The following editorial appeared in the Dallas Morning News on Tuesday, March 30:
This week’s Entertainment Weekly cover story asks a great question: Are sitcoms dead?
In a world that is more Survivor than Seinfeld, more CSI than The Simpsons, it’s a good question.
The answer? Yikes, let’s hope not.
And not just because we need something to help us escape from a 24-hour news cycle.
We need sitcoms because, as a nation, we need to laugh at ourselves while coping with an ever-changing society.
All in the Family tickled our funny bones and nudged us in the ribs on race relations.
Minneapolis’ best-known TV news writer, Mary Richards, turned the world on with her smile but also showed us that a woman could be the life and spirit of a workplace.
And Will and Grace have dealt with gay-straight relationships through physical comedy that reminds us why we still love Lucy.
But, lo and behold, our Friends are packing up and heading for the suburbs.
Frasier Crane is about to stop listening. And many sitcoms that stick to the old formulas fall flatter than a Carrot Top commercial. Or, worse, they try something new but struggle hopelessly against the latest crime drama or matchmaker setup.
Even so, we’re counting on TV’s executives to keep searching for the next creative spark – the next Cheers or Bill Cosby Show.
The Great American Sitcom remains our best chance to escape from and poke fun at reality.
c 2004, The Dallas Morning News.

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