Comic Visions

This is a critical history of American television comedy. This edition updates the subject matter and takes into account how new technology, especially cable TV, has affected this popular form of home entertainment. It examines the roots of television comedy in American culture, mapping the influence of vaudeville, cinema and radio on the variety shows and the sitcoms of the 1940s and 50s. David Marc explains why the sit-com has remained the most popular of television comedy genres, indeed, the most popular genre in all of prime-time television. He also provides insight to television's response to the agitation of the 1960's and the great expansion of situational comedy content during the 1970's. A completely new chapter on the cable era looks at recent developments, such as "Comedy Central" and the proliferation of stand-up comedy, and discusses how the vast choices offered by cable television are refining video comedy aesthetics.