The ghost in the second act. The structural relationship between film and TV sitcoms

This paper examines character actions and traits in the film and TV sitcom using the 1948 film and 1960s TV Series, The Ghost and Mrs Muir as a case study. I posit that the sitcom sits in the second act of the film where the character seeks to change yet is unable to due to a psychological blindness of their ‘situation’. Using clips from both the film and the series, this paper discusses how the sitcom can be developed into a film and further ask the question does it always sit in the second act or can the sitcom/series be developed after the climax and resolution of the stand alone film?