The situation comedy is an art form; the comedy is the art and the situation is the form. With a unique definition of that classic television genre as developed out of its history on radio, this critical study highlights the best American sitcoms from the 1950s, TV's first decade as a household medium. Everything from I Love Lucy to Dobie Gillis is covered with a rigorous evaluation that seeks to find this formative era's finest episodic samples that most prove the sitcom's inherent artistry.