An aspect of the TV sitcom that Colin Tate talked about in class was the way the characters developed or didn't develop in the series. Sense a sitcom does not usually have an arc to the stories, it relies on casual viewership. This means the characters in the show usually go through some comically tough situations, but their overall demeanor, views, and personality remain the same throughout the series.
Characters in a sitcom rely on their consistency to draw laughs from an audience. It is because of their relentless consistency to their ideals even in the face of a life-changing moment that makes them comical, but not sad at all.
Take the character of George Costanza in the best show (let alone sitcom) ever made, "Seinfeld". George is a compulsive liar, who has no regard for anyone in the world other than himself. So why do we as an audience not only find him hilarious, but the driving comic force of the show? Simply because no matter what happens, no matter how severe the consequences, no matter how much dignity he loses, he never changes. He is steadfast to his ideals and remains the same pathetic, unlikeable, yet strangely endearing and gut-bustingly funny loser he always is.
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