And if theydohappen to tune in, the one thing theyrecertainlynot watching is a sitcom.

Sitcoms are dead, theyll tell you.

Theyre deader than Susan Biddle Ross, Georges fiancee fromSeinfeld.

But sitcoms are anything but dead.

Sitcoms are showing the most outside-of-the (idiot)-box thinking that they have in decades.

All of these are loglines that would instantly have been shot down by networks evenfiveyears ago.

The definitions of comedy are being stretched.

Some people think that stuff isnt funny, but I love those shows.

Theyre trafficking in irony.

WhileKimmy Schmidtstruggled to be appreciated by NBC, the story behindOther Spacewasnt much different.

Paul Feig originally took his Yahoo!

Screen series to NBC pre-Office, but they werent ready for single-cam comedies.

I truly think that would have been insanely difficult to pull off.

That might be a thing of the past.

So hopefully there will be more of it.

With so many more avenues for original content available, storytelling in sitcoms has evolved.

So Will had that all done.

The main plot points and introductions were all part of the plan from the beginning, Bobrow said.

Were now seeing entire seasons drop at once and storytelling that complements binge watching.

As a result, were getting more theatrics injected into our comedies and its resulting in fascinating television.

Andy Daly, star and executive producer of Comedy CentralsReview,toldDen of Geek.

And maybe it wont get mass appeal, but itll generate enough excitement and get enough people watching.

Daly is thrilled about where all of this is heading, with respect for freedom being paramount.

You know, FX has been giving creative people free reign for a while now, Rich said.

We see the relationship model shifting even further withBroad Citywhere the soulmates arent even different genders.

Falks comedy found a home that saw his vision through.

We praiseMan Seeking WomanandOther Spacenow, but there wasALFin the 80s.

We merely live in the social media age, with audiences at their hungriest to consume.

There werent people to makeBewitchedmemes, live tweetI Dream of Jeannie, or do an AMA with K.I.T.T.

fromKnight Riderback in the day.

Or shows like3rd Rock From the SunorGet Smart.

There are shows likeSmall Wonderthat were popular briefly.

Or something likeGet A Life…All of these surreal sitcoms.

Because theres simplymoretelevision now, todays writers are able to reference and homage more material.

Todays weirder shows have thirty more years of TV at their disposal than the ones from the 80s.

For example,Communitypracticallylivesoffthe history of television.

I cant wait to revel in the insane shows we get in the meantime.

Listen to our special Comedy Week podcast here!