Sitcoms, or situation comedies, in which a humorous storyline is wrapped up within a single episode, is now the dominant format in Vietnam, screened during prime time and picking up solid reviews online.

A scene from the sitcom Goc Pho Muon Mau

Many film and TV commentators, however, said local sitcoms were lacking in artistic quality, with poor content and scripting.

“Despite the large number of sitcoms now being produced locally, quality is still a challenge,” screenwriter Chau Tho said.

Experienced scriptwriters for sitcoms awere in short supply, she said, and those charged with writing an episode often failed to leave an impression on viewers.

Of a similar mind, director Nguyen Thanh Vinh said that due to a shortage of good scriptwriters and dedicated studios, sitcoms just couldn’t meet quality standards despite an abundance of quantity.

“Many have been produced to resemble nonsensical game shows,” he said.

Some critics even complain that sitcoms are sometimes simply too long, at 45 minutes an episode, which is more suited to a drama, while others are too short, at just five or ten minutes an episode.

There’s a balance to be struck, they say, between spending too much time setting up the premise of an episode and rushing through the story to squeeze an episode into a ridiculously short amount of time.

Most actors in sitcoms, meanwhile, are “hot girls” or “hot boys”, who might look good on screen but have no idea about acting.

Gia Dinh La So 1 (Family Is No 1), now on TV, seeks humour in conflicting situations within a family. Each episode runs for about eight minutes, but almost half of that is advertising, which many viewers find annoying.

Another sitcom, Can Ho 69 (Apartment 69), was heavily advertised prior to its arrival, but when the first episode was broadcast on YouTube it upset many with its erotic images and dialogue that seemed to advocate unhealthy practices.

Such was the level of distaste that it was fined VND10 million (US$430) by cultural authorities, with the producer required to remove the episode from YouTube and to scrap all other episodes.

Very few Vietnamese sitcoms, it seems, have truly impressed local viewers or critics.

When Nhung Nguoi Doc Than Vui Ve (Happy Singles) -- regarded as the first Vietnamese sitcom -- was initially screened in 2008 it attracted plenty of viewers. As the series dragged on, though, its viewer numbers tumbled. A year later it was off the air.

While sitcoms are still being made in Vietnam, they’re not known for picking up TV industry awards.

Actor Huy Khanh once said, “The film industry in the south is declining, while dramas are popular in the north. Many dramatic actors in the south are unemployed or have had to find other jobs to earn a living, like being in game shows or acting in sitcoms ...”

Indeed, professional actors often join the chorus of those complaining about the quality of sitcoms.

But private production companies and producers are actively co-operating with directors to improve quality, with scripts coming from selected Vietnamese scriptwriters.

In early July, the BHD Company held casting sessions in Hà Nội and HCM City for a culinary TV sitcom called Can Bep Tinh Yeu (Love Kitchen), a project from producer Nguyen Phan Quang Binh and two young directors, Hieu Vick and Vu Hong Duong.

Set in a Vietnamese restaurant, the show depicts love and relationships between co-workers in a warm yet spicy and humorous manner.

According to BHD’s media representative Nguyen Tuan, producer Nguyen Phan Quang Binh is known as “cool” among young directors.

“Bình working with the two young directors is expected to result in a high quality and attractive programme,” he said. “Hieu Vick used to be in the sitcom 5s Online, which has a good reputation among young people.”

Nguyen Tuấan Anh, a director at the Smart Med Company, which has produced a number of sitcoms, once said that the format was suitable for young people with limited time who want to be entertained and to see themselves depicted on the TV screen. Sitcoms also reach viewers quite easily as they are re-broadcast regularly.

Unlike a drama series, viewers can miss an episode here and there and still generally know what’s happening with the characters, according to Anh.

Sitcoms are also favoured by TV stations, as they can be used to link longer TV programmes together and are easy to promote among potential advertisers.

And producers like them too, as the necessary investment is smaller than for other formats while the return comes faster.

Viewers have long been pleased with VTV3’s 5.30pm and 9pm timeslots, when sitcoms such as Sac Mau Phai Dep (Colours of Women) and Goc Pho Muon Mau (Colorful Street Corner) are screened, while 8.15pm is a popular time on VTV2, with Ba Chàang Ngoc (Three Idiots) and Bạn Thân (Best Friend).

VTV6 and VTV9, meanwhile, have had success from broadcasting sitcoms such as Chung Cu Loan Truyen, Ca Phe Tu Te, Gia Dinh Het Say, and Ngoi Nha Teen Am.

Cong Ty Osin Quoc Dan (Housekeepers), a new sitcom depicting the lives of young women working as home help, was released recently to keep viewers relaxing during the COVID-19 outbreak.

The 50-episode show, which airs on Thursdays and Fridays at 10.30pm on HCMC Television, features rural villagers from the Mekong Delta coming to the city to work as housekeepers for rich families. It takes place in the large home of a wealthy businessman.

According to its director Quoc THuan, making a quality sitcom is much more difficult than making TV dramas.

“They are quite short but every minute must be funny,” he said, adding that he hoped the show would be a success.

The presence of well-known producers with success in other shows, such as MT Pictures, Vietcomfilm, Song Vang, and BHD, in the sitcom market is hoped to result in quality improving substantially in the very near future.

VNS

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