Does anyone else miss the traditional studio based sitcoms?

Okay, so I don't miss the annoying laughter from the audience. But I am starting to miss the gag fest that we used to enjoy a couple of years ago.

When I first got "geeky" about comedy, I turned into a "snob" towards "laughter tracks" or "live audiences" and "quoting" everything

I've been enjoying the IT Crowd repeats lately and it makes me want to watch more shows like it. Just silly jokes that are basically fun. Rather then clever, subtle gags. I want to switch my brain off and just laugh.

Whenever I get around to writing my own sitcom, I'm going to try and make it a gag fest, I'm getting a bit bored with subtle or uncomfortable atmospheres.

I know that there are a few of these around still, My Family, My Hero, errr? (Bad examples or Good examples to prove my point!)

I'm sure someone can make something that's both cool 'n hip - modern stylee but with a traditional base of jokes.

Ramble, ramble, ramble...

That was, I believe, exactly Linehan's intention (and Ianucci has called for a return recently, too), so sounds like he's done a good job. I personally have been advocating that kind of comedy all along. The clever stuff has its place undoubtedly (even in "obvious" or "comfortable" comedy), but after a 10-hour working day (only just including the commute), I'm not always in the mood to have something challenge and push me like that. I just want something to sit back, relax, and laugh at.

And that's why some of the most recent sitcoms I've bought on DVD have been Are You Being Served? and Terry and June.

Yeah we do long for a good trad-com. They don't always have to be corny and badly thought-through as well like My Family and My Hero. Seinfeld was set up like a trad-com but look how smart and original that was. We need something like that now, The IT Crowd was okay but let down by the bad acting.

Although they went out of tradition, studio based sitcoms are coming very much back now I'd say. Just look at the autumn / winter schedules...

My Family, Green Green Grass, IT Crowd, Not Going Out, After You've Gone - all are in front of a live audience.

A fair few of the sitcoms in production (Teenage Kicks, Angelos etc) sound like they might be filmed in front of an audience too.

Angelos is single camera.

Teenage Kicks I have seen tickets for, but alas it is not convenient so have not applied.

I miss the studio based sitcom. In some ways they seem more fun and innocent. And an awful lot of single camera comedy shows feel dead and lifeless. Sketch shows especially seem to work better with laughter in the background (although a lot of BBC3 sketch shows could feature a studio audience but you still wouldn't hear any laughter).

I think a lot of sitcoms these days aren't filmed in front of a live studio audience is because they're not funny enough - and, thus, won't make the audience laugh. On the other hand, there could have been an audience but they just didn't find it funny! I know what you mean about subtle gags though; like in Pheonix Night, for instance. If you listen to the commentary, Peter Kay points out a hidden gag going on in the background which isn't really funny at all.