- what you recall about the show;
- which characters stand out to you;
- what topics were covered;
- how gender, sexuality, and/or race are handled;
- whether family or friends was the primary focus;
- what this sitcom says about the decade in which it was created.
While you should limit your post to roughly 200 words (this post is approx. 230), be sure to explain your answer in detail, citing for example WHY you think shows like Diff'rent Strokes and Webster position African American children in all-white homes. What if anything does this suggest?
In alphabetical order, here's a sampling of 80s sitcoms to jump-start your memory: ALF, Amen, Bosom Buddies, Charles in Charge, Cheers, The Cosby Show, Designing Women, Diff'rent Strokes, A Different World, Family Ties, Full House, Gimme A Break, The Golden Girls, Growing Pains, The Hogan Family, Married. . .With Children, Night Court, Punky Brewster, Roseanne, Silver Spoons, Three's Company, 227, Webster, Who's the Boss? and WKRP in Cincinnati.
REMINDER: All sitcom titles must be italicized or placed in ALL CAPS.
26 comments:
One of my favourite sitcoms that i used to watch as a child was THREE'S COMPANY.Watching the re-runs what attracted me to the show was the simple concept of a single male rooming in with two women, and it wasn't the double entendre that the show was popularly known for, but the slapstick comedy that was most appealing to me as a child.
Looking back now, it's understandable why the show was so popular as it addressed many issues regarding sex and gender related stereotypes with the usage of inneundos, which were was a common dramatic tool used in comedies and sitcoms. Jack Trippers acceptance because of his ability to cook in contrast to the girls non existent cooking skills is a prime example of the undermining the viewers perception of gender roles. The issue of homesexuality is addressed, as well as Larry Dallas role as the womanizing neighbour- depicting the behaviourial and mental qualities of men towards women sexually. The sexual connotations related to blondes and brunettes as well as Mr Roper's character underlining the senior class in society as a hard-headed, agitative individual.
The sitcoms portrayal of society throughout the different qualities of both men and women became popular as the issues that were addressed through humourous misunderstandings and slapstick comedy enabled the audience to relate to the show as it painted a comical refelction on American society.
The only pre-Seinfeld sitcom that I am relatively familiar with is THE COSBY SHOW. The Cosby family seems to be a healthy family in the upper-middle class of society. Bill Cosby, a doctor, and his wife, a lawyer, have five kids with a large age difference between the oldest and the youngest. Every member of the family is tightly knit with one another, which leads to one of the main themes of the show, the emphasis on a healthy family.
In a typical episode of THE COSBY SHOW, the topics that were discussed were basic family issues. The family is usually situated in the kitchen, living room, dining room, or other room discussing topics that concern their children and their lives. Bill Cosby would engage intimately with all of his kids and help them solve their problems but with a humorous twist.
This show is unique to this genre because it favorably depicts African-Americans as relatively wealthy and sophisticated. This sitcom also appeals to a wide audience, something that most other sitcoms during this time period did not do. Men and women in this sit-com play tradition roles. Bill Cosby’s wife, although she works, tends to the family in most of the episodes and spends most of her time around the house. These three examples are nearly exclusive to this show and this decade.
Although I am not an avid television watcher, no young girl can miss the “cutesy” show of FULL HOUSE. The characters in FULL HOUSE deal with the everyday issues of life. FULL HOUSE depicts the issues of the girls’ lives from babies to high school students. This is why I could easily relate to this show, because as they grew up, so did I. FULL HOUSE makes me feel good inside because happy endings to the characters problems are always just around the corner. As I watched the show I was engulfed into a bubble where everything always turned out right in the end.
The characters consist of a widowed father and his three daughters who also live with the father’s two brothers who have moved in with them to help raise the girls. The show has a wide array of audience because it promotes family themes and values. It really emphasizes the fact that nothing is more important than family. Danny is left widowed with three young girls, yet he is truly blessed with family who is willing to lend a helping hand so that the girls have healthy and happy childhoods. The witty sense of humor of this show has provided a lot of entertainment to America as these masculine men attempt and successfully raise three young girls under a “full” house.
