The form is so elemental, so basic, that we have difficulty imagining a time before it existed: a single set, fixed cameras, canned laughter, zany sidekicks, quirky family antics. Obsessively watched and critically ignored, sitcoms were a distraction, a gentle lullaby of a kinder, gentler America—until suddenly the artificial boundary between the world and television entertainment collapsed.

            In this book we can watch the growth of the sitcom, following the path that leads from Lucy to The Phil Silvers Show; from The Dick Van Dyke Show to The Mary Tyler Moore Show; from M*A*S*H to Taxi; from Cheers to Roseanne; from Seinfeld to Curb Your Enthusiasm; and from The Larry Sanders Show to 30 Rock.

            In twenty-four episodes, Sitcom surveys the history of the form, and functions as both a TV mixtape of fondly remembered shows that will guide us to notable series and larger trends, and a carefully curated guided tour through the history of one of our most treasured art forms. 

“A born completist, Saul Austerlitz has burrowed deeply into the neglected history of the TV sitcom and lived to tell the tale. And a great tale it is. Who would have thought that these shows, woven into the fabric of our common culture, would be such a delight to remember? Lively and evocative, in tune with its spirited subject, this book sparkles with richly informed insight.” —Morris Dickstein, author of Gates of Eden and Dancing in the Dark