Quote: Alfred J Kipper @ July 23 2011, 10:47 AM BSTYes, Royle Family. I have to admit to being one of the ones who sat there bolt faced when this thing appeared on TV but it did seem to usher in a new form of sitcom, yes, not just the non audience ones, but the banal room bound ones with that low, base sense of humour (not knocking them, just don't know how else to put it). RF was very influential, I'd say.
In sitcoms there were no story arcs before Perrin? Well Perrin's certainly the most prominent user of them, and it was a nice change, at the time, but I remember less overt arcs being used in Porridge, which had several double episode arcs and one or two more subtle series arcs I think. Pretty sure Steptoe & Son had some little arcs here and there too.
And series one of WHTT Likely Lads was built on an arc. If you count Budgie as a sitcom, another arc based show. Citizen Smith which started at roughly the same time as Perrin, maybe a month or two after, also had an arc. Perrin's was the most overt but there were arcs around, I'd say. Maybe someone else can confirm this? I am a big fan of the arc, btw.
More arcs please.
What do you mean by 'arcs'?