FULL HOUSE, a show that I continue to watch even today, has to be my favorite pre-SEINFELD sitcom. Similar to the COSBY SHOW, FULL HOUSE focused on an upper middle class, San Franciscan family, which consisted of a widowed father (Danny Tanner), his three daughters (D.J., Stephanie, and Michelle), the girl's uncle (Jesse) and Danny's best friend (Joey). Both Jesse and Joey helped Danny raise the three girls, while the men's own lives changed throughout the seasons. One big life change occurred when Jesse was married and became the father of twins. Yet, despite changes within each individual, the family as a whole is still the primary importance of the show.
Along with the “family first” attitude came real life family issues in FULL HOUSE. Whether it was getting over a boyfriend or celebrating a birthday, the Tanner family always found a way to make the good times even better and the worst times bearable, all with a comedic twist provided by Joey. Typically, the show was centered around the girl's problems, but occasionally, the men's problems were discussed. Perhaps I continue to watch the show because despite all the problems in the Tanner's lives, at the end of the day everyone comes back together and realizes that family is the most important thing in life. I always seem to be in a better mood after watching FULL HOUSE, which I believe is the best part about the sitcom.
When I was younger, I used to always watch re-runs of GROWING PAINS after I got home from school. The reason I enjoyed watching the show was because I was able to easily relate to the characters of the Seaver family. The Seavers are a wealthy American family from New York with 3 kids who all share the importance of family values taught to them by their parents. Each of the siblings is unique in their own way and they represent different crowds in society. The oldest son, Mike, is the comedian of the family and the usual rebellious teenager who lives life by his own set of rules. Carol is the second child who is the exact opposite of her brother Mike. She is a straight ‘A’ student and is usually the topic of Mike’s sarcastic jokes. Finally, the youngest son, Ben, has a witty personality because he is always planning something to do that usually annoys Mike and Carol. The extreme differences in each child’s personality allows for so many different people to become interested in the show. Also, GROWING PAINS is a sitcom that an entire family can sit down and enjoy together. The majority of the episodes are about everyday problems that are meant to teach a moral lesson, which is another reason the show is enjoyable and relative to the majority of the public.
My favorite show to watch weekday afternoons was THE COSBY SHOW. The Huxtables became part of my culture and whenever a rerun comes on, I often recognize it and enjoy it even today.
The multi-generational family, in such close proximity was something that I wished for as a child. Having an international family, this was hard for us to all gather round, and through the nuclear family on THE COSBY SHOW I experienced this.
The wise, fatherly figure was loving and helpful to all his kids problems, whether it be the first crush, a high school dance, or a first break home from college, Dr. Huxtable had words of wisdom to divulge.
The light humor was enough to add a special "pizazz" to the show without being overly corny. The show maintained a very "natural" and "realistic" attitude in the Huxtables, and this will always be a personal all-time favorite.
One of my favorite shows to watch growing up was THE COSBY SHOW. It was about a very wealthy African-American family living in the city. Something that we covered in class that I thought was interesting was the fact that the natural stereotype against blacks in the US is that they aren't very wealthy and live in the ghetto and yet, the Huxtables were the antithesis of this stereotype.
I think that says a lot about the decade. THE COSBY SHOW covered a wide variety of cultural topics, one of the funniest being gender roles. After watching the episode "Golden Aniversary", I was reminded of Elvin's awkward, yet humorous behavior when it came to dealing with his relationship with Sondra.
I also noticed that not only was this family unique because of their ethnicity related to their social status but there was also a non-traditional role between Cliff and Clair. For this time the men typically did all of the working and "brought home the bacon," and the women normally were house wives, taking care of the family. In this instance both of them worked at high paying jobs THE COSBY SHOW is definitely more family oriented as the majority of the scenes are in the Huxtable's home and the entire sitcom is centered around the lives of this family. I think all of these things combined to create a great sitcom in THE COSBY SHOW.
