Television Shows
Since the 1950s, television has become an increasingly vital part of life, providing both an escape from the pressures of everyday life as well as offering social commentary. Television shows that center on family life have historically been among some of the highest-rated shows. One of the reasons why these shows are among the most popular are that they reflect the realities of actual families and family problems yet do so in a unique and refreshing way. In order to understand the role of television in explaining family structures, it is necessary to compare television shows from the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s with contemporary television shows.
TELEVISION SHOWS COMPARED
There are numerous similarities and differences between television shows of the 1950s, 1970s, and 1980s that center on family life and television shows depicting contemporary families and family forms. In general, television shows have adapted to reflect changing family structures, typical and atypical family life, social constructions, etc. Television shows both reflect and distort the realities of actual families and family problems in each era.
During the 1950s, television shows that centered on family life generally portrayed an idyllic picture, one of balance and harmony. Some of the most popular family shows during the 1950s were the Andy Griffith Show, I Love Lucy, Leave it to Beaver, and My Three Sons. The common theme...
In most (if not all) of the family-centered shows of the 1950s, the family was depicted as nuclear (i.e., a father and a dad, white picket fence, two kids, etc.). For the most part, this was true of actual family life. Problems were few and far between in these television shows and generally took the form of the
children acting out a prank. Upon discovery of the prank, the father figure would usually sit down with the child and calmly and rationally explain why the prank was wrong based on a set of moral principles.
In the 1970s, television shows focused on family life were somewhat more progressive, especially when it came to reflecting the changing roles and growing independence of women. Popular family-oriented television shows during the 1970s were All in the Family, the Brady Bunch, Little House on the Prairie, the Partridge Family, and Rhoda. Generally these shows reflected the nuclear family as well as society at that time. For example, shows like All in the Family did not gloss over the fact that a
war was going on or that
youth were increasingly taking
drugs and becoming more politically and socially active. Likewise, shows like Rhoda showed the struggle that
women had between wanting to become educated and enter the
workforce yet desiring to be the "model housewife."
During the 1980s, television…
