Sitcoms

   An interesting concept arisen by Tate in his lecture of TV Sitcoms was the differences between the structures of different sitcoms. He discussed how although most sitcoms follow an episodic format, some of them have certain story arcs that follow throughout the series. Although in the shows with the story arcs the characters still seem to go right back to normal each episode, the events that conspire still go on.
   An example of a sitcom being in episodic format but still having branching story arcs is Seinfeld. Possibly the most memorable and important was when George's fiancé Susan dies. She had been a main character for the better of around two seasons, and eventually dies due to licking bad wedding invitations. The characters don't drastically change after this event, but it is solidified in the show from that point that George once had a fiancé and she passed away. The show also has certain stories continuing throughout episodes that change through time, for instance who Elaine is working for changes with about each season, and although you can watch episodes of the show randomly, it does continue storylines if watched in order. The Simpsons even had an event which stuck through the rest of the show, which was Flanders' wife Maude dying. Although The Simpsons might be seen as one of the most episodic shows on television, the fact that Maude is dead still echoes through the show.
   Shows that are purely episodic never seem to have events happen that keep living through the rest of the show. For instance in South Park the characters will do something like form a band and make millions of dollars, but that is never referred to again after the episode ends. The same for Seth McFarlene's triple threat of Family Guy, American Dad, and The Cleveland Show. None of them have any events that seem to flow throughout the rest of the series.
   The use of continuing story arcs in sitcoms can be a nice subtle change to either a purely episodic show or a serial drama. By having the best of both worlds, those who watch the show as it airs in order seem to have a better experience than those who watch it randomly off and on, but even the random watchers have an enjoyable time because it isn't a dire consequence if you haven't been keeping up with the show. A show that was almost too much of a serial was Arrested Development, and because of this it suffered. People who hadn't been keeping up with it really had no idea what was going on, but those who had found it to be one of the best television shows in recent memory.