“Daily laughter instead of stimulation”... ‘The evolution of sitcoms’ returns to the small screen

Sitcoms that disappeared from the broadcast network for a while are coming back to the small screen one after another.

Sitcoms focused on light laughter and comfort have recently appeared one after another, ranging from spin-offs of legendary intellectual property (IPs) that enjoyed their heyday in the 2000s to lifestyle-oriented comedies set in offices and hospitals.

On the 6th, Wave released its original series 'Next to You, Francesca', which expands the world view of the sitcom 'Hello, Francesca' (2005), which was very popular about a vampire disguised as a human, to the high school setting.

In this work, which takes advantage of the unique taste of the original work, such as all-black costumes and B-grade humor recited with a smileless face, the main characters of the original work, including actors Shim Hye-jin, Park Seul-gi, and Park Hee-jin, made special appearances.

Next month, the original series 'Infinite Company - Hawaiian Never Dies' will be presented, reorganizing 'Infinite Company', which was a popular skit segment on MBC's entertainment show 'Infinite Challenge', into an office drama starring original members Park Myung-soo and Jeong Jun-ha.

Other online video service (OTT) platforms are also actively producing their own sitcoms. Coupang Play's signature work 'Office Workers' is a representative office sitcom that has been consistently loved since its first release in February last year until the recently concluded season 3. It gained great popularity due to the distinct characters and ad-lib-oriented acting of cast members specializing in comedy, including Kim Won-hoon, Baek Hyun-jin, and Ji Ye-eun.

Coupang Play will then expand its lineup by launching 'Smile Clinic', a medical sitcom that spins off the popular 'SNL Korea' segment, on the 3rd of next month. The battle of wits between comedian Lee Soo-ji and other Gangnam dermatology staff members will be revealed with unique verbal flair and slapstick (body gags).

TVING is also joining the sitcom craze by adding its first original sitcom, 'Palace Land', to next year's lineup. It is a work depicting the thrilling survival story of amusement park part-time workers struggling behind the scenes of a fantasy world, and is raising expectations as new talents such as national figure skater Cha Jun-hwan, actor Woo Da-bi, and comedian Kim Gyu-won join.

Broadcasters are also starting to take a step back into comedies. tvN will premiere the drama ‘Hot Goodbye’ starring Kang Hoon, Jo Hyeon-cheol, and Kim Jeong-jin on the 11th. This work, which deals with the growth period of three unknown comedians, brings to the forefront the harmony of mayhem and slapstick comedy even within the framework of an orthodox drama.

The background to this sitcom revival is a combination of changes in the content consumption environment centered on social networking services (SNS) and mobile devices, and viewers' fatigue with genres.

In the past, sitcom production was slowed down for a while due to changes in production efficiency and viewing patterns, but recently, clips from past masterpieces such as 'Soonpoong Obstetrics and Gynecology' and 'Unstoppable High Kick' are constantly being consumed as short-form memes (trendy content) on new media such as YouTube, confirming the potential demand for everyday comedy.

An official in the broadcasting industry explained, "Recently, sitcoms are attracting attention again as the trend of wanting intuitive laughter and life-oriented narratives like short-form or sketch comedies has become clear," and "It is a format optimized for the current viewing environment in that it can be enjoyed without burden as it has a short running time of about 30 minutes per episode and has completeness for each episode. As the relationship between characters deepens as each episode passes, the fun accumulates."

Some say that the fatigue of viewers who are tired of provocative genres, along with smartphone-centered viewing habits, hastened the return of sitcoms.

Pop culture critic Ha Jae-geun said, "In the past, sitcoms were ignored because they were designed to be watched in front of the TV and had no weight, but they have regained competitiveness in line with the mobile-centered consumption environment where content is viewed lightly while on the move or in spare time." He predicted, "With the demand from viewers who are tired of heavy and dark genres, the trend of heavy genres and everyday sitcoms coexisting will continue in the future."