Noticing that a channel called The Hub is getting popular (maybe because of My Little Pony?) I took a look at some shows airing like The Haunting Hour and Game Night as well as reruns of Batman: The Animated Series, Animaniacs, Superman: The Animated Series, and Transformers.
I also noticed that it shows reruns of familiar sitcoms from back in the day like Happy Days, Family Ties, and ALF. There was sitcom I haven't seen yet called Wizards vs. Aliens and judging from the previews alone, I wasn't really hooked. The writing and dialogue didn't seem to impress me and this is coming from a guy who grew up with sitcoms like Hannah Montana, Wizards of Waverly Place, iCarly, and Degrassi.
Probably many of you don't know but teen sitcoms back then were better then the ones we have today. This makes me wonder: are teen sitcoms dead?
Let's start with one of the earliest teen sitcoms: The Monkees and Gidget.
They were popular back in the 60's. To put in simple, the shows made the teens look like the good guys and the adults look like the bad guys (and idiots). They were eventually cancelled due to the rise of other popular shows like 60's Batman show starring Adam West.
Then there was rise in teen sitcoms during the 90s with Nickelodeon producing a lot of them (both live-action and animation) like:
These shows not only made pre-teens and adolescents laugh but also provided relatable topics like overspending, first kisses, and the like. Disney Channel, known for their animated shows, eventually tried to compete with Nickelodeon by providing their own teen sitcoms like:
[insert Lizzie McGuire image]
One of their most popular shows was Kim Possible, a cartoon, to be exact. While not completely a sitcom, as it is more action-oriented, it does take elements of teen sitcoms during the high school subplots and include their own twists to them to avoid being cliched. It was known for its memorable characters, light-hearted atmosphere, brilliant writing, and action set-pieces.
Probably due to the show's high ratings, Disney Channel produced more sitcoms and animated shows with sitcom elements. One example, in particular, is The Buzz on Maggie which was created by Dave Polsky, one of the writers of Scary Movie 2. When you hear those two together, you are in for a bad sign. Other animated shows like American Dragon: Jake Long and The Emperor's New School (a spin-off of The Emperor's New Groove) took elements from teen sitcoms and were either a hit or a miss.
Many are saying that teen sitcoms are spreading like a plague and ruining Disney Channel and Nickelodeon. That statement is up for debate, but many would agree. Bringing up the question again: Are Teen Sitcoms Dead?
This is just my opinion, but not completely. Teen sitcoms that take other elements of fiction like fantasy or science-fiction, when done right, are done right. Shows like Phil of the Future and Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide add their own twists to become more disctinct. Recent ones like House of Anubis add mystery and suspense.
Disney Channel's two popular animated shows like Phineas and Ferb and Gravity Falls, while they can at times feel like sitcoms, you instantly forget they are sitcoms because there is a lot imagination and creativity put into these shows, which probably explains their high ratings. Pair of Kings on Disney XD add a sort of Jurassic Park-esque type of show full of creatures and warriors.
While only five episodes have been released so far, I have to bring up Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures on Disney XD. It takes elements of sitcoms but remains faithful to the original Pac-Man character, in my opinion, at least.
Perhaps teen sitcoms in general need better writers so as not to make the older audience eager to dismiss them.
So what do you guys think? Do you agree or disagree? Let me know in the comments below. FC100 signing out. See you guys in my next blog.
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