Television Sitcom Essays

  • An Analysis of the Television Sitcom, Different Strokes

    504 Words  | 2 Pages

    An Analysis of the Television Sitcom, Different Strokes Different Strokes a comedy sitcom, first aired in 1978, and lasted until 1986. This sitcom consisted of a widowed Manhattan millionaire, Phillip Drummond , who adopted two orphaned brothers. Arnold who was 8 years old and Willis who was 12. The boys' mother was Drummonds housekeeper who became very ill, so Drummond made a promise to her that he would take care of her two sons after she passed away. Drummond treated the two boys like his

  • The Portrayal Of Television Sitcoms

    2121 Words  | 5 Pages

    the comedic center of television sitcoms. Over the years, there has been an evolution of not only what families are like in life, but also their representation in the media. There has been a steady evolution of how families are portrayed on television since sitcoms in the 50s. I Love Lucy was ground breaking with its interracial marriage, and on-screen pregnancy, it was considered almost scandalous at the time. Imagine the 1950s public’s reaction of they watched a television series from today like

  • Representation of Gender in Television Sitcoms

    613 Words  | 2 Pages

    Representation of Gender in Television Sitcoms “Men behaving badly” and “Only fools and horses” are both exceedingly hilarious sitcoms, Only fools and horses was shown on the BBC and Men behaving badly shown on ITV (but later moving to BBC with a later time), when it first hit our screens. Although they eventually began to fade out the sitcoms, well at least off of the standard channels of one to five. Now days the BBC and ITV only produce special episodes around Christmas time and on other

  • Fighting Charges of Assimilation in Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun and The Cosby Show

    1406 Words  | 3 Pages

    Fighting Charges of Assimilation in Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun and The Cosby Show The critical reception of The Cosby Show, an enormously popular television sitcom in the 1980's, roughly paralleled that of A Raisin in the Sun, Lorraine Hansberry's highly acclaimed play of the 1950's. Both the television series and the play helped change the way Blacks are portrayed in the entertainment media. But despite being initially greeted with critical praise, both subsequently fell under heavy

  • Lucille Ball

    623 Words  | 2 Pages

    Ball Lucille Ball was the most loved television comedienne of her time. She was an American icon and is considered the first lady of television. With her strong work ethic and her determination, Lucille not only changed the face of television, she also paved the way for a lot of other female actresses. In 1940, Lucille Balled married her Cuban born husband Desi Arnaz. Together they developed the I Love Lucy show, which became one of the most popular sitcoms of all time. Although Lucille and

  • Seinfeld's Impact on American Culture

    2263 Words  | 5 Pages

    Seinfeld's Impact on American Culture Jerry Seinfeld's television sitcom, "Seinfeld," which went off the air in 1999, is still one of the most culturally pertinent shows today. The show dealt with little nuances of American society. A puffy shirt, for example, could be the main subject for an entire show. This show, which was derived from Jerry Seinfeld's observational humor, was voted as the "Greatest Show of All Time" by TV Guide in 2002. According to the show's official website, the ratings

  • Choice and Direction in the Writings of Kurt Vonnegut Jr.

    2862 Words  | 6 Pages

    society.  Satirists can be divided, however, into two groups with very different purposes.   One type  mocks simply for the enjoyment of mocking.  These satirists are found almost everywhere in the world, on every street corner, household, and television sitcom.  It is the second type of satirist who is a strong force in the world of literature.  The satirical author will mock to heighten the reader's awareness of the problems that threaten to destroy the world that they believe has so much potential

  • roseanne And The Kiss

    1279 Words  | 3 Pages

    billboard that was on the side of the road, and saw a sign that read something like: “Be safe, be smart, be protected.” I thought to myself (immediately) “well, that's a big improvement from a few years ago when condom ads weren't even allowed on television.” Then I noticed, it had the gay symbols of the upside down pink triangle, and the symbols of two men and two women together. My first thought was “why is this necessary” then I mentioned that to my friend. He didn't notice, but we both kind

  • The Sitcom - Similarities between Ourselves and the Characters

    708 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Sitcom - Similarities between Ourselves and the Characters A sitcom, short for situation comedy, is a comic television series made up of episodes involving the same group of characters in a recurring situation. When watching a sitcom one sees characters deal with life in an unmethodical, irrational, but humorous style. The ability to bring laughter out of situations dates back to variety shows, but dedicating a whole program around a group of characters is fairly new considering the long

  • The Brady Bunch

    712 Words  | 2 Pages

    THE BRADY BUNCH The word sitcom is short for Situation Comedy. A good sitcom story idea places the star (or supporting character) into a situation in need of a resolution, which will cause the character to respond in unexpected, exaggerated, and hugely sidesplitting ways (Rannow, pg. 13). A comedy now days are different from how they were in the 1960's and 1970's though. Today directors use sexual content and foul language to make people laugh and do not usually have a purpose or point to get across