THE COSBY SHOW was one of my favorite sitcoms from the 1980s. The family dynamic showed a rather overlooked view of African Americans by television shows of this era, that of affluence. Having the father and mother in what were generally considered jobs (doctor and lawyer respectively) that required a much higher level of education than other disciplines helped further the emphasis on good education leading to a happy, wealthy family regardless of race. This can be viewed as racist because African American families can be close knit without a lot of money, but it is generally accepted that while money may not buy happiness; it can buy stability and safety in which to raise a family.
The antics of Bill Cosby are made funnier by the family dynamics going on around the peaceful moments that he shares with his wife in the evenings. He offers useful advice to his children and helps smooth over the day to day drama often faced by at least one family member in an episode. The use of life events common to the audience enhances the appeal of the show. Music and dance also play a subtle role in leading to happiness for the entire family and audience.
Although GROWING PAINS and THE COSBY SHOW both stand out in my memory, nothing will ever entertain me like FULL HOUSE. It is a great example of how a show can reach audiences of all ages, while still touching on moral and social issues still seen today.
The biggest issue that FULL HOUSE addresses is that of a single-parent family. Bob Saget's character of Danny Tanner is a single parent who must raise his 3 daughters after the death of his wife. This is totally opposite of the nuclear family seen on shows such as HOME IMPROVEMENT. This flips the traditional role that men usually play on television sitcoms. Having to run the household on his own, Danny has his daughters' uncles help him raise the girls and run the family. Family is a huge part of this show, and for that reason morals and love are very prevalent.
Every episode ends with a lesson that can be used on many different levels. With stories that implement humor and life-lessons, it is no wonder that FULL HOUSE did so well in the ratings and still does well with audiences today.
The one pre-SEINFELD sitcom that comes to mind is the outrageously funny, and family oriented THE COSBY SHOW. Some of the things that I remember the most about the show are its anecdotes of adolescence and life, while adding humor to lighten the mood.
The fact that most of these stories were about adolescence, the children of THE COSBY SHOW became the main characters right away. However the character who stood out the most in my sight was the youngest, Rudy Huxtable. The fact that she was the youngest in the family meant that she was learning a lot, as well as being taught a lot by the rest of the cast.
Although THE COSBY SHOW was strongly based on stories about the children the one objective that came across to the viewers and myself each time was its strong demonstration of family ties. This proved a lot to its generation because not only were African-Americans viewed as lower class, they were not seen as family oriented. THE COSBY SHOW also revealed something new by showing the mother and father of the household working towards success, which was not common in those days. All of these attributes came together and changed the face of television.
As a child i would watch Hogan's Heroes, the way that they P.O.W.'s undermined the Nazi's in uncanny ways engrossed me. I would wait around the house all day until it came on and it was as if someone had given me a million dollar's no matter what had happened to me that day I was happy, excited, and had no cares in the world. Colonel Hogan stood out in such a calm and composed manner, he ridiculed Colonel Klink in so many ways that Klink was never able to figure out. Although their underground setup and lax prison conditions were completely falsified, it gave me, as an American a sense of superiority, showing that we are the clever ones and that the Germans are stupid. It did show soldiers to be complete womanizers, both Americans and Germans, but that is still one of the consensuses of society today. Race was not an issue whatsoever in Hogan's Heroes, Sgt. Kinchloe was black and he was just as good as any other soldier. It also broke the National barriers between other countries, even though they were are allies there was some hostility toward the French at that point.
