Jul 25

I like to look back and think about how things have changed in my lifetime. One thing I can’t help but marvel at is how media-consumed our world has become. Don’t get me wrong, I embrace most of it. But it’s still shocking. Does anyone even own a black and white television anymore? Remember when pocket televisions were all the rage? Now you can apparently have live TV on your cell phone—this I haven’t yet experienced. At any rate, I was watching some reruns of one of my favorite sitcoms the other night and it got me to thinking about how television families have changed over the years. “The Brady Bunch”, and “Andy Griffith”, and “The Partridge Family” come to mind as favorites of my past. “Roseanne”, “American Dreams”, and “The New Adventures of Old Christine” are some of my more recent favorites. Perhaps this was obvious to others before now, but I’ve only just realized something—none of these shows really showcases the white picket fence family. Good old American values, morals, traditions—they’re all there, but there’s always something a bit off. Why is this? Is it because the white picket fence family doesn’t exist? Is it because no one would be interested in watching 30 or 60 minutes about a truly “functional” family? Does it even really matter? If it’s entertaining and it gets ratings, why bother analyzing it? I decided not to continue the debate with myself when I realized that those Nielsen people can figure all this out for themselves. And when the formula isn’t working, they’ll cancel the shows despite how the rest of us feel. In short, I’m just going to keep getting my entertainment where and how I see fit, and stop thinking so darn much about it!