One of the most evident characteristics of the TV sitcom is its use of the fourth wall. The fourth wall refers to a invisible wall between the character world and the audience world, which separates the two, leaving the characters "unaware" of the peeping Tom audience. In production terms, there is no tangible fourth wall as it is in this opening where the cameras and crew are set up, pointing towards the action contained within the other material 3 walls. The fourth wall allows the sitcom to create a world of its own, paralleling our own world. In other words, since the sitcoms ignore the audience, it is as if it actually exists and we just happen to be looking in to their window. The fourth wall is used across the board for TV sitcoms with the exception of "Mockumentary" shows like the office. In shows such as this, the characters actually speak out to the audience and reveal their feelings to its faithful viewers. This is called breaking the fourth wall.
See? There's nothing unusual about Dwight addressing us.
How does the fourth wall function within the sitcom?
The fourth wall functions in the following ways:
- It separates the characters from the audience. This gives the sitcom a sense of realism, and tricks the audience into believe the lives of the characters within the show.
- It contains the emotion of the characters. Since the characters do no speak out to the audience, the latter doesn't exactly know what the character is always thinking or feeling, unlike the characters in the office. Since the characters do not speak to us directly about their emotions, we are kept guessing as to "what's coming next?".
- The fourth wall allows the TV world to be integrated into contemporary society, in a way. For example, shows like Friends or Gossip girl employ the forth wall. Since their characters seem to carry on normally, it is not hard to imagine that Rachel, Ross, Serena, and Blair actually do live in New York and have established lives there.
- The fourth wall also gives the audience a broad look at the show. It allows us to always be looking into their lives. This serves as a form of dramatic irony, since we the audience can see what's going on with each character simultaneously, while the characters themselves do not always know what their fellow characters are doing, feeling, etc.
- Having a fourth wall does bring the audience closer ( since we're practically spying the characters) but at the same time, it pushes the audience away. There are times where the audience might know the solution to a certain character's problem but is unable to communicate it to the character itself (obviously) and the character is unable to "emotionally unload" while addressing the audience (like it happens in shows like the Office).
- The fourth wall can also increase the level of connection between the audience and the characters. Because the audience is looking in to every aspect of the character's lives, we feel like we truly know these characters. Therefore, since we "know everything about them", it is easy to connect to certain characters and to know what's right and what's wrong for them.
- Essentially, the fourth wall brings the show to life because it makes it possible for the sitcom to mimic reality.
Example of the Fourth Wall in a sitcom:
One of the few TV shows I used to watch is Friends. This sitcom is the perfect example of the use of the fourth wall in the following ways (corresponding to my previous list):
- NY, especially the apartment where the friends gather uses the fourth wall. The characters never address or acknowledge the audience, thus making the show believable. It is easy to imagine that apartment and those friends actually living in NYC.
- It contains certain emotions of certain characters, as seen with Rachel. Since she doesn't speak her mind to the audience, the latter is left wondering, "Does she love Ross? Are they ever going to get back together? Does she regret breaking up with him?"
- The show uses a believable, realistic setting: an apartment in NYC, which immediately allows the audience to believe that they actually live there.
- There is ton of dramatic irony as we know every detail of the characters' lives and shenanigans. For example, we the audience know that Chandler and Monica are dating. For many episodes, none of the other friends know about their relationship, and the episodes themselves revolve around them trying to hide their relationship from them...but we know.
- The fourth wall does put up a wall between the characters and the audience. Rachel does not look directly at the screen and talk about her feeling for Ross. She just copes with it by herself, and we are unable to help her just as she is unaware that we would like to help her.
- We are brought in closer through the fourth wall because we know the characters so well. When Rachel doesn't get together with Ross, we just want to shake her and say "Get back together with him. He loves you. Trust me, its what's best for you". We also feel like encouraging Ross every time Rachel turns him down.
- Lastly, the events that these friends go through are realistic enough for us to mistake it as reality. The show's long run allowed people across the globe to identify and grow to love all the characters in Friends. Each person has his or her favorite, and we all feel (those who watch Friends) like we know them down to their very core. The fourth wall allows such intense realism, that fans wouldn't be surprised if they ever bumped into Ross, Phoebe, Rachel, Joey or Monica at the coffee shop at NYC.
Pictures from Google images.
Video from Youtube.
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