Talk:Britcom

This and Brit-com disagree on definition. Is that right? Equinox ◑ 15:28, 18 March 2017 (UTC)

@Equinox: Oughtn't you to know? (By the way, I came here thinking the same thing — but the lack of action in 3 years certianly says something about the efficacy of leaving these notes on entry talk pages.) —Μετάknowledge^{discuss/deeds} 18:39, 23 June 2020 (UTC)

I don't care how soon it gets done as long as it gets done. When I see ancient talk discussions that were resolved long ago I often add a chirpy little {{done}} at the bottom just so we know. Nobody will be my friend if I post every little quibble I have on some central place like the Tea Room. I dominate them enough already. Equinox ◑ 23:32, 23 June 2020 (UTC)

@Metaknowledge: I really do think we should consider the "long game" here BTW. We are the (boring, unromantic) pioneers of wikis. But stuff like Wikipedia and Wiktionary has such huge data sets that they will not be ignored: they will be built upon and expanded and probably taught to AIs as training sets, long after anyone has to bash out templates on a QWERTY keyboard. Technical cleanup is easy and User:Ashley Pomeroy has something to say about "people who spend their time inserting or removing dozens of templates and tags". But stuff on talk pages will be seen eventually. Equinox ◑ 23:35, 23 June 2020 (UTC)

@Kiwima What do you think? Your definition about "a format consisting of several short skits" makes me think of stuff like Little Britain, The Fast Show (called Brilliant in the US), or Monty Python's Flying Circus, but none of those are sitcoms (IMO) since they don't deal with the ongoing trials and tribulations of a set of people. A British sitcom might be something like Only Fools and Horses or Are You Being Served?. I can't say that the word "Britcom" is very familiar to me but I would assume that's what it refers to. Equinox ◑ 01:00, 24 June 2020 (UTC)

My definition was for Brit-com, which I always took for a clipping of "British comedy", rather than a blend with sitcom. I found that term used for sitcoms such as Fawlty towers, but also for straight comedy shows such as Blackadder. (see the citations) When I search on this form (without the hyphen), I see more sitcom-like shows such as The Office and Red Dwarf. In either case, the terms seem to be used outside of Britain, for that form of silliness that characterizes British comedy. Kiwima (talk) 01:30, 24 June 2020 (UTC)

I find it incredibly hard to believe that a term Brit-com was formed without reference to the well-known sitcom. (Having said that, I also don't really believe that bitpop was a reference to Britpop, so this is perhaps some awkward fence-sitting — or maybe a legit position based on "lived experience".) WRT this one, I do wonder how many people are gonna find that a hyphen makes any difference. Even the OED stopped tracking hyphens I think. Equinox ◑ 01:33, 24 June 2020 (UTC)

Where else is comedy abbreviated to com, outside of sitcom and friends [excellent pun not intended]? There might be some but I can't think of any. Equinox ◑ 01:38, 24 June 2020 (UTC)

Romcom! (Or is that a friend?) In any case, @Kiwima, do you really think that people are using these terms differently based on the hyphen? Does that seem a priori likely? —Μετάknowledge^{discuss/deeds} 02:14, 24 June 2020 (UTC)

No, I don't. I think it is likely the same term, and am happy to call them alt forms of each other. I am also happy to remove the "a format consisting of several short skits" bit, although I do think the term is used more broadly than I would use the term sitcom (viz. Blackadder). Kiwima (talk) 02:38, 24 June 2020 (UTC)

(It does make me wonder what we should call those "skit" things. I suppose a "sketch show"?) Equinox ◑ 05:30, 24 June 2020 (UTC)