There have been so manydifferent eras of television comediesover the years. We started with the popular, traditional sitcoms such asI Love LucyandThe Honeymooners, and then transitioned into the more outlandish plots ofI Dream of JeannieandBewitched.Comedies such asAll in the FamilyandThe Jeffersonspushed our cultural boundaries, andCheersandThe Golden Girlsnever failed to make us laugh every week withtheir relatable and hilarious characters.
In the ’80s and ’90s,Murphy BrownandSeinfeldoffered a bit more sophistication for our palettes. All of these shows acted as weekly events that we all gathered around our televisions to watch.Everybody Loves Raymondand the ABC TGIF line-up of shows likeFull HouseandFamily Mattersushered us into a new era of family-friendly comedy, and theFriendsfinale wasone of the most-watched events in television history. Now, network television has found itself pushed aside for streaming options, and the sitcom itself is becoming more of a rare breed. In fact, the finale ofModern Familyunofficially spelled the end of network comedies as we know them today.
The ‘Modern Family’ Finale Was a Perfect End to the Long-Running Series
Modern Familywas an ABC comedy that debuted in 2009, and capitalized on the new popularity ofmockumentary-style comedies(a laThe OfficeandParks and Recreation). Throughout its run, it remained one of the funniest sitcoms on television, making its cast, which includedSofía Vergara,Julie Bowen,Ty Burrell, andJesse Tyler Ferguson, instantly recognizable faces. Each episode centered around heartfelt, yethilarious storylinesthat looked at a complicated, lovable American family. The seriesearned 85 Emmy nominations and 22 winsover the years and boasted consistently positive reviews and ratings. After airing 250 episodes and 11 seasons,Modern Familycompleted its run in 2020. As sad as it was to see the end of the road for the Pritchett family, the show’s finale actually spelled out a very different ending for television as a whole.
After ‘Modern Family,’ the Emmys Largely Turned Away From Honoring Network Shows
Up until recently, the Emmy nominations were filled with network shows being recognized for their greatness. Before streaming and cable shows took over award shows, network sitcoms represented the very best television had to offer.Frasierholds the record formost Emmy wins by a comedy series(111 nominations and 37 wins) from 1993 to 2004, andWill & Gracealso had an impressive run with96 Emmy nominations from 1998 to 2006(and again for a revival of three seasons from 2017 to 2020). These shows were lauded by Emmy voters and critics, but they were also among the most popular shows viewers were watching at the time. Even kookier comedies like30 Rocktook homean impressive number of Emmy nominations. When cable comedies started breaking through, however, that was a death knell for network sitcoms dominating the Emmys.Veepswooped in with68 nominations and 17 wins, and comedies likeFleabag,The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, andHacksstarted snatching Emmy nominations that would typically have been taken by network comedies.
One of the saddest parts of this current trajectory is that, afterModern Familyended, there remain so many fantastic network sitcoms that largely go unnoticed at the Emmys.Abbott Elementaryhas somehow managed to dominate the comedy category, but other than that ABC comedy, many high-quality series such asGhostsandSt. Denis Medicalgo largely unappreciated. There are stillseveral shows that deserve Emmy love, especially because it might put lesser-known shows on the map, but also because it would encourage people to watch network television instead of always tuning in to streamers instead.
Network Comedies Like ‘The Office’ Used To Be Big Topics of TV Conversation
There was a time when network sitcoms were some of the most-watched television shows around. The next day after an episode aired, everyone would chat about what happened the night before onThe Cosby ShoworAlly McBeal.These shows sparked plenty of watercooler chatter and inspired so many moments that are still embedded in pop culture. But it wasn’t like these shows just provided a quick laugh every week. Their long seasons (typically of more than two dozen episodes) kept us tuned in. That is, until the dreaded time during summer when reruns ruled the air. Because of this consistency, thesecharacters became almost like family to us. Although there are some comedies now that inspire great fandoms (Ted Lasso, What We Do in the Shadows), quick binges of these shows instead of weekly drops create a much different vibe and, overall, there’s less of a sense of loyalty surrounding these comedies.
If You Love ‘The Office,’ You Need To Make This Underrated British Sitcom Your Next Binge
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There has also been a vast difference in the types of shows that inspire lots of conversation. Most of the viral moments and buzz come from streaming or cable shows, and most of that excitement stems from dramas. There has been plenty of chatter around shows such asBreaking Bad,Game of Thrones, andThe Last of Us,but it is much rarer for social media to go wild over a comedy. That’s not to say that comedies are completely out of the running when it comes to buzz, asThe White LotusandThe Bearare great examples of a comedy that has inspired conversation and Emmy love (although some do arguethatThe Beardoesn’t actually have a lot of laughs in it). All of this is just even more proof that dramas typically run the game, and network shows have now found themselves at a much lower rank than these other types of series.
It’s easy to mourn the end ofModern Familyas the conclusion of a beloved part of television history. But it is also the perfect representation of the fact that things are always changing in the entertainment industry. Just liketraditional network sitcomsare mostly a relic of the past (with a few exceptions), that doesn’t mean that things will always stay the way they are now. Perhaps another network sitcom will come along that will inspire a switch back to how things were before, or maybe they will createa catalyst for fresh categoriesto arise at the Emmys (like one solely devoted to network shows). AlthoughModern Familysignified the end of something, there’s always an opportunity to usher in another brand-new era of television that we haven’t even thought about yet.
Modern Family
