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Well I never go outside in real life, so I don't think it's that strange lol. Basically sit in my apartment all day (I work from home) and only go out if I need to pick up food.

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Work from home? How?

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I think it is just a budget saving device to only have a couple of standard sets they can use over and over. It does feel somewhat claustrophobic though.
The Simpsons is animation so it doesn't cost them any more to draw an outdoor scene than an indoor scene.

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Budget constraints is the first thing I thought of. The logistics of setting up equipment, getting clearance to film, crowd and/or traffic control, noise concerns - never mind the potential for inclement weather - and it's no wonder they avoid leaving the studio. With a TV series they likely can't afford the time it would take for all that, either. Even feature film crews are under pressure when bad weather delays shooting schedules.

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Brit sitcoms Do have a lot of outdoor scenes. I love to see as much of the neighborhoods and countryside as possible, 'cause I doubt seriously I'll ever be able to visit.

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I think so, too. Sitcom tourist here.

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does Coronation Street go outside ??? I haven't watched it in 25 years.

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Yes house settings can become old. I like getting to know the community and people in it like all on the family.

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The usual formula is to have a home set and some public set ) a bar, restaurant, bowling alley, etc). Occasionally also a workplace set. That lets them write more scenes with the community.
Happy Days has Al's Diner
Seinfeld has a diner set
Friends has the coffee shop
Frasier has a coffee shop
(in addition to the home set on each show)

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I doesn't bother me that much. It creates a certain familiarity, I feel. Once a week you're invited into the characters' home (or whatever the setting is) for half an hour. If I really like the characters, I don't mind being stuck in their house. But a bit of variety is always welcome.

With older sitcoms, I always found the contrast between the indoor and outdoor footage distracting. That took me out of the show a bit. But now, I don't mind it when they go outside. And it depends what kind of sitcom it is.

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Never thought about it until now. I still don't care. Maybe next if i ever watch a sitcom again then perhaps. Seinfeld and Arrested Development had many different locations, and they are my favorites.

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I find it irritating also. Especially because comedy is such a vibrant, fluid thing, and it always works so much better when the actors are forced to change with the scenery. When a cast is stuck in one room, and move only to one or two other rooms, and are mostly sitting down delivering lines, the story lines always become stagnant and it's kind of suffocating. I feel like this is why the first three seasons of Community worked so well, especially the paintball episodes. There was that air of unpredictability and the 'what-next' excitement factor.

I also feel like this is why I like shows like Supernatural. Not a sitcom I know (although it can be quite funny). But the main characters move around a lot and shoot on location a fair bit, so you can breathe while you're watching. There's natural air and light in the scenes, which adds believeability.

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