# Why have 80's sitcoms aged so poorly? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** tv-shows-scripted\ **Created:** [December 19, 2022, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-have-80s-sitcoms-aged-so-poorly/976759 "2022-12-19T01:52:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2022, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-have-80s-sitcoms-aged-so-poorly/976759/121 "2022-12-21T16:09:34Z")
> [@Horatius](#): > > Yes, but those issues were written about by people who knew what the outcome would be of a lot of those arguments. So we can see Bob and Midge arguing about if the wife should get a job, or something, and laugh at Bob’s over-reaction, because we know that, for a lot of women in the 1970s, they did end up going out and getting jobs, no matter what their husbands thought. Part of the humor is in our expectation that Bob is going to lose this argument, no matter how hard he tries to win. > > You couldn’t do that with Family Ties in the mid-80s, because we really didn’t know if the Republicans would stay in power, or what the long-term effects of their policies would be. Same thing today. That’s a great point. On this basis I suppose we could predict that today’s acclaimed shows like _The Good Fight_ will be all but forgotten (or at least seen as dated and badly aged) in 20 years’ time. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2022, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-have-80s-sitcoms-aged-so-poorly/976759/122 "2022-12-21T16:27:26Z")
> [@bump](#): > > A modern remake would potentially have to clean up some of the sexist elements like the bimbo of the week, although Al’s sexism wasn’t indicative of men of that era- it was something obnoxious about him that was played for laughs At the time MwC was popular, I lived with my boyfriend and his brother, who were often visited by their buddies. All those guys watched the show the same way bigots watched Archie Bunker. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2022, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-have-80s-sitcoms-aged-so-poorly/976759/123 "2022-12-21T16:29:40Z")
Although MwC was certainly sexist, it was not so in a unidimensional way. The women in the show had equal or better opportunities. All of the characters were roundly mocked. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2022, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-have-80s-sitcoms-aged-so-poorly/976759/124 "2022-12-21T16:40:50Z")
Yeah, but when you add in the T&A, it didn’t _feel_ very balanced. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2022, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-have-80s-sitcoms-aged-so-poorly/976759/125 "2022-12-21T17:19:08Z")
Maybe. But is something like Modern Family so much better? ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2022, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-have-80s-sitcoms-aged-so-poorly/976759/126 "2022-12-21T19:35:23Z")
Is this a trick question? Married With Children seems incredibly misogynist to me. Modern Family is at least misogynist within normal parameters. But maybe I missed the episode where Jay started the NO MA’AM club up again. ---
**Author:** ![Jay\_Z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Jay\_Z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jay_Z)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2022, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-have-80s-sitcoms-aged-so-poorly/976759/127 "2022-12-21T19:38:55Z")
Remember that Family Ties was itself supposed to be a reversal of the All In The Family setup, so it was already remaking a prior show. It never worked out that well. I guess liberal parents railing against changing times wouldn’t have played the same. Liberal characters on most 1980s shows were played as benign relics and not big sources of conflict. So the kids wound up dominating Family Ties. Alex would learn some lesson about not taking speed to do well on the test, and his parents would offer a few carefully chosen words of encouragement. Other shows would be better at creating a fresh parent/child dynamic. ---
**Author:** ![california\_jobcase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@california\_jobcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/california_jobcase)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2022, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-have-80s-sitcoms-aged-so-poorly/976759/128 "2022-12-21T20:09:49Z")
_Married…With Children_ must be watched with the knowledge that it was conceived and produced as a spoof to _The Cosby Show_. ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2022, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-have-80s-sitcoms-aged-so-poorly/976759/129 "2022-12-21T20:15:19Z")
And let’s not forget that its theme song was “Love and Marriage”. The contrast between the old fashioned ideas of marriage and what you saw in the show was obviously deliberate. [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/p8t5cOjlEPU/hqdefault.jpg?sqp=-oaymwEmCOADEOgC8quKqQMa8AEB-AHAA4AC6AKKAgwIABABGHIgVygwMA8=&rs=AOn4CLACffeOcM7K2dxtj20Kb9jW-0I4-Q "Married with Children Theme Song") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p8t5cOjlEPU) ---
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2022, 11:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-have-80s-sitcoms-aged-so-poorly/976759/130 "2022-12-30T11:59:07Z")
> [@bump](#): > > Some sort of “period” show like “That 70s Show” or “Happy Days” could easily be remade- just recast the actors and go to town Apropos of the idea of remaking _That '70s Show_, Netflix is following up the series next month with _That '90s Show_: [![]( " - YouTube") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F36HBFGxWkg) I came here to post a thread about it but I see someone has beat me to it: > [@That '90s Show {Debut Jan 19,2023}](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-90s-show-debut-jan-19-2023/977173): > > A day or two ago, I learned about [That '90s Show](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt15591076/): unlike That '80s Show, it’s a direct spin-off of That '70s Show – including many of the same characters/cast members – and will focus on the teenage daughter of Eric and Donna Forman. It’s set to premiere on Netflix on 1/19/23. Apparently [this show has been in the works since October 2021](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/That_%2790s_Show), but I hadn’t heard about it before now. Anyone else planning to watch? slight_smile ---
