New York, York! The Big Apple continues to be a popular setting for sitcoms. Why this particular city, you may ask? Doesn't America have loads of states buzzin' with inner city hubs?
Well, there's a lot of things about New York that make it a perfect setting for small screen sitcom storytelling. And frankly, a great place to live. Sure, I've never actually been to New York (or the US, if you wanna keep it real!), but I've watched A-LOT of television. I'm very down with the NY scene. Really. 4 SHIZZLE.
Let's start with the people of this great US city that makes everyone think of fruit...
POPULATION: ECCENTRIC. That's right. Apparently New York is the kook capital of America. Remember that weird kid from family gatherings? Chances are, he moved to the Big Apple after graduation. Seinfeld pretty much based his entire show on the 'specialness' of New York personalities. To some degree, this is true of a lot of NY-based sitcoms. Seems the streets are overflowing with sassy and strange characters. What's not to love, right?
To be frank, New Yorkers have attitude. (I rarely use that phrase because someone always yells "You're Frank?" Very HA HA. Really). They're brash, confident, and more than a litt-le self-absorbed. (For examples, see every-sitcom-ever-set-in-NY).
But hey, who doesn't enjoy the company of the occasional, sort of borderline sociopath? (Well, more than occasional, when you look at sane-to-not-so-sane character ratios per New York based program.) Still, am I right, or am I right?
Really, most NY people are just very individual.
Workers in the food and hospitality industry are not immune to this city-wide quirk, which is a bit of a downer. Service in the Big Apple can be more personality than hospitality. The infamous Soup Nazi is a prime example.
Years later, this continued tradition of less-than-best NY service is also celebrated in 2 Broke Girls (which is basically The Odd Couple, except one has cupcakes and the other has bling).
On the upside, if you're a foodie, here's some good news... People in New York eat a LOT. Yep, they like to chow down. Food, coffee, booze, always within grabbing distance. Either that, or they're about to go out and source (sauce?) some. I'm not sure why everyone's so ravenous (maybe it's all the walking?), but New York is definitely a city brimming with hungry people.
In terms of transportation, the subway is only really used by the poor and the weird. Probably because, for some unknown reason, underground transportation riles people up. In sitcoms, almost every subway outing involves some kind of confrontation/weird conversation with a slightly crazed commuter. From what I can tell, this is because doors regularly close on people, or refuse to open (which doesn't seem very efficient), and there are never enough seats. That kinda crap can turn people PRIMAL.
Basically, most New Yorkians try not to use it, also 'cause you can never be too sure what's roaming around down in those tunnels... (This one's not technically a sitcom, but still!).
On a random note, let's talk about interiors. Truth is, New Yorker's like to LOUNGE. They are obsessed with sofas slash couches (same dif). No matter how rich or poor, if you live in the Big Apple, you'll have a sofa sitting centre stage in your home/apartment/place of work.
Walk in a door anywhere, and, bam! There it is. Thanks to Friends, we know even coffee shop's have sofas... Actually, the mayor's office in that old chestnut, Spin City, had one too.
In fact, an entire storyline in Friends was dedicated to Ross buying a couch (a piece of furniture that practically became a co-star during the episode, what with all the close-ups and screen time. Total scene stealer).
Amorous types will be happy to hear it's all good news on the lurrvve (ie getting laid) front. The dating options in New York are (almost) LIMITLESS, an endless whirlpool of available hotties. Didn't work out? Don't worry, there are thousands more fish in this cram-packed pond. Dating is a popular recreational past-time for Big Apple-ians, and as a result, some citizens have a (not that official) Phd in Picking Up.
Unfortunately, this can lead to questionable encounters. New York is a pretty diverse place. While there's undoubtedly a lot of opportunities to enjoy the multi-cultural experience, take care around (CARICATURED) Australians.
If fame is your thing, you'll be happy to hear celebrities are everywhere. Bathrooms, elevators, restaurants, the fake cafe you created in the hallway outside your apartment. Seriously, they pop up willy-nilly. I get the impression there are more celebrities in New York than there are in Los Angeles... just roaming the streets, wild and free. The Big Apple is their natural habitat. A protected reserve, if you will. Like a Fame Zoo.
In summary, New York is both an excellent setting for sitcoms, and a cool place to live. I'm as enamoured with the Big Apple as a person can be (who's never actually been there). No possible way to be bored. Uh uh.
If you do visit the Big Apple as a tourist, consider getting all hardcore, and try something like this. I mean, if you're going to spend a day in the city, why not go 'street'?