The sitcom I most enjoyed watching was WHO'S THE BOSS?. While it dealt with a number of issues – single parenting, role reversal, dealing with children and their lives through the years, etc. – the main theme that stands out throughout the sitcom is the evolving relationship between Angela and Tony, one of the longest courtships in sitcom history! The dynamics of the relationship of the two main protagonists is what drives the sitcom. On one level Angela is a successful career women who has to deal in a stereo typical man's world so far as her career is concerned. Tony's circumstances land him in a situation where he steps into a woman’s shoes so to speak. It's an arrangement that works for both because it brings to their lives a sense of security not just for themselves, but more importantly for their children. We are drawn in to their lives and know that there is a very strong bond between the two despite their very different characters. We know they complement each other and can make the relationship work if only they would not hold back. Ultimately, they do go their separate ways and only then realize what they have is too precious to lose. For me, WHO'S THE BOSS? is in essence about symbiotic relationships that work and that's what makes this sitcom ageless and relevant for all time
The sitcom that immediately comes to mind from the 80’s era would have to be FULL HOUSE. It was my favorite show growing up along with THE THREE STOOGES and I LOVE LUCY. My parents were pretty strict about what television shows I was allowed to watch when I was younger, but FULL HOUSE was always a great pick that I could watch with my family as it can be entertaining for all ages.
FULL HOUSE was and still is a great show. As I said, it is family-safe and you are always guaranteed a good laugh. The show has so many good qualities from Jesse’s silly comments to Danny to Kimmy’s outrageous behavior. The plot displays a family where a single father, Danny Tanner, played by Bob Saget, raises his three daughters. His wife died from a drunk driving accident and he gets help from his brother-in-law and best friend to raise the girls. The family situation on the show is not the typical family. Speaking about gender role, the father plays the role of the mother in the show as he has many responsibilities including keeping up with the girls and the house on his own.
I will always remember how much I looked forward to watching FULL HOUSE as I was growing up. My ultimate favorite character was John Stamos, who played Uncle Jesse. Each episode of FULL HOUSE includes a lesson that can be learned and I think that because of this, the show still does well even today.
FULL HOUSE was my all time favorite sitcom growing up. It is a show about a widowed father, Danny Tanner, who raises his three daughters, D.J., Stephanie, and Michelle, with the help from his brother-in-law Uncle Jesse and Jesse’s friend Joey. The show dealt with many issues that all age groups could relate to, for instance: single parenting, adolescence, marriage, school, relationships, job troubles etc. Although the primary focus of FULL HOUSE was family, the Tanners were certainly not your ordinary family unit. In this case, there were three men raising three girls, which is what made the show so funny, and not to mention unique.
My favorite characters were Uncle Jesse, D.J., and Joey. Uncle Jesse was lovable, D.J. was down-to-earth, and Joey always had me laughing. In addition, it was interesting to see how gender roles were portrayed in the show, for instance, Danny was a single parent who had an obsession with hugging and cleanliness; in one of the episodes he makes the entire household participate in spring cleaning.
It is obvious that during the ‘80s viewers wanted to see something other than the usual family of four dealing with the usual family issues. Although FULL HOUSE belongs to the “hugging and learning” family sitcom category, it adds its own twists so that viewers, whether young or old, can relate to the issues portrayed.
My favourite Sitcom is called Chaves and it is a Brasilian Sitcom I used to watch with my siblings and cousins every afternoon after 2pm. Even though we had the opportunity to watch other sitcoms such as Cosby show, and etc. Most of young people in Angola country where I am comming from used to watch Chaves. First because it was in portuguese so that we could understand easily and because it was really funny.
This show was so popular in Angola in 80's and 90's because the Angolans have the same back ground with the brasilian people once we were both colonies of portuguese people so we most likely to identify with the brasilian culture than the North Americans.
This show was about a neighborhood in Brasil where everybody knew each other so the kids went to the same school and the parents in the sitcom worked for same companies. It was really funny and is more likely seinfeld because they did not have a special goal or script for the sitcom the show was only t about normal families and the daily issues in those families(like adolescence, food, gifts,etc).
