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Evolution of Family Sitcoms
By Clara Bisson
Leave it to Beaver, 1957
The Cosby show, 1984
Modern Family, 2009
Sitcoms on TV evolved from sitcoms on the radio, TV sitcoms were basically established versions of the radio programs.
The idea for sitcoms was for the viewer to want to come back for more and develope a relationship to the characters which was not as possible on the radio talk shows.
Origin of the sitcom
•As one of the first family sitcoms, it was popular among parents and children alike.
•It was one of the first tv shows written from a child’s view.
•The theme of the show was the youngest child, Beaver, accidentally and innocently ending up in trouble.
•The shows always ends with Beaver’s parents scolding him, and him learning the lessons of what not to do.
Leave it to Beaver
•The family was a quintessential upper-middle-class family, living in a quintessential upper-middle-class neighborhood in the midwest, living the way Americans wanted to live.
•The show itself was inspired by the creator's children, modeling a totally normal american family.
•The captured the American Dream and then broadcasted to all of America via TV.
Leave it to Beaver continued
•It was one of the first sitcoms to realistically represent to the mass media an African American family that was affluent.
• The two parents, Heathcliff Cosby as an obstetrician and Clair Phylicia Rashad as an attorney, were both successful and professional workers which was more unusual amongst African Americans.
•Although they were more wealthy, their situation and upbringings resembled all economic levels.
•The show opposed stereotypes about black people by using everyday family situations, strong parental characters, and speech that was authentically African American.
The Cosby Show
•The most modern day family sitcom.
•The show modernly uses new technology, slang, and is up to date on what's ‘hot’.
•This show is for people of all ages ranging from middle school into people's 50’s. •Expresses all different types of people in one extended family: traditional heterosexual family, young colombian wife remarried to older man and gay parents with an adopted daughter.
Modern Family
•Attracts broad audience, is enjoyable for children and parents alike.
•The audience creates relationships with the characters on the show.
•Through sitcom shows that resemble everyday life, we are allowed to acknowledge and laugh at the parallels between the two which is important because it is good to be able to laugh at yourself!
Why sitcoms are important
Bibliography
"Leave It to Beaver (TV, 1957)." Pop Culture Universe: Icons, Idols, Ideas. ABC-CLIO, 2015. Web. 18 May 2015.Rees, Gwendolyn. "The Cosby Show (TV, 1984)." Pop Culture Universe: Icons, Idols, Ideas. ABC-CLIO, 2015. Web. 18 May 2015.Jeff Merron. "Modern Family." St. James Encyclopedia of Popular Culture. Detroit: Gale, 2015. Biography in Context. Web. 20 May 2015. "Why Sitcoms Matter." America Magazine. 14 Nov. 2011. Web. 7 June 2015.
