According to long-standing conventions, there are specific genre differences that identify sitcoms from dramas in television. Typically sitcoms are half-hour, episodic situation based that are somewhat absurd; dramas tend to be hour-long and have a more seasonal theme that tries to mimic reality. Genres help audiences know what to expect, and creators know what rules of thumb to follow when making products such as TV shows. A show that has blurred the line between the two is the sitcom Glee, which uses a different format and therefore creates changes to the genre.
Glee follows a much more seasonal theme sequence throughout the show, as a pose to an episodic one. Also, it analyzes these themes in an hour-long broadcast as a pose to a half-hour one. In this sense, it follows a traditional drama's structure. However, even though the themes are 'realistic' ones, such as teen identification issues, coming-of-age, bullying and self-identification, the way the show explores these is a very comedic manner that usually relies on hyperbolic settings. Characters often overreact to situations and serious actions, such as the bullying seen by coach Sue Sylvester, are turned into comedy.
Furthermore, the seriality of the show is much more drama-like. The entire first season concentrated on the Mr. Schue's effort to unify the Glee club and get them to win at the sectionals competition. Instead of basing every episode on an issue and answering the issue as well as demonstrating a moral message. The relationship of Finn and Rachel is an example; it is spanned over several episodes on both the first and the second season but it does not give have a specific overall message regarding relationships because it concentrates on the dramatic aspect of the relationship. A show like Modern Family usually presents a problem about relationships at the beginning of the show, and by the end it clarifies what the issue was and the way it was resolved. Glee does not do that.
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