Why Do Sitcoms Always Seem To Peak In Season 2?

Many of the most beloved television episodes in history originate from a sitcom’s second season. These 22-minute pockets of perfection are so firmly entrenched in the zeitgeist that they don’t require any qualifiers: “The Dundies,” “The Chinese Restaurant,” “The One with the Prom Video,” “Itchy & Scratchy & Marge.” For sitcoms, Season 2 is often when something good transforms into something great, which is less by coincidence and more by design.

Creativity is an inexact calculus, but have you ever wondered why so many exceptional sitcom episodes stem from Season 2? There’s no secret scientific formula for success, but there are a variety of factors that help a series reach its creative peak during its second season.

Photo Credit

Hitting That Season 2 Sweet Spot

It’s rare for a TV show to premiere as a fully realized series. Pilot episodes are similar to first dates in that they’re awkward, messy, and hope to leave you wanting more. Cheers is the most famous example of a series that premiered and right off the bat was like, “No notes. We got this,” and even the lovable gang of misfits from Boston would only improve with time. Season 1 is trial and error. Shows search for their creative and ideological footing in hopes of finding their voice. Showrunners discover what’s clicking with their actors and characters while also getting that plodding nuisance known as exposition out of the way.

Season 1 is about learning; Season 2 is about modifying. Good shows use what they’ve absorbed to adapt, while great shows aren’t afraid to completely change course.

Parks and Recreation recalibrated the character of Leslie Knope by focusing on what makes her endearing as opposed to grating and reshuffled the cast by dropping Paul Schneider and adding Adam Scott and Rob Lowe. The Office humanized Michael Scott. Community embraced Gillian Jacobs’ goofier side. New Girl morphed into more of an ensemble comedy.

Season 2 hits that rare sweet spot conducive to creative success. The show has introduced the audience to its world but has yet to be afflicted with the drudgery that comes with producing multiple seasons of television. Season 1 is when the creative team discovers what makes their show uniquely interesting, while Season 2 is all about implementing what worked, eliminating what failed, and heightening the characters, story, and drama to a whole new level.

Familiarity Breeds Liking

Joey Tribbiani is a beloved character. We adore Joey because we know Joey, but imagine introducing this guy to a stranger. “Hey, wanna meet my sandwich-obsessed buddy who constantly brags about sex and won’t stop creepily asking women how they’re doing?” Not exactly the type of dude you want your pal to set you up with. But over the course of the series, the character of Joey goes from a stranger to our F*R*I*E*N*D.

At its core, comedy is all about characters. So much sitcom humor derives from an intimate familiarity with the people we’re watching. Great storytelling stems from characters and interesting characters need time to evolve. Sure, Chandler Bing’s “parachute being a knapsack” quip might be funny, but part of the reason we’re laughing is because that’s such a classic Chandler kind of thing to say.

Television reflects life, and in life, genuine relationships take time to develop.

In Killing Yourself to Live: 85% of a True Story, Chuck Klosterman notes that “Art and love are the same thing: It’s the process of seeing yourself in things that are not you,” which extends to why we watch television. We love the story of Jim and Pam because we can relate to the struggle of the unrequited crush. We root for Ross and Rachel because we’ve all fallen in love with a friend.

There’s a confidence that develops when you know your audience is on board with your characters. The Bluth family are an acquired taste. You can’t go too weird too soon, but once you understand that the audience is willing to go along for the ride, well, say annyong to the wonderful world of possibility.

If Season 1 is the meet-cute between audience and characters, Season 2 is the courtship.

If We’re Gonna Go Out, Let’s Leave Guns Ablazin’

Some of the most beloved sitcoms of all time lived on the bubble. The Office could have been cancelled after Season 1. Seinfeld had a notoriously shaky start. Scrubs, NewsRadio, and Community took up permanent residence in the Kenny Loggins-sponsored Danger Zone. But the same ambiguity that leads to many a sleepless night for showrunners, often incites an audacious approach to storytelling. You’re more inclined to live for today when you’re uncertain about tomorrow.

Season 2 of Community is a diverse masterpiece of fearless storytelling. The mad scientist of comedy Dan Harmon embraced the unconventional plots fans gravitated towards during freshman year and went all in on upheaval for the show’s sophomore season. Here are a smattering of some of the wonderfully absurd stories from Season 2: Greendale students turn into zombies; the Study Group is trapped inside a Kentucky Fried Chicken-themed spaceflight simulator; Abed turns into Robocop; Jeff and Troy discover a magic trampoline; and a bottle episode over a missing pen.

Oh, one last point: THAT’S JUST THE FIRST TEN EPISODES.

Even with the threat of cancellation, a show renewed for a second season is imbued with the confidence to take more risks. Parks and Rec co-creator Michael Schur spoke about this principal during a 2015 interview with Rolling Stone in which he talked about how the series adopted a “go for broke” philosophy that included accelerating storylines due to fear of cancellation.

“So Andy and April, they just started dating, guess what? They’re getting married,” Schur said. “When Greg Daniels and I were writing the pilot at the beginning, we felt like a fun story for the final year would be if Leslie runs for political office. No, that’s happening right now. We wrote as aggressively as we could — that meant we were intentionally writing ourselves into corners, but if it’s a good staff you’ll figure out ways to keep going and keep the world alive.”

Yes, the Andy and April wedding technically took place in Season 3, but it still adheres to the essence of the Season 2 surge. Much like The Office and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Parks and Rec had an abridged first season (just six episodes).

Obviously you can’t apply this principal to every comedy. The Simpsons and Seinfeld went on to produce many of their best episodes after Season 2, but early offerings like “The Chinese Restaurant” and “Homer vs. Lisa and the 8th Commandment” illustrate that the second season is when these classic sitcoms found their voices.

Season 2 is when potential converges with experience to elevate many sitcoms to an all-time level of quality and creativity. Second seasons are the true peak of Peak Tv.

Where to stream The Office