A New Definition of Conventional

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Will & Grace: A New definition of Conventional Where are you on Thursday night? The likely answer is sitting in front of your television screen watching your favorite sitcom. If that is correct, then you are like the millions of other Americans that devote much of their time tuning into the craze of the situation comedy. The situation comedy has been apart of American culture for decades. Having its roots in radio, the situation comedy is “a narrative series comedy, generally between 24 and 30 minutes long, with regular characters and settings (McQueen 53).” Many radio sitcoms went directly to the small screen in the late 1940’s and 1950’s; this is how the genre got its start (McQueen 53). The classics that put sitcoms in the spot light were The Phil Silvers Show and I Love Lucy; these shows are still regarded as “televisions best-ever creations (Creeber 65).” The situation comedy is one of the main ingredients of broadcast television. The situation comedy has many fundamental aspects that can vary from show to show. The principle situation is that things stay constant; they do not change (McQueen 56). The aspects of the show needs to be highly recognizable and returned to week after week, because of the repetition of the series and the demands of the time-slot. The narrative of the show must not be destroyed or complicated by the pervious week (McQueen 56). The return to the original situation is always constant. The key to a sitcom involves a disturbance of the stable situation and a conclusion within the episode. These various disruptions and wrongdoings are what the sitcom revolves around. The half hour program always consists of a beginning, middle and end (McQueen 57). The situation that occurs is usually a humorous problem or incident that is resolved by the end of the episode. The narrative of the sitcom is basically circular but that is not binding, some modifications to the characters or plot do take place. Such as “families may gain or lose children as they grow up, long-lost relatives are found, additional characters join series, old ones leave and background details change to keep the stories from becoming stale and repetitive (McQueen 57).” These shifts can sometimes cause the show not to survive, for instance if a main character leaves the show. If that main character was a big dynamic part of the show, it wi... ... middle of paper ... ...despicable actions she still remains a favorite character. The other favorite supportive character is Jack. Like was stated earlier Jack is very comparable to Karen, except the fact that is male and gay. Jack is the equivalent to a gay trickster character. Jack is described as a “one-man floor show; perpetually animated, always ready with a quip or about to burst in song or dance (Cooper 519).” In addition to his sudden outbursts and show tunes Jack is constantly rotating boyfriends, ogling and flirting, and his objects of desire are gay and straight, it hardly matters. This continual boyfriend swapping labels Jack the poster child for promiscuity. Another typical Jack characteristic is his very dependent nature; he relies on the kindness of others (Cooper 519). Although is has an obvious lake of talent, it is hardly noticeable to him because he is oozing with self-confidence. That is one quality that Jack possesses that is actually commendable. All of his silly antics, irresponsibility, fleeting crushes and overall childlike behavior pin point him as the stereotypically gay figure, which he embraces to the fullest.

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