Still Game Narrative
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Todorov
A classic Hollywood narrative is one that includes equilibrium, disruption,
resolution and equilibrium and this is obvious is the vast majority of sitcoms.
However, unlike films and most other types of TV show, a sitcom generally
contains a circular narrative structure. This structure means that the
equilibrium at the end of each episode is exactly the same as it was at the
start. This is essential in a sitcom as the basis of the humour revolves around
a problem, the complication of this problem and its resolution – usually this is
a simple and reassuring problem/solution formula for the audience. This is
very different from the problems that exist in real life that are often not very
easily fixed and allow the audience an escape from their own, more difficult
issues.
Setting
The situation part of a sitcom is one that always exists in the world of the
programme and normally reflects a domestic setting. For example in ‘Swottin’
Jack and Victor have very ordinary, dull lives with nothing particularly exciting
happening. This will be the situation at the beginning of every episode and is
what they will return to at the end of every episode. In this episode the
disruption is that Jack and Victor decide to take a night class and Bobby
decides to run a quiz to improve the pub. At the end Jack and Victor are still
they way they were at the start, no more clever or interesting, and the pub is
still the way it was.
Plot
Sitcom narratives tend to focus on the common, everyday occurrences that
most of the audience can relate to such as hiding the truth from someone,
trying to make yourself look better and being found out, covering up mistakes,
and so on. In ‘Swottin’ Jack and Victor try to do all three of these things and
Bobby is obviously trying to make himself look better by improving the pub.
The characters in ‘Swottin’, like those in most sitcoms, reflect the problems
the audience has to deal with, so when they fail to resolve these we can feel it
is acceptable for us to fail. The normality of the problems also allows the
audience a feeling of security. We know how the episode will end, there will
be no nasty surprises.
Three Act Structure
Sitcoms follow a very clear three act structure that involves a beginning,
middle and end. In the episode, act one is set in the flat and the pub, act two
in the university and during the interviews and act three is the one that
involves the quiz and the birth of the baby.
Stereotype
The use of stereotypes in sitcoms is common. As the average episode is
approximately 30 minutes long it is important that the audience understand a
particular character quickly. In this way they can generally predict how they
will react to any given situation, moving the story forward.
In ‘Swottin’ there are a number of stereotypes: Navid and Mina, Jack and
Victor, Isa, Pete the Jaikey and whilst they generally behave in the ways an
audience would expect much of the humour comes from the times when they
do not. Pete the Jaikey is a dirty alcoholic and we expect him to have very
little education but when different alcoholic drinks are mentioned he appears
to be an expert. Jack and Victor act very stereotypically in the beginning,
sleeping through the afternoon, but when they are with the students in the
union they get very drunk and play stupid games like writing on the beer mats
using their penis to hold the pen. Navid and Mina look like stereotypical
Asians. They own and run a small corner shop, Navid speaks with an Asian
accent and Mina wears traditional Indian clothes, but the subtitles show they
have anything but a typical Indian marriage, and Navid’s involvement in the
community is not what we would expect from a stereotypical Indian man.
Over and over again
Part of the situation in sitcom is that the characters never really escape their
situation – the family stays together in ‘My Family’, Delboy and Rodney never
get rich in ‘Only Fools and Horses’, The workers stay in their dull jobs in ‘The
Office’.
These circular narratives keep characters in their amusing situation; this helps
producers sell series for repeats as they can be watched in almost any order;
it also helps the audience know what to expect each time they watch.