Evolution of the American Television Family
Television is not just a form of entertainment, but it is an excellent form of study of society's view concerning its families. This study focuses on the history of television beginning in the early 1950s and will run through present day. It examines the use of racial, ethnic and sexual stereotypes to characterize the players of these shows. The examples assist in tracing what has happened to the depiction of the American family on prime time television. It reveals the change of the standards employed by network television as disclosed to the American public. Finally, I will propose the question of which is the influential entity, television or the viewing audience.The Goldbergs, which was originally a radio show, became the first popular family series. It became a weekly TV series in 1949, revealing to Americans a working class Jewish family who resided in a small apartment in the Bronx. The show, while warm and humorous, confronted delicate social issues, such as sensitivity due to the Second World War. It is an excellent example of an ethnic family's status in society.A classic among classics, I Love Lucy appeared on television on October 15, 1951, (http://www.nick-at-nite.com/tvretro/shows/ilovelucy/index.tin).
Televisions first "blended family" was introduced. Each television household featured a working father, affectionate mother, and attentive children. The relationship that existed between the boys and their parents, Ward and June, was impeccable. The finest depiction of the American family living in the 1960s came twenty years later. They each resided in secure households, which were in carefree urban areas. Following the All in the Family genre, family series took a more conservative approach. In Family Ties, the mellow 1960s clashed with the conservative 1980s, which in some ways reflected America's changing values in the Reagan era. Blind folds, previously worn by the American people, have been taken off and thrown away. The parents exhibited perfect attributes that no real man and wife could attain. The view of the American family modified little when the sixties arrived. Television's reflection of society had begun to mature. Kevin's, the teen-aged hero, growing pains mirrored those of America itself. A solitary bed replaced the twin beds customarily utilized in the depiction of bedrooms. Norman Lear's All in the Family brought a sense of harsh reality to television which previously had been populated largely by inoffensive characters and stories that seemed to have been laundered before the were ever placed on the air. It is society's greater appreciation for honesty that has greatly influenced television.
Common topics in this essay:
Ward Petire,
,
Married Children,
Bill Cosby,
Ward June,
Archie Bunker,
Love Lucy,
Brady Bunch,
Family Ties,
Happy Days,
american family,
racial ethnic,
social issues,
depiction american family,
middle-class family,
relationship shared,
depiction american,
bill cosby,
parents children,
american families,
leave beaver,
|
Acceptance Essays
