The Representation of Male and Female Characters in Two Comedies

The Representation of Male and Female Characters in Two Comedies

Situation comedies as a whole are a conservative representation of

life mainly due to the fact they are screened at prime family times

and want as large an audience as possible so try not to be too

controversial. This means they very rarely challenge the status quo

and re-enforce stereotypes. I am looking at how male and female

characters are represented and whether the way they are represented

challenges the stereotypes associated with gender differences.

The two situation comedies I have chosen are ‘Friends’ and ‘Man About

The House’. As Friends was made decades after Man About The House it

gives us a good insight into how male and female representations and

attitudes towards the roles of males and females has changed over the

last 30 years. Man about the house was produced during a time of

women’s liberation whereas Friends is set in post-feminine times. As

well as showing us the difference in attitudes towards gender over

time they also show us the difference in opinion from one side of the

Atlantic to the other. Friends is set in the heart of New York and Man

About the House is set in London, giving two different cultural

perspectives. Despite their cultural and time differences Friends and

Man About The House are comparable because they have a similar theme,

male and female characters living in the same house. This means that

they are both domestic sitcoms and show ‘the not quietness of

domesticity’ as John Hartley put it. They are also both hybrid

sit-coms, both are heavily centred round sex and relationships which

is more a trait of a work sitcom. Friends also...

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...constant references of going to bed with Chrissy. This again suggests

men only think about sex and see women as sex objects.

Both sitcoms were run at prime times so perhaps if they had tried to

be more controversial and attempt to challenge more stereotypes they

would never have become the popular shows they did. They could not

afford to alienate any part of their audience because of economic

imperative, at the end of the day both shows were made for one reason,

making money. Man About the House attempts in a number of areas to

challenge perceived gender roles but essentially it reinforces them

and the few areas it does challenge them it is insignificant compared

to the amount of times they don’t. Friends, despite set in a time we

women are meant to be equal, still backs the old fashioned stereotypes

of gender roles.