Boner Burns Down the House

Why do B-stories exist?

In American, half-hour sit-coms, a B-story is a concurrently running storyline which has little or nothing to do with the episode's main story. They are included in almost every sit-com episode yet - while entertaining - they rarely contribute to, or advance, the story. Sometimes, they converge with the main storyline to provide plot-driven comedy, but not often enough to make them necessary.

The question is: Why do non-essential B-stories exist in sit-coms? I received some input from other writers, but I'm still not convinced that a B-story is absolutely necessary to every sit-com episode.

Here's a theoretical example of a typical Growing Pains episode featuring Boner in a B-story:
Due to a mailing mishap, Jason is set to receive the Nobel Peace Prize - but Maggie is kidnapped while abroad, forcing Mike and Carol to master Jeet Kun Do to protect their family. Boner burns down the house.

The B-story is sometimes used as comedic relief, but a sit-com is necessarily comedic. You can present any serious topic or situation, as long as you find the humor in it. If you need comedic relief in a situational comedy, the writing (and/or acting) isn't strong enough to tackle that issue - or the issue may not be one sponsors, producers, or studio networks feel comfortable handling in a humorous fashion.

Another writer noted that B-stories provide sit-coms more "action" - the audience is so energized by all that is happening, they don't have time to consider changing the channel. I had never thought of it that way, but he's right! They are also used to give actors more screen time - I've heard of actors contractually demanding a certain amount of screen time per season or episode, or that their characters be developed into primary castmembers.

Either way, I understand B-stories being used for these purposes - it just isn't always the case. In fact, the B-story usually has absolutely nothing to do with anything - it's just there. It provides little or no character development, contributes nothing to the main plot, does not exist to provide relief from serious discussion, comprises less than two minutes of screen time, and has no lasting consequences (a recognized convention of the sub-genre). So, has a B-story become a convention of the form?

Rom-coms have a meet-cute; horror movies show their victims being brutalized; Victorian novels feature deus ex machina endings - these are conventions of those genres. And, while a teleplay is a form, situational comedy is a sub-genre of Comedy (as are romantic comedies). Is a B-story merely a staple of the sit-com sub-genre - an upheld tradition amongst sit-com writers, like holiday-themed episodes? After all, they tend to be included even as C-stories - again, seemingly only because audiences (or producers, or executives, or sponsors, or the writing room - someone) expects them to be there.

Here's another - totally real - episode synopsis from the '80s sit-com classic, Growing Pains, to illustrate the point:

Jason and Maggie travel to China to argue for Democracy. There, Ben develops a crippling opium addiction, forcing Mike and Carol to use their newfound kung fu skills to rescue him from white slavery. Boner buys a necktie.

Obviously, I'm exaggerating for effect, but the point is: If there isn't enough humor (or action, drama, suspense - whatever it is that keeps audiences interested) in your main story, conventional wisdom suggests you either rethink your concept or punch-up your script - not add a superfluous storyline featuring a background player. And, if you are forced to do so for contractual reasons or due to studio network interference, you should use that opportunity to somehow advance the character, plot, or story (unless it exists solely for comedic relief). Yet they're rarely handled this way; B-stories are often included for no clear reason.

Keeping in mind that "the characters never change" is a recognized staple of the sub-genre, what is the purpose of including a B-story even when it is completely unnecessary? And, is it okay to excise B-stories if the episode works without one, or should we include them because they are an expected convention of the network TV sit-com?

© C Harris Lynn DBA The Weirding, 2017