It's interesting to see the similarities in the sitcoms that people remember; it shows the impact they have made to society. And I hate to copy everyone else, but I too must say that THE COSBY SHOW is probably one of the best "pre-Seinfeld" sitcoms.
THE COSBY SHOW knew how to mix influential topics (schooling, parenting, relationships, etc.) with entertaining characters and dialogue to keep the viewers laughing while still learning the shows teachings.
The identity that THE COSBY SHOW gave to African-American families will have an ever-lasting effect on society. It gave a chance for those being stereotyped to step out of their boundaries and find themselves in a new world with new rules.
I know I will always stop to watch THE COSBY SHOW when it's on TV and I know it will stick around for a long time.
Well I'd have to say that GROWING PAINS was one of my favorite shows during my childhood. It was a show about an American family and their daily lives. If anyone stood out to me in this show it was Mike Seaver the Oldest of the Seaver children. He was the quote on quote cool older brother who had a "I really don't care" type of attitude. I also remember the relations between the siblings of the Seaver household. The show made it apparent that it was about family and I learned about how to relate to my siblings through it. There weren't many issues dealt with on the show just mainly family ones although Mike did feel that the male species was superior to the females. He made sure his younger sister Carol knew that full well. I thought the show taught the decade it was created in that family, no matter how irritating they are, they are your family and they will always be there for you.
A sitcom that I loved as a child and still enjoy watching today is Full House. It is a classic family centered show, but is not the common family. The father, Danny Tanner, is raising his three daughters with the help of his two male friends Joey and Jesse because his wife passed away when the girls were babies. I loved the daughters Dj, Stephanie, and Michelle. Michelle was played by Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen who were two of my favorite celebrities.
Full House breaks the Seinfeld rule of "no hugging no learning" by addressing classic moral issues as the girls encountered them as they grew up. Everything is very family centered and you end up getting that "warm fuzzy feeling" when the whole family is hugging at the end. I think one of the reasons I loved the show so much is because I related to it so easily. All of the issues the daughters dealt with were just like the things I was going through. It made me feel better because they were able to resolve their issues and they always learned an important life lesson. The issues of race and sexuality are not commonly addressed. However, gender roles are blurred because Danny has to play the role of both parents in taking care of his not-so-classic American family.
A sitcom that was extremely popular and can still be found on some television channels would be THE BRADY BUNCH. This uplifting show had at least one moral or lesson that was learned by the end of the episode. The Brady family, including six children and a housekeeper along with the married couple, always made their family the primary focus. The 70’s show never really hit on issues such as race or sexuality, but mainly on treating others with respect and to know you always have your family behind you. Rarely, if ever, was a minority shown on the show and any issues going on at the time in real life were never hit on in the show. The innocence of the entire Brady clan shows they either do not know of social issues or do not want to get that deep and hit on maybe-touchy subjects. Characters that stand out in this sitcom is obviously Marsha, the oldest of the girls who seems to be perfect; and the younger Jan sees that clearly from the shadows. Also, Cindy sticks out because of her cute innocence showing she doesn’t have a care in the world. The purity and light show became popular and relaxing show for families to watch and get a good laugh.
I am not one to watch 80's sitcoms, I am more of a Sex and the City and Lost kind of girl; but I think everyone has had to of seen atleast an episode or two of FULL HOUSE when they were young, a childhood classic. Who can miss the young and cute Olsen twins? FULL HOUSE is one of the all time greatest family sitcoms. Even though the family in FULL HOUSE is a little different than most traditional American families; the issues, the conflicts, and the qualities the family deals with in the show are the same many traditional American families deal with today.
The show is full of comedy and lightheartedness with the close-knit and loving family of FULL HOUSE. The thing that I loved most about this sitcom was the issues that the father and the two brothers of the father had to deal with living with three daughters. When I was a child, I had a younger brother only and wanted to have a sister or sisters so badly! I loved watching how the girls lived together and supported each other and laughed at how they fought over shared clothes, boys, and attention.
