Barry is very quirky, and it’s not a sitcom at all.
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A character not in a sitcom with quirks.
Thank you.
You know, putting aside like the production aspect entirely I’ve always thought of the idea of a “sitcom” as a collection of quirky character types reacting to different situations and each other in them.
So it’s hard for me to imagine that quirky characters are what is killing the genre… If it’s really even dying?
I haven’t been watching TV or streaming anything for a long time but in my case it’s not quirky characters keeping me from watching. I just have a lot of options, hobbies, and only so much time and money.
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The Good Place ended just two years ago, so if the genre is dying, it has happened extremely quickly after one of its finest examples.
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Thinking about the ones I enjoyed in the past, there were shows where average characters had funny or strange events occur, and that fueled the comedy. Others had casts of comedians where the dialogue was funny no matter the type of situation. I like a balance of quirky supporting characters as a foil to the leads, but can understand how a whole cast of quirky characters could be exhausting and difficult to watch.
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If quirky is a spectrum then this describes most every story ever written.
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If quirky is a spectrum that describes every story to varying degrees, not necessarily significant. You could for instance analyse Macbeth as a sitcom if you wanted, it’s just not a very useful way of looking at it.
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So… Don’t? I guess?? Wait… what’s your point? I’m actually confused.
If story is narrative this describes all of human history!
The universe is but a quirky sitcom… And men and women players in it.
Perhaps I simply perceive some beloved characters as more or less quirky tropes themselves?
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Taken to its logical conclusion and you have Seinfeld, or Curb Your Enthusiasm. Both shows about, well, nothing.
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I’ve made that mistake repeatedly as well. Those names are just so similar that at a glance is really easy to get them mixed up. 
Seriously though, there’s plenty of good sitcoms out there. Derry Girls is a great example. So funny and whip smart.
Right? That was another really great one. I was very sad when they called it quits but also glad they ended it on a high note rather than dragging it out until it jumped the shark.
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“could be”
And I didn’t find that cast at all exhausting or difficult to watch. (And “the whole cast” also includes characters who aren’t quirky.)
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I was always impressed at how Schitt’s did not devolve into the Standard Sitcom Scenarios, even after a standard-feeling setup. I was more impressed with how they introduced sweetness, humanity, and growth across most* of the characters, and made me Ugly Cry in the end.
* Except Chris Elliot’s character, who made me despair every time he was on camera.
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Seems like there were two well defined growth arcs… each episode usually had the mini crisis to resolve and learn from, but there was also a longer arc leading to their eventual macro evolution. This macro, longer to solve arc, was obviously designed from the very beginning where I don’t believe typical sitcoms usually plan for.
From what I understand, Ted Lasso had three seasons outlined for each character and there is a definitive story to finish in those three seasons. Ted Lasso was sold to Apple as a three season package/story, where previously it seems like sitcoms would be given a pilot, then a season if lucky, and most often further renewals were ever guaranteed… Sitcoms were written as one season stories.
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I agree, and most(?) modern shows have some degree of continuity, where the classic sitcom could be diced up and syndicated and stuffed with little overall impact to the story – child actors aged up, Darrens got swapped, but most laugh-track-seasoned sitcom of yore lacked change or structure of any kind… on purpose.
I’m glad audiences seem to demand more, even from lighter fare.
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Right? Most of the Schitt’s Creek residents are initially portrayed as pretty, well, normal until you get to know them a little better. (Other than the general lack of bigotry and racism you’d expect in a rural setting.) The Rose family is played pretty straight with their primary “quirk” being how wholly out of touch they are with common folk because of their wealth.
His character had an arc too, though. He may have been wildly unobservant, zero respect for boundaries, and generally inconsiderate but he was never really portrayed a “bad” person. He was always there when needed and did a lot to help the Roses without asking for much in return. (Even though most of the time his “help” wasn’t quite what one would expect/hope.)
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