Quote:
Originally Posted by biguc
Bingeing Seinfeld when it showed up on Netflix made this transition really apparent. The first few seasons felt like they were treading lightly around the censors and a sensitive, socially conservative society. Hence they'd talk about "the naked channels" and pretend not to drink alcohol. But that's also the surprisingly rich earth from which classics like "master of your domain" sprang.
By the middle of the series they're shouting about pornos like it's nothing. As the series progresses the characters get worse; they lose a lot of their charming traits, their flaws become glaring. By the end it's kind of nasty. The finale reflects it.
The thing is though, TV in the '80s was a regression from TV in the '70s--at least from what I've seen. I'd love to hear what some older forumers think, but my impression is that shows like All in the Family and Taxi were way more challenging and liberal than anything in the '80s.
I mean, this; https://youtu.be/j-c4cd_Lm-Q is a lot even for the '90s. |
Looking back at American lists of "top TV shows" from the 80s, it does seem like the 80s had a dearth of provocative programs. The vast majority of shows were soft and comfortable.
Arguably the two best shows of the decade, Cheers and The Wonder Years, while they may have some deeper moments, were very much feel-good programming.
I think there might be a few factors responsible for this. For starters, a whole bunch of stuff had already been "done" in the 70s, aside from All in the Family and Taxi.
For example:
- divorce and blended families: Brady Bunch
- urban ethno-cultural diversity: Welcome Back Kotter
- African-Americans front and centre: Good Times and Sanford and Son
- the psychological effects of war: MASH
- a woman striking out on her own when a man ditches her: Mary Tyler Moore
- Hispanics front and centre: Chico and the Man
- First openly gay character: Soap
Even though Cosby Show was often heralded as the first show to feature affluent African-Americans, in fact The Jeffersons beat them to it a decade earlier.
All of this was probably related to the fact that the boomers were moving out of their edgy contestation phase (they still had it in them when they started their careers and took control of the TV industry in the 70s) to a more mature, settled-down mindset in the 80s.