The best episodes of “Sex and the City” are the ones where they are all single. There is nothing more thrilling than watching Carrie, Miranda, Samantha and Charlotte all dressed up, strutting down glittering streets on a night out in the city, looking to find a new love interest. Untethered and unbothered, focused on nothing but the road ahead of them.
Life feels so easy in sitcoms. Every character’s true purpose is entertainment and all their problems are engineered in a writing room. It becomes comforting, falling in love with characters, laughing at the messes they get in, all while knowing that by the end of the episode everything will be alright again. As a sitcom connoisseur since birth, I’ve committed myself to using them as a manifesto for my life. I’m crafting up my dream world, year by year, bit by bit, until I start hearing a laugh track wherever I go. Others romanticise their youth, but I’ve always imagined I would fit in better with the 30, flirty and thriving crowd. My birthday will be this week and I’ll be turning 19. Only 11 more years to go!
Now, here are just some of the life rules set by some of my favorite sitcoms:
Do It For the (B) Plot: In sitcoms, the B-plot is a side storyline that runs alongside the main storyline. It’s often less serious and more outlandish, with characters going on side quests as comedic relief from the more important A-plot. My favorite sitcom, “New Girl,” has been a comfort watch for years and some of my favorite plot lines are B-plots. For example, the best episodes are when Nick goes to the park to meet Tran, an old mute man to ponder his problems and find valuable advice. In an iconic B-plot, the characters of “New Girl” play the complicated drinking game, “True American,” leading to an awkward round of seven minutes in heaven and eventually a spontaneous kiss between the leads, Nick and Jess. In real life, our B-plots are the random things we do outside of our day-to-day lives, and they often lead to things we would never expect. Talk to that stranger at the bus stop. Go to that session of goat yoga. Take a day trip to Alaska. Who knows what could happen! Afterall, life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans.
Start Third Place Rotting: The “Central Perk” is an iconic TV coffee shop, solidifying cafes as a great place to hang with friends. Nearly every episode of “Friends” has at least one scene at the “Central Perk.” A lot of the most important character and relationship development happens there, being a place the friends can go in between work shifts and major plot events. The term “third place” is defined as a social setting outside work, school and home, and is definitely sitcom life approved. It can become so easy to rush home after a long day of classes or after a hard shift at work, wrap yourself up in your blankets while watching Netflix or doomscrolling on Tiktok and not talk to anyone for the rest of the day. In trying to relax or recharge, we’re really just isolating ourselves and missing out on time we could’ve spent building bonds and creating a community. After a long day, choose to recuperate at the library, a park or even your own “Central Perk” with a friend. Sitting silently next to a friend will always be better than sitting silently in your room alone.
Sisters Before Misters: Friendship is a central theme in all sitcoms. Ensemble casts make it easy to fall in love with these characters and become invested in how they interact and develop their relationships with each other. Even though “Sex and the City” is mostly about the different love interests and relationships the main characters go through, there would be no show without the friendship between Carrie, Miranda, Samantha and Charlotte. We should always treat our romantic suitors and flings as a secondary plot point that adds intrigue into our lives, with a devout love for our enduring and most loyal friendships first. Who else will you come home to after an exciting date with an Aidan Shaw, or after a devastating moment with a Mr. Big? As Charlotte says, “Maybe we can be each other’s soulmates. And then we could just let men be these great, nice guys to have fun with!”
Annie Ngo
Copy Editor
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