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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…
Television in Australia Television itself was quite an invention and made significant changes all around the world. It became common in the United Kingdom and the United States by the end of the Second World War. The American system basically had the commercial system in which government interference wasn't so pronounced. On the other hand, the British system was more government owned and dominated by BBC. The television in Australia has
Television's Depiction Of American Family In The 1950s And 1960s Television depiction of the American family in the 1950s and early 1960s Television has for many years shaped the American society depending on the prevailing circumstances at that time. Ordinarily it is expected that television as a form of art would mimic the real life, but this has not always been true across the eras since at some point, television shaped and
In terms of a feature film like the Spiderman series, there is much revenue to be generated from merchandise, DVD and video sales, tie-in promotions from companies like McDonalds, and spin-off video games. Therefore, the stakes are higher. A feature film producer who has been granted a 200 million dollar budget had better deliver an audience, and deliver it in spades. A telemovie producer, however, working much faster with
Rothwell also mentions the Willie Horton advertisement run against Michael Dukakis in 1988 and the increase in soft money for advertisements in 1996 as instances in which television played a role in the outcome of the presidential election. The author then talks about television as a political medium. Television, she wrote, "prefers images to words, icons to understandings... And arguably, emotion to reason." Rothwell then says that television exaggerates those preferences
Through these episodes, audiences can see the pessimistic attitude that society has expressed with the increase in progress and development of science and technology. Twilight reflects the fearful aspect of science, especially when embodied in a child whose mental powers exceeded the individual's mature capability to control these powers. Quantum demonstrates the troubles an individual went through in order to "correct" and control the effects of his time-space experiment, while,
It said that most parents would support new limits to be established on content of television programs and shows. Approximately half of the surveyed parents and their peers expressed concern that their own children saw what they saw on TV. More Black and Hispanic parents expressed this concern than did white parents. More than three-fourths of them said that inappropriate television and media material worried them the most. Two-thirds