LOS ANGELES — Oscar-winning actress Jamie Lee Curtis recently revealed that despite admiring the hit comedy series New Girl, she thoroughly disliked the experience of filming it.
Curtis, who played Joan Day—the eccentric mother of Zooey Deschanel’s character, Jess—clarified that her frustration wasn’t with the script or her castmates, but rather with the traditional single-camera production format.
The Silent Set Problem: Why Single-Camera Sitcoms Felt “Awful”
Speaking during a panel for her upcoming NBC multi-camera sitcom Newlyweds, the veteran star reflected on the key differences between TV comedy formats:
- No Live Audience Feedback: Unlike live-audience sitcoms where actors get immediate feedback from laughing spectators, single-camera sets require strict silence from the crew.
- Movie-Like Pacing: Curtis explained that single-camera shoots feel identical to movie sets—long hours, continuous technical setups, and a quiet atmosphere.
- Missing the Energy: “It’s a good show, very funny,” Curtis noted, “but doing it is just like doing a movie. You’ve got a camera crew, and nobody laughs. They are silent, and it’s awful, for me. Single-camera comedy is not fun.”
“I love the whole part of a live sitcom—the dance with the cameras, the idea that you actually get to rehearse something, work it, learn a joke, and play it to an audience.” — Jamie Lee Curtis
Having spent years asking her agents for a traditional multi-camera sitcom role, Curtis has embraced her new project Newlyweds, where she can finally perform in front of a live crowd.
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