Progressive Aesthetics and the Return to Passivity One of the most common TV show formats, the half-hour situational comedy (sitcom), demonstrates some of the greatest aesthetic variation among its programs . Although sitcoms have evolved visually from the simple theatrical style of All in the Family to the more striking documentary style of shows like Parks and Recreation, their content has shifted from more controversial material concerning public issues to topics almost exclusively focused on relationships. Overall, modern sitcoms have stopped focusing on their potential as social commentators, a power that was used by older sitcoms like Chico and the Man, Sanford and Son, and All in the Family. The similarities and differences in camerawork, visual style, comedic form, and narrative structure between an episode of the modern sitcom Parks and Recreation, "Pawnee Rangers," and one of the old show All in the Family, "Judging Books by Covers,” suggests that while sitcoms have progressed stylistically over the years, they have fallen back into a genre focused only on entertainment. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The creation of television was heavily influenced by live theater, and one of the most important correlations between the two media is the use of the proscenium set. This set features elongated, shallow, three-walled sets that allow characters to move freely from side to side. All in the Family uses the proscenium style, which influences not only the production design of the show, but also the way it was shot and written. The sitcom was shot with a three-camera system which limited All in the Family's variety of camera angles and visual creativity, forcing it to rely more on its characters and narrative. All sets were brightly and evenly lit and had a relatively simple design, leaving little to appreciate aesthetically. Furthermore, because the show was recorded in front of a live studio audience, it could not change locations very frequently: it usually only took place at Archie Bunker's (Carroll O'Connor) house or his friend's bar. Parks and Recreation, however, uses a very different visual approach by deviating from the conventional proscenium-style stage. To recreate a documentary style, Parks and Recreation uses much more realistic camerawork than All in the Family: it is shot with a single handheld camera and includes a good deal of movement, particularly quick pans and small zooms. With a single camera, Parks and Recreation can have more creative freedom in the composition of its shots and therefore can have a more engaging visual style. Additionally, the freedom of the camera allows the show to more easily move between multiple locations within an episode. For example, “Pawnee Rangers” includes four locations: Pawnee City Hall, a campground, the Pawnee Mall, and the home of Andy (Chris Pratt) and April (Aubrey Plaza). While the set design of All in the Family isn't as complex or impressive as that of Parks and Recreations, the episode "Judging Books by Covers" makes a remarkably liberal social statement regarding the stereotyping of homosexuals and the immorality of total patriarchy. The Parks and Recreation episode "Pawnee Rangers" touches on sexism, but ultimately focuses more on its aesthetic and the development of the friendship between Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler) and Ron Swanson (Nick Offerman). All in the Family focuses on Archie Bunker, an outrageous bigot who invariably yesengages in a situation that contradicts his rigidly right-wing beliefs. Being an axial character, the central question of every episode and every subplot revolves around him. However, All in the Family never includes a story arc concerning Archie as it sticks to a series format where each episode is a self-contained narrative with no correlations to the previous episode (Butler 329-30). This narrative style also places the focus on the story's message, or moral, rather than on the development of relationships between characters. Parks and Recreation, on the other hand, mostly revolves around Leslie Knope and her shenanigans; however, there are subplots that exist without Leslie, preventing her from being a true axial character. For example, in the episode "Pawnee Rangers", there is the main conflict between Leslie and Ron Swanson regarding who has the better club, the subplot exploring Tom (Aziz Ansari), Donna (Retta) and Ben (Adam Scott) “Treat Yourself Day,” and another subplot showing the development of the relationship between Chris (Rob Lowe) and Jerry's daughter, which is not about Leslie at all. However, Parks and Recreation shares the series' program format with All in the Family, as at the end of each episode, the sitcom seems to reach some sort of final closure, indicating that the situations in each episode are self-contained. However, the show also uses a serial format as the relationships between the people in the show change and thus they require a consequential plot that progresses from week to week (30). This type of narrative structure connects each episode with the promise of developing relationships between characters, making the outcome something that appeals to romantic sensibilities rather than a social statement. . This trend of modern sitcoms suggests that television has become more conservative in its content over the years, despite unarguably containing more violent and sexual situations. Counterhegemonic notions of society's status quo are not seen as often, making television a medium that can be viewed passively without much interpretation. Although both Parks and Recreation and All in the Family are sitcoms, each has a markedly different approach to comedy; the former derives its humor from spontaneity, awkward situations, and clever dialogue, while the latter finds humor in Archie's scandalous bigotry and ignorance in attempting to comment on the social climate of the time. For example, in “Judging Books by Covers” almost all the jokes are related to homosexuality and patriarchy, the themes of the episode. Parks and Recreation, in contrast, is not primarily about providing social commentary and therefore has more room for experimentation in its humor. For example, "Pawnee Rangers" includes several funny situations, each with distinct types of humor: the competition between Leslie and Ron, the "Treat Yourself Day" nonsense, and the awkward but slightly sentimental situation in which Chris falls in love with Jerry's. Daughter. There is little to no humor directed at sexism in this episode, and ultimately this episode of Parks and Recreation has a happy ending where Leslie decides to form a coed club; however, no real comment about sexism is ever made. In contrast, All in the Family uses abrasive, frank, and sometimes offensive humor to comment on social issues, as is evident when Archie states in “Judging Books by Covers” that “I never said a guy who wears glasses is queer . A boy who wears glasses is a four-eyed boy. A boy who is a fag is a fag. Jim Collins argues that “television programming since the 1950s has depended on recycling. . . of past programs in prime time", but this recycling has led.