Tv Shows And Real Life

1441 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: What is the sociological perception of reality tv

TV Shows and Real Life

TV shows are probably the primary source of entertainment for the average American. Most of them run from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. with reruns starting at 5 p.m. We watch them because they give us something to do, a way to relax, something to help pass the time. We all watch different shows, some people like
"Married...with Children", some are repulsed with it, but like to watch "Home
Improvement", what draws particular crowds to certain shows? How do these shows portray the average American, or do they portray average Americans at all?
These are questions many writers have attempted to answer, at least one column in almost every newspaper is dedicated to this topic. I think the people like to see shows that portray them, or what they'd like to be.
"Married...with Children" runs on Fox 29 on Mondays at 8:30 p.m., it has been on air for a long time, and has passed its 200th episode last season. The main characters of the show is women's shoe salesman Al Bundy, his wife Peg, dorky son Bud, and slutty daughter Kelly. Al loves to watch TV, bowl with his buddies, drink and go to the "nudy bar". Marcie and Jefferson, are the Bundy's neighbors and also take an active part in the show. Most shows consist of Al going somewhere or doing something and everyone else making fun of him when he fails miserably. Al is someone you can hardly call a father to his kids, he's doesn't take care of them and he does absolutely nothing father-like for them or with them. Al is constantly complaining about his marriage, he says that if he was sober that night, none of this would have happened. He calls his children accidents and the only good memory he has, is of him being a great high school football player, which he would take to the next level had all his dreams not been crushed by Peg. The only living thing Al really likes on the show is his dog, Buck, to which he can relate as they are both dirty and nasty. Every show it is the same kind of thing, over and over again. Peg is trying to convince Al to have sex, Al blames Peg for his failure in life, Kelly is screwing some guy in the back seat of a car, and Bud is looking at "nudy magazines". Last Monday, the 27, Al decided to join the Army Reserve in order to escape his family. John
Ozersky writes in his article entitled "TV's Anti-Families: Married.

Show More
Related

  • Greasy Lake

    649 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...ed the narrator have they seen Al because his bike was on the ground. The narrator was speechless and is thinking to himself “I wanted to get out of the car and retch, I wanted to go home to my parents’ house and crawl into bed” (par. 33). Also when the lady asked them if they wanted to take some drugs and party, the narrator just looked at her and said “I thought I was going to cry” (par. 35). Before these events, the narrator would have partied with the girls but now after going through these experiences, he realized he isn’t bad as he thought himself to be.

    Read More

  • Of Mice And Men Curley's Wife Character Analysis

    669 Words  | 2 Pages

    For example, Curley’s wife attempts to interact with Lennie. She convinces Lennie to stay and converse with her after reasoning “what kinda harm am I doin’?” (88). Curley’s wife enjoys talking with Lennie and even lets him pet her prized hair. Additionally, Crooks finds companionship with Lennie. “I thought I could jus’ come in an’ set” (68) Lennie exclaims to Crooks the night the other men were out. He kept him company and both ultimately bonded after having a good time with each other. Also, Candy introduces himself to Lennie and George when they first arrive at the ranch. They develop a trust between each other, leading to the planning of “fixing up an’ little old house an’ go living there” (60). Trusting George, Candy generously donates funds to their future property, as a token for George appreciating him and making him feel important. Throughout the book, failure to interact between other characters happens often. For example, the men on the ranch consistently reject Curley’s wife, even her own husband, Curley. The men yell at her and question “why she doesn’t stay in her home where she belongs?” (62). Lennie tries conversing with her, but it only results with breaking her neck from strangling. Furthermore, Crooks tries talking to the other men, but results in exclusion and bullying. The other men discriminate Crooks from their activities, thinking “cause he’s black, he stinks” (68). Finally, Candy speaks to Carlson in the beginning in his bunker. Unfortunately, the conversation only ends with convincing Candy to have Carlson shoot his sheep dog, “to put the old devil out of his misery” (47). The shooting upsets Candy because his sheep dog was a son to him, followed him everywhere, and kept him company on the ranch. Through trial and error, Curley's wife, Crooks, and Candy interacts with other characters, resulting in successful and

    Read More

  • The Grapes Of Wrath: Description Al Joad And The Setting

    440 Words  | 1 Pages

    comes home from prison, Al is a changed person. He is no longer cocky and he

    Read More

  • Interpersonal Communication In The Break-Up

    1327 Words  | 3 Pages

    They both throw in all different types of issues and past arguments that have never been resolved. Brooke attacks Gary for never taking her to the ballet, for playing too many video games, and for the lack of novelty in their relationship. She says “forget the ballet, we never go anywhere together.” She wants to have less predictability and more time to experience new things. When he reminds her that they went to a football game recently, she screams at him that she did not even want to go. She feels as though he is always controlling what they do, and that she always has to give up her own wants to please him. Instead of compromising and participating in activities that they both want to do, she feels that they always do whatever he wants. She tells him “I did that for you, how do you show up for me?” However, Gary had no idea that she felt this way because she never stands up to him and tells him. Her passive nature made it so she never shared her feelings with him in order to smooth away any conflict. This just made her bottle everything up until she eventually

    Read More

  • Free Catcher in the Rye Essays: Role of Allie

    435 Words  | 1 Pages

    calls for Allie.  This marks his breakdown.  It is then, because of Allie, that he realizes that

    Read More

  • Biography of Erik Estrada

    876 Words  | 2 Pages

    "CHiPs" motorcycles (sans the engines) sitting in the middle of the house and old magazines with his picture on the cover (TV Guide, People) plastered all over the walls.

