Television From Days Gone By

 Hi, my name is Ashley and I'm in fourth year communication studies. One of my favourite pastimes is watching old television shows from the 50s to the 80s. I mostly watch them on either youtube or facebook watch, since Netflix doesn't have as many as I would like. I'm not quite sure why I like these shows so much, but I think a big reason is because I get to learn about what could and couldn't be shown on television back then. Some shows were certainly a product of their time and are very problematic by today's standards (Dukes of Hazzard, I'm looking at you) But despite some bad representation, there were still plenty of moments in old television shows in which I was pleasantly surprised at how progressive they were. A major example of this would be the first interracial kiss on television, shown on "Star Trek" between Nichelle Nichols and William Shatner. There was also an episode of "Hogan's Heroes" where the audience finds out that Carter, one of the main characters, is partly Native American. This was especially cool since the actor who played him was part Native American and was born on a First Nations Reserve. Then there was the fact that the Professor from "Gilligan's Island" was asexual and "Perfect Strangers" showed positive representation of foreigners to the USA. One show that I find especially interesting today is "The Man from U.N.C.L.E.," which shows an American and a Russians spy who work together and are extremely loyal to each other in order to save the world from evil doers. I am very curious to hear; what are some past shows that you found to be surprisingly progressive?






Comments

  1. KeenanSeptember 23, 2022 at 1:59 PM

    Hey Ashely, great post! It is not often that someone pays tribute to TV shows of the past, it seems as though now that their is more shows then movies everyone is chomping at the bit for the next bingable show. But show's in the 70's 80's and 90's walked so these new shows could run at the volume they do now.

    I really liked "Magnum PI" as a kid, as it was something my dad and I bonder over. Now when I see the remake on TV it has none the same soul as the original which had alot of great serious moments, actions and a flawed but likable main character, which has now become a trope in everycrime show. Lastly, I sugguest you try M*A*S*H, I belive it is still the most influental sitcom of all time. With complex character's, who were not afraid to have serious moments and did not offer puch line after puchline, instead used humour as an escape durring wartime. Let me know if you watched or liked it and great post, agian, it really brought me back to how TV as a medium has changed over the years, relecting changes in society. Thanks for sharing :)!

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