  • Seinfeld

    1320 Words  | 3 Pages

    eyes was a sitcom called Seinfeld. From that moment on I was astounded to find that not even great sitcom's such as my beloved Mash and I Love Lucy were as captivating or enthralling. There is only one show that could have started Must See TV, only one show that could be the anchor for new sitcoms year after year while continuing to hold it's position of number one in the rating wars, only one sitcom is this grand, this superior, and this notable, Seinfeld. The zenith of television sitcoms. Season after

  • Media Bias

    2488 Words  | 5 Pages

    Media Bias Introduction One problem that plagues us everyday without us even realizing it is media bias. We see it in the news. We see it on our favorite sitcoms. We read it everyday in the paper. Yet, we really don't recognize it when we hear it or see it. Media bias is evident in every aspect of the media, yet the problem is that we don't even recognize it when it is right in front of our faces. Are the impressions that we form about individuals a product of the media? Do we form certain

  • Comparing the Huxtables with My Family

    838 Words  | 2 Pages

    Compating the Huxtables with My Family Watching a comedy sitcom like The Cosby Show is a great way to unwind from a stressful day at school. The show's characters are likeable and the storyline is humorous, but halfway through the program I usually turn the television off and return to the kitchen to wash the dinner dishes. Watching The Cosby Show makes me feel guilty. The Huxtables are too perfect. Their house is too perfect. In comparison to the Huxtables I feel like an unfit mother in

  • A Tommy Hilfiger Advertisement that Insults America

    1330 Words  | 3 Pages

    A Tommy Hilfiger Advertisement that Insults America There are a lot different types of sitcoms, and other types of advertising out there in this day in age. The one ad that fell upon my eyes, and pulled me enough its way to persuade me to write a paper on is a Tommy Hilfiger Advertisement. This advertisement is a true way to show how much advertisement has become demoralizing, and appealing to the eye. “They sell values, images, and concepts of success and worth, love, and sexuality, popularity

  • A Language of Love

    1682 Words  | 4 Pages

    A Language of Love I was nine years old when my family purchased its first television set. The year was 1968 and the popular series “Lost In Space” was in its final season on prime time T.V. I loved “Lost In Space” and avidly followed the adventures of the Robinson family through years of afternoon reruns. My sisters teased me about having a crush on Billy Mumy, the young actor who played Will Robinson. This charge infuriated and puzzled me. It infuriated me because I knew it wasn’t true,

  • Sanford and Son and The Chapelle Show

    726 Words  | 2 Pages

    the heart and it was intended to hurt no one. It was all for a laugh. Now in today’s time there are new shows on television such as The Chapelle Show, which is hosted and directed by the comedian Dave Chapelle. The object of this show seems to be how much fun he can make of a different race. Times have changed and so have peoples’ since of humor. People went from the laid-back type sitcoms such as Sanford and Son, The Three Stooges, and The Little Rascals, which are all types of shows that people can

  • I am Vietnamese, I am American

    3127 Words  | 7 Pages

    Observing them at a distance, I re-evaluated my opinions. I opened my life to Vietnamese culture and happily discovered myself embracing it. ` When I was seven years old, I wanted very much to be American. I wanted to be like Richie Cunningham from the sitcom “Happy Days,” which aired often in the early 1980s. I wanted his startlingly blue eyes, his confident smile, his red freckles, his red hair, and of course his strong “American” voice. I envied his tall, strong frame and ... ... middle of paper

  • Cheer Program Reflection

    582 Words  | 2 Pages

    1. How long have you been cheering? How long have you been in the Vermilion program? I have been cheering for a total of 14 years. At the age of 4, I began cheering in the youth program at the Vermilion Recreation Department and occasionally took classes at the Vermilion Family YMCA. For the past 6 years, I have been a member of the cheerleading programs at Sailorway Middle School and Vermilion High School. I am a three-time Varsity Letterman of the VHS Basketball Cheerleading Squad, Co-Captain

  • How have sitcoms changed over time?

    595 Words  | 2 Pages

    Although ‘Men Behaving Badly’ is not that much older than ‘Friends’ the more recent episodes of Friends are quite different to the final episodes of M.B.B. The most obvious difference between the two programmes is the clothes the actors wear and their accents. Of course this is to be expected due to the difference in time and location of filming but also the characters play very different parts. In M.B.B. all the characters are around aged 30 and live in quite a bad part of London and not particularly

  • Natural Born Killers

    1103 Words  | 3 Pages

    that we, a television based society, have narrowed our variety of entertainment to violence, sex, and sexual violence. A master a satire, Oliver Stone takes film viewers through a twisted tale of two mass murderers, their glorification by a journalist and the nation’s idolization of them. The techniques used in this film create a feeling of violence beyond that of the actual murders that take place. Through its breakneck rhythm, changing color to black and white and cartoons to television anti-sitcoms