    Read More

  • Character Analysis: Everybody Loves Raymond

    1001 Words  | 3 Pages

    His goal in life is to provide and do anything he could for his family. Throughout the whole episode in Father Knows Best, the father is always in his tuxedo telling the audience that he is a hardworking man. For most of the episode, the mother is always in the house as the children are running in and out of the house. In Everybody Loves Raymond, the mother comes home to a clean house and is utterly impressed with Raymond. American values are presented as well through simple struggles such as, in Everybody Loves Raymond, a huge controversy arose when Raymond gave his mother a Fruit of the Month Club and his mother reacted irritated with the amount of fruits coming in every

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Duck Dynasty And Modern Family

    1290 Words  | 3 Pages

    Although the families themselves may not directly relate to their audience, the plot does, and that is what makes these shows so successful. In addition, there are parallels in the television series to real life, making it easier for the audience to relate to. One example of this is that in the first season, Jay, along with many other family members, was not very accepting of Mitchell’s homosexuality and his relationship with Cam; however, in the newest season, the characters are more supportive of their sexuality and relationship. This change symbolizes society’s increasing tolerance to gay couples, even though gays still undergo many struggles. Additionally, both shows feature families that display sound family values who rally to overcome various situations and are then able to look back and laugh about it (Feiler ST.1).

    Read More

  • Gender Roles In The Simpsons

    1734 Words  | 4 Pages

    mean with both of his sisters. Lisa is a very smart girl and she cares about school. Maggie the

    Read More

  • orange county choppers

    909 Words  | 2 Pages

    Unlike traditional texts, “The structure of television makes us watch passively.” (The World is a Text, by Jonathan Silverman and Dean Rader, p.105) Orange County Choppers contradicts this statement. Through the development of the episode, the writers of the show force you to start analyzing the text of the show, actively. Paul Sr., mentions many events that have happened within the family, outside the show. Paul Sr. is the ‘old wise man’ in the show. He is father to Paul Jr. and Mikey. Mikey does all of the basic tasks required to run the business. Paul Jr. and Paul Sr. do most of the work on the bikes. There are other members of the staff at O.C.C. that are sometimes seen working on the bikes. The three Teutuls appear in every episode. In almost every case, family activities are never shown in any of the episodes. In the 9/11 Bike episode, Paul Sr. mentions a family reunion that later delays the completion of the bike. This tells you that the Teutul family is very loving and they do spend time together outside the show.

    Read More

  • Of Mice and Men

    567 Words  | 2 Pages

    Soon, we get introduced to Slim, who announces that his dog just had puppies. He talks with Carlson about killing Candy’s old and frail dog and replacing it with one of the newborn puppies. Lennie is then trying to convince George to ask Slim if he can have a puppy. Afterwards, George talks with Slim about his relationship with Lennie. He says that Lennie isn’t smart, but is friendly.

    Read More

  • Gender Roles In Modern Family

    632 Words  | 2 Pages

    American Broadcasting Company's sitcom, Modern Family, debuted in 2009 and is in its sixth season. It was met with critical acclaim and good ratings (Modern Family). The show airs once per week on the ABC network (ABC shows schedule). The show attempts to portray the humor behind three different families of varying composition. However, Modern Family’s attempt at giving an honest portrayal of the titular modern family falls short and instead relies upon tired tropes and clichés to derive its humor. Modern Family does not attempt to depict the state of gender roles in today’s society, sadly falling back on old gender standards found in sitcoms since their start.

    Read More

  • A Political Economy Analysis of Modern Family

    960 Words  | 2 Pages

    The cast and the roles they play are the central reason as to why the show has become so reputable. By...

    Read More

  • Desperate Housewives

    1112 Words  | 3 Pages

    Are you ever sitting at home, on 9 o’clock p.m. on a Sunday, with nothing to do? Just bored out of your mind.. Willing to do anything.. Maybe even.. Watch. Watch one of the most amazing shows you’ll ever see on t.v. A show full of drama, excitement, and every other positive thing on the planet. A show that you will talk about non stop the next day. Recite lines with your friends.. And overall, a show- a show of perfection.

    Read More

  • How Reality TV has Affected Society

    1252 Words  | 3 Pages

    Reality TV. Ed. Karen F. Balkin, Ph.D. Farmington Hills, MI: Greenhaven Press, 2008, 58-60. Print. The. McCormick, Patrick.

    Read More

More about Tv Shows And Real Life

Open Document