Seinfeld is a show that definitely relies on plot more than anything, they have 4 seperate plots of each character and at times they all link up together. The plots are the focus, the plots in themselves are funny and what these characters say and do in the plots is even funnier.
Ash Atalla is on the record saying he prefers naturalistic dialogue to a string of jokes.
The fact is the idustry is much more concerned with story now than jokes. That's why there are so many joke-free shows. It isn't because they can't find people who are funny.
The trend is for humour arising naturally out of the plot. That is why such a lame-arsed, tub of gone-off shit like Gavin & Stacey has bafta-tipped.
Sitcom isn't even a term used in the industry anymore. It's 'narrative comedy' now.
I find sitcoms I like don't always have great laughs in them e.g. Saxondale.
because it has a story that works ok and the characters are well developed ect.
Going back and thinking about it, my Father Ted argument wasn't that accurate at all. The plots were a lot better than I first thought. Ignore my first post and pretend I said something more meaningful like this:
Quote: SlagA @ August 23, 2007, 9:44 PMI think we're looking at it wrongly. It isn't one versus another but that the plot is the structure onto which we hang the scenes and the dialogue (and hopefully the laughs).
Having a crap plot or a great plot doesn't ensure that the laughs will automatically follow because they operate at two different levels in the writing process.
A brilliantly funny (and therefore ideal) plot will sound funny when you tag line it. A bad plot can still make a very 'laugh-dense' show BUT the payoff of plot conclusion will leave the viewer unsatisfied. Classic examples of this are shows like Comic Strip where several episode plots were amateurishly concluded and made for a disappointing experience.
Still one of the best Futurama shows (for me) is the one that makes me cry. Fry and his dog is so well paid off (for me).
IMO the conundrum doesn't exist. They are independent of each other.