Title: From 'Full House' to 'Modern Family': Ten shows that forced us to reimagine the American family
Headings: From ‘Full House’ to ‘Modern Family’: Ten shows that forced us to reimagine the American family
From ‘Full House’ to ‘Modern Family’: Ten shows that forced us to reimagine the American family
Ten shows from the 1960s until today that radically reshaped America's definition of family.
The Addams Family (1964-1966)
The Andy Griffith Show (1960-1968)
The Brady Bunch (1969-1974)
The Jeffersons (1975-1985)
Who’s the Boss? (1984-1992)
Full House (1987-1995)
Married… with Children (1987-1997)
Ellen (1994-1998)
Will & Grace (1998-2006)
Modern Family (2009-Present)
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Content: Working mothers are now the primary income earners in 15% of married households with children. The most recent census figures show that, for the first time, Americans living in a nuclear family has dipped below 25%. Contrast these trends with America in the 1950s when society accepted that a model family consisted of a breadwinning father, a submissive housewife, and a couple of respectful, biological children. What has caused such sharp changes? According to Jonathan Fitzgerald, author of Not Your Mother’s Morals, one of the most influential forces has been television. “Sometimes pop culture is a reflection of where we are and other times it is a shaping force,” he says. “ In the case of television, we often don’t know that our morals and values are being shaped until after it happens.” In the 1950s, television largely mirrored the prevalent concept of the American family. Popular shows like “Leave it to Beaver” and “Father Knows Best” depicted the family as a heterosexual, patriarchal, churchgoing unit with chaste children. But in the 1960s, family depictions began to change.