Filmed before a live studio audience

According to Jim, the ABC sitcom starring Jim Belushi and Courtney Thorne-Smith, chronicled the challenging relationship between a stubborn but charming husband and his wife and children in the Chicago suburbs. After eight seasons, the ABC stalwart came to an end last month with little fanfare. But the show's demise marks a significant moment in television history - the end of the era of the "studio" situation comedy.

Studio comedies were identified with tag s like "From Television City in Hollywood" or "Filmed before a live studio audience." Studio comedy's typically utilized three cameras, and a single, multi set studio production stage, even for "exterior" scenes. The technique was first utilized in the 1950's for the I Love Lucy show.

For more than 40 years after Lucy, TV's most memorable comedies including Happy Days, Laverne & Shirley, Roseanne, Home Improvement, Fresh Prince of Bel Aire and Reba all utilized the three-camera, studio format with laugh track and applause provides by audiences of usually 60-100 people. According to Jim was the only remaining show filmed in the format.

As television audiences adapt to new technologies and new trends, the live studio audience, conversations around the couch, and that not-so-subtle wooing during those hot kisses are being replaced by cinema-esque shows such as 30 Rock and The Office which use a single camera style and are often filmed on studio back lots or on location.

The sitcom format itself can also be described as an endangered species. When the 1979 TV season began, the three networks had more than 28 thirty minute situation comedies on their schedules. The 2009 TV season starts with 16 total thirty minute comedies on the five major TV networks. Sitcoms are also difficult to prove to be true ratings grabbers with shows like American Idol, Dancing with the Stars, and Survivor conquering the Nielsen ratings.