I had never seen any one of pre-Seinfeld sitcom before as I am growing because I am international student. I research several sitcoms on the “Youtube” and FULL HOUSE becomes one of my favorite sitcom. Usually FULL HOUSE issued stories about family happening in the house.
Michelle who was youngest girl in the family was so cute and she is my favorite and standing out character in the FULL HOUSE. Even though she is very young, she acted really well. She is bright character who got all the attention in the family and she is the one who bother her older sisters.
One of the topic I remember is that the dad kept going on the date and Michelle was jealous about that because he couldn’t read the story before Michelle go a sleep. The shows usually focused on the family’s love, relationship and consideration. Every time when they have trouble, they understood and forgave other. For example, when the one of the girls drove the car and broke the house, dad was mad at her of course but still he showed love to her and understanding the mistakes instead of shouting at her. This is the one of sitcoms make me laugh and warm.
Although it only ran for two years of the 80's the show I am most familiar with from the decade is MASH. When I think of MASH I’m reminded of their constant ventures into social issues. Towards the end of its run in the late 70’s and early 80’s they began trying to teach lessons and really appeal to the sappy side of humanity. It was almost a joke in itself after the series ended, for example I’m reminded of an episode of FUTURAMA where a robotic Alan Alda immediately turns from a slapstick comedian to an over the top dramatic actor at the flick a switch. I really enjoyed the funny side of MASH and I believe that that’s what most Americans liked about the series. At the time there was a constant threat of war and the thought of an environment like that in MASH must have been comforting.
The characters were very intriguing and all of them were loveable in their own way. Charles and Margaret’s pretentious attitude and their interactions with the more laid back fun loving Hawkeye, Trapper, and Honeycut. The great fatherly figures presented by Col. Potter and Lt. Col. Blake make you feel at home. They all worked together and make us want to know what they are up to. We felt the urge to tune in every week and find out what our “family” was going to do this week.
MARRIED... WITH CHILDREN has been one of my favorite TV shows for longer than I can remember. The focus of the show is a lower-middle class family of four (and a dog) who say what most everyday people only think. The show goes beyond most others on the topic of sexuality as the lazy husband (Al Bundy) who spends all day at a woman’s shoe store whistling at attractive customers and making fat jokes about obese ones until they leave the store who comes home to his wife Peggy, who refuses to do housework and spends more time at bars and strip joints than her husband. The kids also add to the humor as Bud (named for Al’s favorite beer Budweiser) is constantly trying to get girls but can’t, and Kelly (the attractive daughter) is promiscuous and always with a different guy. The family dog is also in the picture with a voiceover every now and then that only the audience can hear to add to the comedy. The show portrays men as lazy and hating work, and the wife as a do-nothing stay at home mom who watches soap operas all day. One thing that makes MARRIED... WITH CHILDREN unique is that is covers the topic of marital sex and Al’s hatred of it, in some episodes Peggy threatens to have sex with Al if he does not do something for her.
I hate to follow up with yet another Full House comment but I have no other choice. Full House was a show that had so many different aspects to it that it was able to attract a large spectrum of people.
The show could simply be described as a show about family and staying strong together day in day out regardless of what happens no matter how serious or how petty it may seem. However, after watching only a few episodes so many more things are included in the show that attracts people. You have the uncles and the crazy neighbor to provide some lighthearted silly comedy, as well as a large age gap between the oldest and youngest daughters enabling viewers of all sorts of ages to relate, especially if you had a sibling that you didn’t always get along with.
I can’t say that I recall many serious issues such as race and sex but they did not hide the fact that Bob Saget’s character was interested in women as well as the girl’s uncles. In the end this was a lighthearted show that had something everyone to take away from always with a smile on their face, reflecting a decade that I picture focusing more on family life and relationships rather than shallow things.
Posted by: Matt Maurer
(Moved to blog "Thanks for the Memories" by Dr. Marshall)
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