Season 1, Episode 5

1. A Family Matter

American sitcoms have evolved to reflect the changing face of the fundamental social "situation" -- family.

2. Sex & the Sitcom

Americans' changing attitudes toward sex, women's rights and gender identity have been mapped out with remarkable clarity on the sitcom screen.

3. Just Friends

By the 1990s, sitcoms about friendship became the vital force driving the genre -- and in many ways, pop culture.

4. Working for Laughs

Sitcoms evolved in endlessly humorous ways as Americans' relationship with their jobs changed.

5. Facing Race

Pioneering sitcom creators and stars have opened viewers' minds to the problems of racial injustice and representation.

6. Movin' on Up

The American Dream of social mobility is so often beyond reach that sitcoms use humor to help audiences find laughter in the struggles.

7. Freaks, Geeks & Outsiders

Sitcom characters who are outsiders have given viewers permission to laugh at their own foibles in relatable ways.

8. Escaping Reality

What sitcoms offer an escape from -- and what visions they escape to -- reveal insights into the American psyche.

1. A Family Matter

American sitcoms have evolved to reflect the changing face of the fundamental social "situation" -- family.

2. Sex & the Sitcom

Americans' changing attitudes toward sex, women's rights and gender identity have been mapped out with remarkable clarity on the sitcom screen.

3. Just Friends

By the 1990s, sitcoms about friendship became the vital force driving the genre -- and in many ways, pop culture.

4. Working for Laughs

Sitcoms evolved in endlessly humorous ways as Americans' relationship with their jobs changed.

5. Facing Race

Pioneering sitcom creators and stars have opened viewers' minds to the problems of racial injustice and representation.

6. Movin' on Up

The American Dream of social mobility is so often beyond reach that sitcoms use humor to help audiences find laughter in the struggles.

7. Freaks, Geeks & Outsiders

Sitcom characters who are outsiders have given viewers permission to laugh at their own foibles in relatable ways.

8. Escaping Reality

What sitcoms offer an escape from -- and what visions they escape to -- reveal insights into the American psyche.