The traditional sitcom – the staple of American television – is dead.

A decade ago, there were 13 sitcoms in the Nielsen Top 30 television ratings.

Now, there is one: “Two And A Half Men.” The days of laugh-tracks, unforgettable theme songs and the polite reminder that the show was taped in front of a live studio audience seem to be over. Now, the saving grace for sitcoms includes a washed-up Charlie Sheen and Ducky from “Pretty in Pink.”

Why has this happened? Why are the days of pop culture royalty such as “Seinfeld,” “Friends” and “Cheers” over?

Perhaps John Stamos prefers inhabiting an “E.R.” rather than a “Full House.”

Maybe Tim Allen likes playing Jolly Ol’ Saint Nick rather than fumbling with tools, but where is Urkel at?

In years past, it was common for a massive influx of sitcoms to debut every new season. I grew up with “Saved By The Bell,” “Boy Meets World” and “Family Matters,” among others.

TGIF didn’t mean “Thank God it’s Friday,” it meant there was a new block of television on ABC where you could see the hilarious antics of your favorite sitcom families such as the Tanner’s and Winslow’s.

In the ’90s, sitcoms were a massive hit. When legendary shows such as “Friends” and “Everybody Loves Raymond” permanently left airwaves in the last couple of years, sitcoms went through a steep decline.

There are only six sitcoms left on television, with four of them on CBS, and one of them being good. “How I Met Your Mother” is a hybrid of “Seinfeld” and “Friends,” and it’s the only entertaining show of the lot.

There is no clear, concise answer as to where all these sitcoms have gone. It’s a multitude of things that have halted production and with the current trend, sitcoms may become extinct.

One large factor is the constant overflow of reality television that has caused the sitcom to decline. Sitcoms have 22-episode seasons and, according to The New York Times, cost $1.2 million to produce. A reality show can run for half as many episodes, achieve higher ratings and save half of the production costs.

It’s apparent with high-rated shows such as “Dancing With The Stars” and “American Idol” that the reality-based game show format is a success and doesn’t seem to be leaving anytime soon.

Maybe the sitcom seems cheap and unoriginal. Comedy shows that use a single camera and shoot on-location like “The Office,” “30 Rock” and “Curb your Enthusiasm” are a little bit more edgy and envelope-pushing than traditional sitcoms.

Yet these shows still carry out the same methodical approach as multi-camera sitcoms. Every show has the same core characters who are placed in new and funny situations every week without the corny feel of a television set in a studio.

Ideally, this is just a trend.

Over the years, the sitcom has evolved from the cookie-cutter, good-natured “I Love Lucy” to the bizarre and frightening escapades of a cat-eating alien in “ALF.” The sitcom has always tried to be edgy, “The Honeymooners” had issues that were controversial for its time, but in comparison to any episode of “Seinfeld,” it’s incomparable.

For the sitcoms that are still surviving, their future is bleak. It’s only a matter of time before all sitcoms disappear, and that is something that the average viewer cannot allow.

There is a void left by the absence of traditional American sitcoms. There is no doubt I would trade in a group of pretentious and melodramatic doctors such as those on “Grey’s Anatomy” for a lovable American family whose misadventures put a smile on my face.

At least we still have the solace of “Nick at Nite.”