The sitcom and the formulaic premise

From the "The Big Bang Theory" to "Modern Family", situation comedy is hot this television season. In Chapter 9, Silverblatt discusses genre and how different elements of a formula can be identified to help you decipher which genre you are looking at. He also talks about how these aspects can make shows familiar and easily recognizable to the viewer.

Take a look at this clip from "The Big Bang Theory"

Now think about the section of the text that addresses illogical premise. If the audience asks themselves "Is this logical? Is a individual truly going to attempt to solve his problem by developing a friendship algorithm?" the answer is most likely no. The character of Sheldon is a stereotype, he is a over-simplified example of what society might call a "nerd" or a "geek". His actions are an exaggeration, but it is the exaggeration that adds the comedic element for the audience to enjoy.

Some assumptions that are underlying this premise are that:

1. Highly intelligent people have a difficult time making friends (certainly this is something we see Shledon struggle with here and if you view the show you will find week after week)
2. Highly intelligent people do not understand the nuances of human behavior (Sheldon believes that making friends can be broken down into a decision chart that will ultimately yield a positive result)
3. Highly intelligent people always believe there is a scientific answer to any problem (By making the decision chart Sheldon does not recognize that his demeanor might be a problem in his making friends, he simply sees a problem that he believes he can solve by developing a theory and testing it)

The audience knows that not all people who hare highly intelligent struggle with social interactions, although all the main male characters of this show do to varying degrees. However, it is that lack of ability to relate, the confusion that lies in the miscommunication which allows for the show to tell essentially the same story every week in a slightly different way. The audience accepts the premise in order to maintain the established order of the show each week.

Are there other elements of this or other situation comedies that you see fitting into the aspects of formula that Silverblatt discussed? Think about premise, structure, plot, characters, setting and trappings.