Last week I was thinking about Will
and Grace and how these fictional characters changed the course of
this nation's history when, more than five years after it went off the air, it
inspired Joe Biden to make the "blunder" of suggesting that this show
changed attitudes toward gay people and prompting
President Barack Obama's public support of marriage equality. At
first, my opinion tended toward that of Stephen Colbert and Eric McCormack in feeling
that this was kind of a silly reference for our vice president to make then, I
saw Modern Family for the
first time last week.
Watching this mixed up group of people attempt to love each other, the gay men
raising a daughter, the strange marriage between Gloria and Jay, and the classically
obnoxious teenagers who remind me of childhood friends; I couldn't help but
feel a little more acceptance for step families, gay men raising children, and,
yes, even those annoying teens.
Think about it, when we treat people for OCD, we use systematic desensitization
to show the afflicted person how unreasonable their convictions are. Why shouldn’t we praise our main source of
entertainment, prime time TV, when they use the same concept to show afflicted
bigots, and sorrowfully ignorant people how unreasonable their convictions are?
This thinking prompted me to think back on the TV I've watched over my
lifetime, and fight the urge to call my mother and declare that I've finally
found value in all that time I spent in front of the television set. Let
me share with you the result of my epiphany: my list of 20 TV shows and
characters that changed the way I, and probably we, view America.
When you finish reading this list, think about the characters and story lines
that changed you, inspired you, or reflected on your life. By the time I
finished this list of progressive television moments, I was convinced of one
thing, and I think you will be too... Joe Biden isn't foolish; he's spot on as
usual.
#20 - LA
Law/Dawson's
Creek/ Star
Trek - I tied these three
shows for making a similar ground breaking choice; they showed acceptance of love that wasn’t socially acceptable at the
time. On LA Law episode #95, "He's A Crowd", Abby Perkins and
"C.J." Lamb briefly but passionately kissed each other outside of a
restaurant after finishing a difficult case. This was
the first kiss between two women on a prime time TV series. On May
24, 2000 two male characters, Jack
and David, also kiss and it is the first between two men in a prime
time TV series. I would venture to say that it’s possible that without this
ground breaking moment, neither of the above kisses would have happened: In
1967 Shatner and Nichelle Nichols who played, Captain Kirk and Lieutenant Uhura
in the Original Series kissed. This was the
first interracial kiss in television history.
#19 - Sesame
Street - This show premiered November 10, 1969 to positive reviews,
some controversy, and high ratings and by the show's tenth anniversary in
1979, 9 million American children under the age of six were watching Sesame
Street daily. It received some flak for being a highly integrated
show, for being "too wholesome" and for warping the educational
processes of children with liberal ideas. Today, the show still makes
strides toward promoting acceptance, understanding and community, with notable
guests like Neil Patrick Harris and his character, "The Shoe Fairy"
subtly prodding us toward the acceptance of all minorities from those of
different races, genders and sexual orientations.
Even though this is not a show that
falls in line with most of the others on the list, I include Sesame Street
because of the enormous impact it made on me when I was little, when I grew up
with a painting of Sesame Street at the foot of my bed till I was 19 years old,
and when I watched my sons sing, dance, identify letters, and cheer for Big
Bird’s teddy, Radar. Radar was named after Walter
"Radar" O'Reilly of M*A*S*H, who had a teddy bear and was also
lovably naive and innocent. Radar was given to Big Bird by Gary Burghoff when
he guest-starred on the show. I
cannot emphasize enough to you, how very awesome I find this piece of trivia,
linking my favorite childhood show, and MASH.
#18 -X-Files
- Dana Scully almost slipped by me till my friend, Starla Roddan, pointed out
her value. “Dana still inspires me as an educated, dedicated, driven
atheist and medical investigator still willing to pursue avenues that aren't in
line with her beliefs and knowledge, yet always relying on
evidence." Dana Scully has become a symbol of feminine strength,
intelligence and leadership
#17 - I Love
Lucy - This show and its fabulous work with humor is also notable
because it was the first show that had a Hispanic
man, Desi Arnez, as a main character. When Lucy and Ricky
welcomed their son, (real life Desi Arnez Jr.) to the show it was a mere 12
hours after Lucy had undergone a C-section to give birth to him. His
was the first birth ever presented on television and that’s really
quite exceptional, considering that it occurred at a time when you couldn't say
the word pregnant on TV or even show a married couple sleeping in the same bed.
