Tawny Newsome and Justin Simien developing new live-action Trek series

[Admiral Jean-Luc Picard]

It's an absurd place to do so.

Not really, everyone has their POV.

Sitcom is just a format. Literally means "situational comedy." It has nothing to do with live action or animation, save for in a very limited definition.

I mean, to me, sitcom is exclusively in "live action" territory. It's not just about being "situation comedy," it's about a specific production style. It's like how anime isn't a cartoon or an animated series, it's anime.

I watch sitcoms for laughs and drama. And usually get my fill of both. MASH, Night Court, Brooklyn 99, do a great job of it.

Fair enough, I only watch for the laughs. That doesn't mean I do not appreciate the drama, but it's not why I am watching.

Depends on the writing.

For me, it doesn't matter how well it's written. I don't want Star Trek reduced to a cheap joke. I don't want to watch Friends in Space.

A great writer.

That's what he does, not who he is.

 

[Ray Hardgrit]

The trouble with sitcoms is that the 'Rule of Funny' begins to come into play, and I'll steal the definition off TV Tropes: "Any violation of continuity, logic, physics, or common sense is permissible if the result gets enough of a laugh."

If you've ever visited a Star Trek forum you can probably see why that could be a bit of a problem for a large amount of the audience. I mean just its existence could undermine the whole franchise for people. Lower Decks gets away with a lot because its animated, but a live-action series is going to be another matter.

 

[fireproof78]

For me, it doesn't matter how well it's written. I don't want Star Trek reduced to a cheap joke. I don't want to watch Friends in Space.

Star Trek has been a cheap joke for decades now. A sitcom won't change that. See all the Trekkies jokes and parodies over the years. I'm ok with a new format to Trek because it's a part of the human adventure which Trek proports to explore.

I mean, to me, sitcom is exclusively in "live action" territory. It's not just about being "situation comedy," it's about a specific production style. It's like how anime isn't a cartoon or an animated series, it's anime.

That's not the only way to define sitcom. But, multiple POVs, IDIC, perspective, and mankind is the measure of all things.

Fair enough, I only watch for the laughs. That doesn't mean I do not appreciate the drama, but it's not why I am watching.

That's fair. Life is not just laughs for me so I am not going in with just one goal for my entertainment. I've cried over sitcoms more than most dramas I've watched recently, limited though that might be.

 

[MakeshiftPython]

I don’t think there’s gonna be a live audience for this. It’ll probably be filmed like modern sitcoms are as a single camera set ups and no laugh tracks. I guess the question is how broad will the humor be? Will it use “The Trouble with Tribbles” as a basis? A DS9 Ferengi episode?

 

[fireproof78]

I don’t think there’s gonna be a live audience for this. It’ll probably be filmed like modern sitcoms are as a single camera set ups and no laugh tracks. I guess the question is how broad will the humor be? Will it use “The Trouble with Tribbles” as a basis? A DS9 Ferengi episode?

Probably taking some inspiration from DS9's comedy episodes, as well as Lower Decks, and having a little bit of fun with scifi tropes.

 

[MakeshiftPython]

In which case, I don’t think that’s an issue. There’s a clear difference between an old timey sitcom like FRIENDS and how DS9 did comedy. If we got the latter with the new show and it’s as funny as those, I’m all for it.

 

[Firebird]

I don't watch enough animated shows to care, to be honest. If it's funny, it's cartoon, if it's serious, it's an "animated series," and if it's from Japan, it's anime. Beyond that, I don't really care.

“Anime” is the medium through which Japanese studios animate stories in multiple genres.

In a single season (since Japan splits out each year into four 12-13 week cours), you can have romcoms, dramas, action battle shonens, sci-fi, comedy, isekai, and so on. And there are upwards of 30-50 different shows in a single season.

Genre does not equate to the medium.

 

[Admiral Jean-Luc Picard]

Star Trek has been a cheap joke for decades now.

Did I miss something?

See all the Trekkies jokes and parodies over the years.

Outside of Galaxy Quest and The Orville, not really, no. What are you referencing?

I'm ok with a new format to Trek because it's a part of the human adventure which Trek proports to explore.

Same here, I loved seeing Star Trek go animated. Sitcom... just no.

That's not the only way to define sitcom.

Prior to the 2020's, I've never heard anyone call a cartoon a sitcom.

That's fair. Life is not just laughs for me so I am not going in with just one goal for my entertainment.

I watch different shows based on my mood. If I need background TV, it's a docuseries. If I want series, it's a drama. If I want to laugh, it's a sitcom. When I want something creative, I'll put on something animated.

I've cried over sitcoms more than most dramas I've watched recently, limited though that might be.

I don't cry.

 

[Danja]

I mean, to me, sitcom is exclusively in "live action" territory.

What about The Flintstones? Or Family Guy? Or The Simpsons?

 

[Admiral Jean-Luc Picard]

What about The Flintstones? Or Family Guy? Or The Simpsons?

Cartoons.

 

[Daedalus]

If the argument is that a person doesn't feel like Lower Decks is a sitcom, then thats ok, humour is subjective.

If the argument is that a cartoon can't be a sitcom, then that's bordering on absurd. The medium is irrelevant, it always has been.

 

[Admiral Jean-Luc Picard]

If the argument is that a person doesn't feel like Lower Decks is a sitcom, then thats ok, humour is subjective.

If the argument is that a cartoon can't be a sitcom, then that's bordering on absurd. The medium is irrelevant, it always has been.

Question: do you see sitcom as genre or format? To me, it's format, not genre.

 

[HotRod]

No... it's a cartoon.

A cartoon sitcom.

But... that's the whole point of the show.

Deep Space Nine would like a word.

It's just dumb.

You've seen it already? Impressive l.

Whatever, dude, you do you.

I've never seen someone with such an inability to admit when they're wrong.

I know what a sitcom is, cartoons aren't sitcoms

And yet..... you've been shown by multiple people that this notion in 100% incorrect.

I mean, to me, sitcom is exclusively in "live action" territory. It's not just about being "situation comedy," it's about a specific production style.

Whatever your personal definition of a sitcom is has no bearing on the broader meaning of the word. It means Situational Comedy. That's it. Lower Decks, cartoon or not, absolutely fits under that term.

You Are Wrong.

 

[Daedalus]

Question: do you see sitcom as genre or format? To me, it's format, not genre.

Genre, probably

 

[Danja]

Deep Space Nine would like a word.

It generated controversy in its early days because of it ("It's too dark! It doesn't go anywhere!")

 

[137th Gebirg]

I was going to comment how this place is starting to feel like Monty Python’s “Argument Clinic” sketch, but then somehow the air feels… fresher… in here now. I found myself with a rare smile on my face.

 

[HotRod]

I was going to comment how this place is starting to feel like Monty Python’s “Argument Clinic” sketch, but then somehow the air feels… fresher… in here now. I found myself with a rare smile on my face.

 

[The Wormhole]

Prior to the 2020's, I've never heard anyone call a cartoon a sitcom.

And yet, I remember plenty of official publications in the 1990s referring to The Simpsons as a sitcom. Indeed, that was how I first heard the term "sitcom" as a child.

 

[MakeshiftPython]

“I have never heard that SCREAM was a whodunnit, therefore I’ll keep insisting it isn’t.”

That’s what the argument comes across like.

 

[HotRod]

And yet, I remember plenty of official publications in the 1990s referring to The Simpsons as a sitcom. Indeed, that was how I first heard the term "sitcom" as a child.

Hell, The Flintstones were considered a sitcom.