When I was younger, television was rich with sitcoms fit for family viewing. I fondly remember TGIF on ABC: shows like Webster, Diff'rent Strokes, Perfect Strangers, Full House, Family Matters, Boy Meets World, and the most recent Hope and Faith. I also remember a plethora of other shows from Growing Pains to Just the Ten of Us, to even the Golden Girls! Those were sitcoms I was able to sit in front of the television with my family and enjoy our time together. Sitcoms that were funny yet had a message to teach by the end.
Flash forward to present time. Recently my friend Jen/"cacklesforall" wrote a blog about the state of the sitcom, that they are still around and funny (at least CBS's). I have no problems with that. My problem is that I have trouble finding one that is still family friendly. Because of said problem, I don't watch many of them anymore. The last two were "According the Jim" and "2 and 1/2 men". First of all, I would NEVER treat "2 and 1/2 men" as family friendly let alone young adult friendly. Some of those jokes are so dirty, I get embarrassed if I happen to be watching it with one of my parents. I did have hope for "According to Jim" though. Honestly people, wouldn't you think it was for kids? It's on ABC (a subsidiary of Disney) and even stars children. But a recent episode had Uncle Andy boasting how many times he "made it" with is girlfriend, had a scene in which Jim was misunderstandingly soliciting "gay relations" in an airport restroom, and the entire episode had Jim attempting to "get it on" with his wife (who was only in town for the weekend). I couldn't believe it! Definately not kid friendly TV.
Some may say that the Disney channel is ripe and overflowing with the family sitcom. That may be true. But why has network television lost all of its values to a point that a show in which you would figure be G rated, became PG to PG-13. Maybe the problem stems even more socially than I thought. Has the status of the child changed that much so they are desensatized to such vulgar dialogue? Or do the networks feel that the Disney channel must single-handedly carry the torch?
Comments
dicepics 02/25/08
I think that cable networks have definetly had an impact on the family show. I have a four year old and we turn to Disney and Noggin for programs.
I also think you should be more offended by the quality of According to Jim then the content. That is one really bad show.
danielletbd 02/25/08
Recently I did a canvas called "Growing Up With 90s TV" in which I used images from all of the television shows that "raised me." Most were those types of sitcoms, and I couldn't help but notice the great divide between kid-friendly programming of "back in the day" versus now. What happened to NBC's Saturday morning of "SBTB," "California Dreams," "Hang Time," and "City Guys?" Why has only Disney and Nick evolved the tween programming when it's a HUGE moneymaker?
I definitely think the cynicism of audiences is changing, which is why traditional sitcoms have gone out the door and the few that are left are deemed as tragically unfunny... but in a way, I think it's a positive thing: nontraditional families are better represented on television now. Kids today won't question why there's no daddy in the picture of a certain television show or why mommy and daddy don't look the same in another.
As far as desensitized kids... well, I don't necessarily agree that a kid can't watch a show like "According to Jim." It's just like how we watched "The Simpsons" (oh, okay, and how kids still do that today): some of the jokes we laugh at and others go over our heads. "Friends" was hands down my favorite show when it debuted in 1994, but I was ten when it hit airwaves, and I know even some of their zingers were too adult for me (When Ross and Rachel are about to sleep together for the first time, for instance, in the museum, she says: "Oh, honey, that's okay," and he says: "No, you just rolled over on the juicebox." At ten, I came up with my own idea of what that whole exchange meant, and only two or three years later when I caught a rerun did I realize what she REALLY thought happened.
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