Episodic Conflicts in "I Love Lucy"

Sitcoms (a shortened way of saying a "situation comedy"), as opposed to sketch and stand up comedy, are usually centered around a specific set of characters in an on-going storyline. The comedy comes from the characters' actions in certain situations. Often, each episode of a sitcom will have something happen to the characters that gets resolved by the end of the show. This post will deal with episodic conflicts in sitcoms, using "I Love Lucy" as an example.

"I Love Lucy" is a sitcom about a Cuban singer/bandleader (Ricky) and his American wife (Lucy) who often goes out of her way to get into show business. Fans of the series know that most episodes are about Ricky doing something and Lucy wanting to be a part of it (but not being allowed to by Ricky). Lucy then tries to think of a way to sneak in to whatever Ricky's doing, but the plan manages to fall apart along the way, with humorous consequences. By the end of the episode the conflict is resolved (but often not how Lucy wanted).

One famous episode was titled "Job Switching". The story goes that Ricky and his friend Fred think that housework is easier than actually having a job. Lucy and Ethel (Fred's wife and Lucy's friend) think otherwise. Each group trades places for the day and it is then that we find Lucy and Ethel in an iconic scene at a candy factory. The women wrap candies, thinking the work was relatively simple, until the coveyer belt the candies are on starts to speed up, leaving them overwhelmed. Not wanting to far behind, Lucy and Ethel eat and hide candies in order not to have them pass unwrapped. Meanwhile, the men try to cook dinner, but end up making a huge mess in the kitchen. In the end both groups have changed their minds about work after going through some embarassing mishaps, and the status quo returns to normal.



Lucy (left) and Ethel (right) are having some trouble...

 The formula for these conflicts is as such: conflict affects character(s), character attempts to resolve conflict, conflict ends before credits roll, with "I Love Lucy" as a fine example of sitcom antics.