Social Issues In T. V Comedies

It is often said that the media and the arts are an accurate reflection of any given community. This is especially true in American pop-culture, where television shows depict the various stereotypes attributed to men and women and the roles they play in society. House, a highly popular medical drama that revolves around Dr. Gregory House and his diagnostic team, is a particularly good example as it represents the true state of the traditional gender roles in American culture today by, both, redefining and reinforcing them over the course of the show.

During the 1950’s the culture, trends, and demographics had a huge impact on television production.Leave it to Beaver, a popular sitcom during the 1950’s portrayed family life as it was during that time period. A period of elegance,family significance,and refinement. While watching an episode of Leave it to Beaver I quickly observed the difference

In 1971, New York Times columnist Fred Ferretti wrote an article about a new television series called All in the Family. Ferretti asked, whether or not if racism and bigotry were considered funny and he concluded that it was not and as a result believed that the show was lacking good taste. Apparently, the television viewers of America disagreed. Running from 1971 to 1979, All In The Family wasn’t the first television series to tackle major issues on a major network, but what was innovative about the series, was that is that it hewed its situational comedy from topical issues, and it explored them through characters we got to know and cared about every week. Simply put, All in the Family wasn’t just a great situational comedy; it as was an ongoing national conversation rooted in well-written, well-acted and multifaceted characters.

Imagine, if you will, a time that seemed innocent... almost too innocent. Imagine a nation under whose seemingly conformist and conservative surface dramatic social changes were brewing, changes as obvious as integration and as subtle as fast food. And imagine, if you will, a radical television show that scrutinized, criticized, and most importantly, publicized these changes, making the social turmoil of a nation apparent to its post-world war, self-contented middle-class citizens. But what if this television show was not as it appeared? What if it masqueraded as simple science fiction, and did not reveal its true agenda until viewers took a closer look? Let us examine how

Television is not only pure entertainment, as medium but also more like a way to delivery different kind of massages to the audience. In the earliest days of television, Black people are not seemed to be accepted to be in the television, even they have the role, they often portrayals of pleasing the audience by doing comedies. In Marlon Riggs’ Color Adjustment, Henry Louis Gates, Jr. state that the black urban sitcoms of 1970s represented the greatest potential for representing Black life in television’s history and also the greatest failure; and he gives an example like Good Time. The show represents the black communities across the country, and their situation in realities, also it talks about how they deal with the issues of racism and

Media and technology have such a great impact on society and how we perceive social systems and all the factors tied to them. Television shows have always been prevalent in touching upon topics in society pertaining to an array of things such as color, race, creed, interest group, sexuallity, political/religious affiliation, and many more. As time passes, television shows alter the topics in which they touch upon, as society grows and chances. As society becomes more tolerant and accepting of individuality and differences in beliefs, the television programs that we watch change with them. Even through the development, there are still many prejudices and inconsistencies in our society that cause conflict.

This website introduced popular TV shows that portrayed roles of men and women according to gender norms in the 1950s.

For this paper, I have chosen to analyze the sitcom That 70s Show. This show follows the lives of a group of teenage friends: Jackie, Donna, Hyde, Kelso, Eric, and Fez. The show addresses many social issues of the 1970s, including: Sexism, sexual attitudes, drug use, and the recession. It also highlights many of the inventions and developments of the entertainment industry, such as the remote control and Star Wars.

Many TV shows such as ‘Father Knows Best’ portrayed the ‘man of the house’ with no inner conflict and struggles and always manage to keep the family together. These TV shows showed the ‘man of the house’ in this way due to the need for TV to release stress in the 1950s. With the social tension of cold war and Cuban Missile crises, families used TV shows as an inspiration and escapism for their personal life, thus creating the need for the ‘perfect families’ in the 1950s family sitcom. In the 1960s, ‘man of the house’ characters changed dramatically due to the uprising idea of feminism.

Instead of aggressive humor at other’s expense, men are more drawn to affiliative humor that brings people together through funny & awkward situations.

Desilu’s iconic show “I Love Lucy” did not only break the industry norm for television broadcasting but pushed the envelope for social issues during its time but also open the door for other shows that seemed risky. America was in the post-war era and looked towards the television to stay informed and connected. Television sets were quickly entering homes which became what the radio was in 1920’s. It became a prominent product during the decade of the 50’s, for instance, 3 million TV owners and by the end, there were 55 million. The concept for the situational comedy was nothing out of the ordinary, following a typical housewife, through comedic hijinks, in her everyday life. Lucille’s portrayal of this ditzy schemer did not exactly fit the view of a traditional American 1950’s housewife, revealing the show’s willingness to push social issues. Lucille Ball insisted that her real-life husband Desi Arnaz play her husband in the show. Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz were the first on-screen interracial couple. One of the biggest displays of “I Love Lucy” pushing the envelope was her real-life pregnancy on the show, which at the time

“Friends” is an American television sitcom, which was remembered as one of the most in the television history. It marked a change in American culture and also stood out that a culture where the image of youth has become dominant. The prior sitcoms were aiming to focus on the live of nuclear families that father and mother were the center and knew the best, which represented the generation of Baby Boomer. In contrast, “Friends” centered on the characters’ own lives with angst, ambition, fluid notion of family, and youth culture. It was considered a dominant theme on mass sitcoms, which reflected a mainstream trend in the society. A generation X represented that the young people would not be better of than its parents.

Television has always portrayed the culture of the time and in the 1950s a very domestic picture was painted. Family, marriage, and an obedient housewife were all a common factor in sitcoms during this time. Contrary to popular belief, sitcoms in the 1950s rarely portrayed men as loving, doting, patriarchs, but rather as distant providers of the family with stick and stern rules for both their children and wife. (Anderson, 2012). Although television has changed rapidly since the 1950s I argue that the representation of men in sitcoms have evolved very little over time. Using both sitcoms from the 1950’s and today I plan to prove that an emphasis on masculinity and male dominance have remained a common underlying theme since

Do you know what your kids are watching on TV these days? My topic is What is the social and emotional state of good TV shows vs bad TV shows. I think my topic is important because TV is very influnetly to children. There are many positive aspects of good TV shows. It can promote early reading, teach songs, and teach good values children need in life. The negative aspects of bad TV shows are that it can teach children bad language, violence, and inappropriate behavior. As a teacher I can encourage positive behavior inside and outside of the classroom.

Sitcoms have been one of the most popular and influential television genres for years on end. From some of the oldies like I Love Lucy to some of the more recent ones like New Girl , this genre succeeds in appealing to all people through eye catching drama, witty comedy, and lighthearted romance. Almost all viewers are guilty of singing their favorite theme songs or throwing out some popular catchphrases from some of their beloved characters on the show. The television show Friends, which aired in 1994, is still one of the most watched sitcoms in history. Even though the show ended in 2004, reruns still play on T.V and Netflix has even added the show to its database because of its undying popularity. Even a bit older than Friends, Full House aired its first episode in 1987 and its last in 1995. This shows popularity and influence prompted a continuation of the show, Fuller House, that is currently in production more than twenty years later. Both sitcoms of Friends and Full House demonstrate how the sitcom genre, along with the sub-genres associated with it has had and continues to have a tremendous influence on pop culture.