Seeking sitcoms of a particular kind

June 19, 2024 9:14 PM

What are some half-hour single camera sitcoms that were shot and broadcast in "standard" 4:3? They don't need to be funny; I'm looking for examples of camerawork and shot composition in that particular form.
posted by 4th number to Media & Arts (6 answers total)

This Wikipedia list of single camera sitcoms is probably a good place to start. I’d assume anything before the advent of broadcast HD (1998 in the US at the earliest) will almost certainly be in that aspect ratio.
posted by lucasks at 9:51 PM on June 19 [4 favorites]

Definitely Malcolm in the Middle. I think the original seasons of Arrested Development, too.
posted by virve at 10:52 PM on June 19 [1 favorite]

MASH.
posted by Marky at 11:21 PM on June 19 [1 favorite]

Lucasks list is gonna contain every individual answer anyone comes up with. You can click on "years aired" to sort by date
posted by ManInSuit at 5:47 AM on June 20 [1 favorite]

I think you have to tread carefully in this question. Prior to the digital camera age a lot of shows were shot on 35mm film and cropped to 4:3 for broadcast. And especially anything shot outdoors like M*A*S*H.

That's not to say the shows weren't composed for 4:3, as we've seen in the HD remasters of shows like Friends and Seinfeld - you see a lot of stuff that wasn't supposed to be in frame for broadcast.
posted by JoeZydeco at 6:50 AM on June 20 [3 favorites]

The first two seasons of Happy Days were shot single-camera. All subsequent seasons were three-camera, live audience. It might be helpful to compare and contrast.
posted by 1970s Antihero at 7:18 AM on June 20 [5 favorites]