**Author:** ![Wolf333](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolf333/32/3460_2.png) [@Wolf333](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wolf333)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2022, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-have-80s-sitcoms-aged-so-poorly/976759/131 "2022-12-30T13:20:15Z")
Les Nesman taught me how to spell chihuahua. ---
**Author:** ![chela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chela/32/21582_2.png) [@chela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chela)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2022, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-have-80s-sitcoms-aged-so-poorly/976759/132 "2022-12-30T15:18:17Z")
And that mocking, the yelling, the bullying and berating, the gratuitous sexism and gratuitous cruelty was stomach churning and no matter how many laughs it garnered at the bimbos or pathetic excuse for males it was a disaster not fit to be called entertainment unless we join them in their zoo enclosures. I watched it sometimes trying to find the funny, I felt then as I do today. I liked Murphy Brown. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2022, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-have-80s-sitcoms-aged-so-poorly/976759/133 "2022-12-30T15:48:00Z")
I have long said that a LOT of what’s wrong with America today is that such a huge fraction of our current citizens got most of their socialization from 70s-90 sitcoms and “family” dramas. If MwC is what you watched, and your parents were largely absent, MwC is what you became. When the people who are just turning 20 now become the mainstream voters, having been raised on “reality” TV, Kardashians, and social media I think it’ll be time to turn out the lights. Oh yeah … Get Off My LAWN! ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2022, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-have-80s-sitcoms-aged-so-poorly/976759/134 "2022-12-30T19:17:55Z")
I’m sure if I watched it again, and I don’t really care to, I would feel it aged badly. A running gag with the sound of flushing is hardly witty repartee. However, I considered the show at the time (and I was not very old) a parody of the preachiness and highly functional families of some other shows. Not necessarily a great one - there was certainly gratuitous sexism and formulaic jokes, but this wasn’t unusual for its time, not has it disappeared. It isn’t in the same league as the other shows I mentioned. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2022, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-have-80s-sitcoms-aged-so-poorly/976759/135 "2022-12-30T19:44:10Z")
> [@california\_jobcase](#): > > _Married…With Children_ must be watched with the knowledge that it was conceived and produced as a spoof to _The Cosby Show_. I maintain that _Unhappily Ever After_ was a spoof of _Married with Children._ ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2022, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-have-80s-sitcoms-aged-so-poorly/976759/136 "2022-12-30T20:06:12Z")
> [@Horatius](#): > > > [@Quintas](#): > > > > 70’s: All in the Family, Sanford and Son, Mary Tyler Moore. Still watchable and sometimes still really funny. > > > > 60’s: Dick Van Dyke, Andy Griffith, the outlandish stuff like I dream of Jeannie, still watchable. > > > > 50’s: I love Lucy, Honeymooners. > > > [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > > > Sturgeon’s Law? > > That’s my take on it. Yuppers Combined with the demographics of the average Doper, very few of the takes in this thread (especially of the ‘kids these days’ variety) are particularly surprising. ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2022, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-have-80s-sitcoms-aged-so-poorly/976759/137 "2022-12-30T20:59:45Z")
> [@bump](#): > > But you couldn’t really remake “Family Ties” in the second decade of the 21st century. The juxtaposition would have to be pretty contrived- something like Gen-Xers who are still basically slackers and fairly liberal, with kids who are motivated MAGA types. Or something stupider and technology-related. Either would bomb so hard it would make the USAF blush. You’d see a gritty reboot with the parents being MAGA types and their relationship with their children are strained at best. Mallory will end up dating Nick, a non-binary transgender individual. Why not? If they can do a gritty Fresh Prince they can do a gritty Family Ties. ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2022, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-have-80s-sitcoms-aged-so-poorly/976759/138 "2022-12-30T21:09:28Z")
For the record, MAD Magazine was already imagining a “liberal parents of conservative kids” scenario in 1961: [[Album] Tomorrow's Parents ![](https://i.imgur.com/NVIWJrX.jpeg?fb "Tomorrow") ](https://imgur.com/a/2nlCy) ---
**Author:** ![california\_jobcase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@california\_jobcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/california_jobcase)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2022, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-have-80s-sitcoms-aged-so-poorly/976759/139 "2022-12-30T21:15:27Z")
Understandable, since the creators of _Unhappily Ever After_ were previously a writer and producer of _Married… With Children_. ---
**Author:** ![california\_jobcase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@california\_jobcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/california_jobcase)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2022, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-have-80s-sitcoms-aged-so-poorly/976759/140 "2022-12-30T21:19:03Z")
Mad Magazine was way ahead of Weird Al with parody lyrics. Also, I will always think of the lady from _Lassie_ and _Lost in Space_ as “lovely June Lockliver” because of Mad Magazine. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-have-80s-sitcoms-aged-so-poorly/976759.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-have-80s-sitcoms-aged-so-poorly/976759.md?page=8)