ABSTRACT
Since the debut of Louie (FX, 2010-15) and Girls (HBO, 2012-17), one type of scripted, 30-minute American prestige TV series has effectively hybridized the television situation comedy (sitcom) and the indie film. These programs are typically cable or streaming television series with recurring characters and situations, often revolving around the comical persona of a central character surrounded by a television family or surrogate family. Their episodic storytelling has some features in common with classic multi-camera, live-audience sitcoms, but their narratives and representations also have affinities to the realism, alternative style, and the centrality of authorship found in independent film and in its surrounding discourses. The prestige or quality TV appeal of these programs also fits with the cultural status and audience address of indie cinema. Humor in these programs is often reliant on ‘cringe’ situations rather than more conventional jokes and gags found in mainstream broadcast fare, and often focuses on sex and the body. The comical personae and artistic identities of Louis C.K. and Lena Dunham, problematic as they are, are key examples in this development of American screen comedy in an era of ‘Peak TV.’ Further instances of programs in this trend include Togetherness, Master of None, One Mississippi, and Insecure.
