Fourth Wall

One more thing tangentially related to the premiere of Sit Down, Shut Up: one of the things most commented-upon (apart from the live-action backgrounds) was the fact that the characters on this show actually break the fourth wall at times, saying that they “won’t test well,” or turning to the camera and saying “we’ll be right back.” This is unusual because while comedy cartoon characters have traditionally been very willing to break the fourth wall and admit they’re only fiction, characters in prime-time cartoon comedy are just the opposite. You can count on the fingers of one hand the moments when, outside of Halloween episodes, the Simpsons have talked to the audience or mentioned that they’re on a TV show. (When Homer said “we’ll be right back” before a commercial break in an episode from the 11th season, fans were so shocked that it became a subject of online debate.) Even South Park characters almost never talk to us or otherwise break the fourth wall. You’re more likely to find characters stepping out of the show on a live-action series, like Moonlighting or Boston Legal, than you are on a cartoon.