British TV desperately needs something it has rarely achieved for the comedy genre to thrive

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British sitcoms can be described in many ways – funny, witty, heartwarming, or even a little melancholy. However, perhaps the most defining characteristic of recent British comedy is its brevity – shows are simply much shorter than they used to be.

Short series, like the classic comedies Fawlty Towers and The Office – both of which ended after around twelve episodes – are now the preferred approach for many modern writers and television executives.

As a huge fan of British comedy, I was checking out TopMob’s list of the best modern sitcoms, and it’s packed with brilliant shows I’ve loved recently. They included things like Big Boys, Derry Girls, Fleabag, Car Share, W1A, and After Life – seriously good stuff!

On average, shows in the lineup only run for about 21 episodes. That’s just a little less than a full season of traditional US network television, although those seasons have been getting shorter with the rise of streaming.

Surprisingly few British sitcoms aimed at adults have reached over 100 episodes. Only five have managed it: The Army Game (1957-1961), Last of the Summer Wine (1973-2010), Birds of a Feather (1989-2020), My Family (2000-2011), and Not Going Out (2006-currently).

I’ve noticed that shows in the US often go way beyond that episode count, both funny ones and serious dramas. It’s mostly because once they hit around 100 episodes, they start making really good money from being re-run on TV and streaming – that’s a huge incentive!

Just consider the enormous amounts of money earned by shows like Seinfeld, Friends, and The Office (US) – each made hundreds of millions of dollars – to understand how effective this strategy can be when it really takes off.

I’m not someone who usually advocates simply copying the Americans. However, the British TV industry’s difficulty in creating consistently successful and long-lasting comedies is definitely hurting the genre as a whole.

I recently heard an interesting point in an interview with Jack Rooke, the creator of Big Boys, on TopMob. He suggested that the short length of most British comedies is both a good thing and a drawback when it comes to how well they’re remembered and appreciated internationally.

He began by saying that finishing a project exactly as you envisioned it is a mark of artistic quality, and he praised British comedy for allowing that. He then added that this also highlights a bigger issue: comedy shows often have much smaller budgets than dramas.

It seems like many of our best comedic writers, like Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Michaela Coel, and Jesse Armstrong, are moving towards drama because there’s significantly more funding available for those projects. It would be great to see them return to writing comedy, if possible.

Rooke believes that comedies lasting more than just a couple of seasons would be financially beneficial for their creators, allowing for bigger budgets and more elaborate storylines.

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The way he used the word “ambitious” is important. Usually, when sitcoms continue for a long time in the UK, people see it as pointless or a waste of time, but it doesn’t have to be.

It’s not a natural rule that a TV sitcom has to get worse after running for a while, even though it happens often. The real question is: how can shows avoid that decline?

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As a big TV fan, I always think about why some sitcoms stay funny for so long, and others fizzle out. While the writers definitely play a huge role, it’s not just them. The core idea – the central situation the show revolves around – and, even more importantly, the characters themselves, are what really make or break a show’s longevity. Those elements give the writers something solid to build on, or they can actively work against them.

Many sitcoms, like Rooke’s ‘Big Boys,’ are designed to have a natural ending point. ‘Big Boys,’ based on Rooke’s university life, concludes when the characters graduate, giving the show a defined lifespan.

Some shows could technically continue forever, but don’t have a strong enough reason to. For example, ITV’s Piglets has a general idea that could be updated, but the jokes and characters are so unappealing that most viewers quickly change the channel.

The key to a successful, long-lasting TV comedy isn’t just silly characters in a dull location. It’s about relatable characters who grow and change within a world that feels flexible and responsive.

Creating something truly funny is challenging, but many comedies seem to aim very low. It would be great to see more shows striving for higher quality than programs like Piglets, Queen of Oz, or Mrs. Brown’s Boys – while that last one is popular, it also strongly divides audiences.

Do writers and TV executives have an outdated idea of what makes a successful British sitcom on major channels? As a viewer, it definitely feels like they do.

Shows like Friends, Seinfeld, Only Fools and Horses, Peep Show, and Friday Night Dinner demonstrate that comedies can remain funny and original even after many years, and that’s how they should begin in the first place.

As a big film and TV fan, I completely agree with what Rooke is saying. It makes so much sense for those in charge to be looking for comedy ideas that could really run with something – shows that have the potential to last for years, but without sacrificing the funny or becoming a mess. It’s about finding quality that can sustain itself, not just quick wins.

I’m not suggesting we forget or dismiss critically acclaimed British comedies like Fleabag, This Country, or Chewing Gum – they deserve all the praise they’ve received.

Despite a loss of talent and concerns about funding for British television, it’s important to find the right approach to help British comedy flourish again. Currently, it’s often seen as the least expensive type of scripted programming, and we need to move beyond that perception.

Creating more successful, globally popular shows like ‘Ghosts’ will require real effort and original ideas, instead of relying on predictable characters and cheap jokes that are thought to be generally acceptable.

Don’t overlook seemingly simple ideas – treat every pitch with the same attention, regardless of how ‘high-brow’ it seems. You never know what could become a hit. Just look at Seinfeld, which Netflix bought for half a billion dollars twenty years after it went off the air.

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Authors

David CraigSenior Drama Writer

David Craig writes about TV and streaming drama and comedy for TopMob. Before that, he worked at Starburst Magazine and hosted The Winter King Podcast on ITVX. He’s a journalism graduate from the University of Sheffield.

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2026-03-04 15:41