Task 3
Questions 11-15
Read the text below.
For each question (11-15), choose the correct answer (A,B or C).
Mark your answer on the answer sheet.
Sitcoms
The first sitcoms were once-a-week programmes, running at the same time. Performed live, the full week was needed for technical details and for memorising scripts. No matter what problems appeared in a single episode, they were always solved by the end of it so any viewer missing an episode could follow the rest.
In the 1950s 'The Honeymooners', one of the most beloved sitcoms in TV history, set the rules for the future. Since early cameras were quite large and difficult to move, the first sitcoms were shot on a single stage. 'The Honeymooners' was mostly set in a kitchen. At the kitchen table everyone had a place to gather and a reason to be there. 'I Love Lucy' exchanged the kitchen for the living room, and the sitcom tradition of the sofa was born. It was the first to be filmed before live studio audiences and later included multiple sets. Even decades later popular shows like 'Three's Company' and 'The Cosby Show' didn't manage to match the number of sets 'Lucy' used in the 1950s.
Advances in special effects introduced fantastical elements to 1960 s programmes. Witches, genies and strange characters like in 'The Addams Family' were popular. To replace live audiences they added recorded laugh tracks to the jokes. The 1970s sitcoms introduced real-world events into their storylines, addressing social issues with humour. Studio audiences became the norm again.
Stand-up comedians getting their own shows dominated the 1980s. During the 1990s, cartoon sitcoms rose in popularity, led by 'The Simpsons'. Laugh tracks and studio audiences were abandoned in the 2000s, as filmed programmes including 'Scrubs' and 'The Office' gained fame. Many of these shows used on-location filming, focusing on camera work and editing, rather than scripted laughter, to improve the writing.