So why hasn't there been a recent ground-breaking show like All In The Family in the 1970s, Roseanne in the '80s and '90s, and My So-Called Life in the '90s? There have been some watchable shows: Desperate Housewives is addicting; Grey's Anatomy is fun; the CSI series is visually fascinating; and the ending HBO series, The Sopranos, is well written. But there hasn't been a series this decade that has really made people think and question their own values like All In the Family, Roseanne, and My So-Called Life.
Perhaps the new era of McCarthyist censorship and political correctness, which gained steam after Janet Jackson's wardrobe malfunction and hit new heights after the Imus affair, have prevented writers and networks from producing something truly worthwhile. Lets face it: a character like Archie Bunker would be DOA in today's world. While there are gay characters on television, the Christian right would do its best to prevent an "extreme" gay character, such as Ricky Vasquez, from appearing on prime time television,even though having such a character shows what many ousted high school students experience. A Roseanne-like show is a possibility, but would find itself in the "been there, done that" category.
People looking for another groundbreaking series shouldn't give up hope. I truly believe that, like terrestrial radio, network television will eventually become irrelevant. The Internet television experience is gaining momentum, with people able to stream excellent quality video at affordable high speeds. It will be a lot more difficult for the whacko Christian right neocons and the self-hating Communist liberals to censor what we say and think. Once a groundbreaking Internet series is created (and I predict this will happen within the next couple of years), a new era will begin.
Article comments
1 - J. Patel
Excellent article and very true. But I think The Cosby Show is just as important as all the shows you mentioned.
2 - TV and Film Guy
I'd never, ever, ever put All in the Family in the same category as a Roseanne or My So-Called Life. The former's goal was to push boundaries adn get people to think in a way that I don't think is true for the latter shows.
Additionally, if you are correct, and My So-Called Life was the last groundbreaking show, and ended in 1995, but the Janet Jackson Superbowl incident didn't occur till 2004, what happened during those 9 years?
Actually, I'd argue that there are just as many shows that fit your critera now as there were then, but maybe you're not watching them. What about: Battlestar Galactica, The West Wing, and Rescue Me just to name the first few that come to mind.
3 - daryl d
I think you have to watch more episodes of Roseanne and My So-Called life to understand what I am talking about. They definitely fit in the same category as All In The Family. Oh...and the show Rescue Me..please. It could be a good show if the actors, especially the one that plays Franco, takes acting lessons. The other shows you mentioned are good, but not close to the quality of the three I talked about.
4 - sandra
Nice job, Daryl. I actually ended up buying the full My So-Called Life dvd set at Amazon. I had been planning to do it for a long time, but your article reminded me how much I loved this show.
5 - Saira Rahman
degrassi
6 - sean Paul Mahoney
Daryl, great article.
I loved My So Called Life! Once and Again by the same creators was a great show too but unfortunately no one watched that either.
To answer TV And Film Guy- HBO and Reality TV happened from 95 to 04. Survivor, Sex and the City, and American Idol were groundbreaking phenomenoms, love them or loathe them. I agree with West Wing and Battlestar. These shows, like My So Called Life, proved there was an audience for dramas that don't involve grumpy cops or horny doctors.
I am suprised The Simpsons didn't get mentioned. This show has changed the face of sitcoms and tv animation.