Americans People Television Comedies Connect Sitcoms Makes Show

In a 2010 book called What Americans Really Want...Really by Dr. Frank Luntz, the "author" (writer) discusses what makes a popular television comedy show in the U.S. Here are his four of his "guidelines" (suggestions or rules) on what makes a good sitcom.

1. Hold up a mirror. "To hold up a mirror" means to put a mirror in your hands to see what you look like. This is exactly what Americans like to see in their sitcoms - themselves! Luntz says that people want "shows and characters they can personally relate to," meaning programs and people that they can feel connected to. This may mean people of the same race or "geography" (location), or perhaps even the kinds of jobs they have.

2. Connect the dots. The expression "to connect the dots" means that you have to see the connection between things that may seem "otherwise" (normally) unrelated. For Americans, apparently they want the television show itself to connect the dots, meaning that they want the relationship between different events to be very obvious.

3. Relationships involving conflict. Nowadays, Americans no longer want sweet, innocent comedy. That is, they don't necessarily want comedies where everything is nice and everyone gets along with everyone else. Instead, they want "conflict" (disagreement) among the characters. They want what we would call "an edge," something that is a little "dark" (sad or tragic) but still "lovable" (something you can like or appreciate).

4. Home is where comedy lives. Americans like comedies about people in their homes rather than their office.