#12 - Home
Improvement - Amid the grunting, tool talk, and three teenaged boys,
we watch Jill Taylor juggle house and home while pursuing her college education
and demonstrating a particular brand of 90's feminism that I identified
with. I watched each Tuesday evening, while I waited
for my own mother to return from college night classes.
#11 - West
Wing - During the ultra-conservative Bush Era, this show offered a
place of sanity, respite, and hope to left-wingers everywhere. I somehow managed to miss this series. However, every time I broach the subject of
television with a fellow progressive, this or MASH is always listed as a
defining influence. As such, I can’t
help but give it a place on my list.
#10 - Sex
in the City - I didn't have HBO when this show came out, and even if
I had, my mother wouldn't have let me watch it. That didn't stop Carrie
and her friends from impacting my life. I listened as criticism rolled in
stating that the show glamorized sex inappropriately, and wondered at how
terribly naughty it must be for years before I finally saw it. After
watching every episode, and all the movies, I've come to recognize this show as
anything but raunchy or naughty. Instead, it humanized the fact that
women have can have sexual libido, drive for power, success and love, and integrity
too. This show taught me that I deserve
happiness, and told me to go out and find it with the same devotion to self
that a man would. I appreciate this
lesson every day as I approach my thirties, and do so with confidence.
#9 - Murphy
Brown - When I was a little girl, my daddy used to set me up on his
knee and tell me that I could grow up and be anybody I wanted to be, then he'd
send me off to bed and tell me to sleep. In bare feet, and a pink nightgown
I would crawl like a GI Joe on my belly down the hall, through the dining room
and kitchen so I could peek around the corner to the living room. From
there I would watch Murphy Brown demand respect and cuss Dan Quayle for chastising her ability to be a single working
mom. There, on my mother's kitchen floor, I watched Candace
Bergan and her puffy shoulder pads elbow their way into a man's world. In
those moments, on white linoleum, the glass ceiling in my mind was
shattered. Thanks to Murphy Brown, I
believed the message my dad instilled in me while I sat on his knee. For
that, Murphy gets a top ten spot at number nine.
#8 -
The Cosby Show - When I was little, I lived in a predominantly white
neighborhood, with white peers at school, white role models on TV and a white
baby doll that I named after myself. The only time I was exposed to black
people was when they were portrayed as gangsters, bad guys, and thugs on the
news, or when they were portrayed as educated, smart and loving on the Cosby
Show. Thanks to Bill Cosby and his TV family, I was presented with an
alternative view to prejudice and racism. I grew up thinking that little
black girls were just like me- full of love, life and a little
orneriness. When I think of the most reasonable parents on television
when I was growing up, I would certainly have named the Huxtables first.
In fact, it wasn't till nearly a decade after I saw my first episode of the
Cosby Show that I even considered race as a reason that someone might feel prejudice,
and I am thankful to the Huxtables for teaching me just how absurd that idea
is.
Now that I am a mom, and I watch mostly white characters try to tell my boys
what to buy, how to act, and who to respect, I recognize the value of good role
models. I also wonder to myself, what
Claire Huxtable would think if she turned on the Disney Channel today and saw Michelle
Obama gardening and discussing healthy food choices with children. I imagine her smile would be wide and proud.
#7 - ER-
Though it is clear that the majority of this show focuses around the medical
drama, and the coming of age issues of John Carter, for me the most influential
story line revolved around Kerry Weaver. From the beginning of the
series, Kerry impressed me with her ability to persevere after being born with
congenital hip dysplasia. Her battle with understanding and coping with
the fact that she was adopted, and dealing with a difficult relationship with
her birth mother moved me. However,
in the final seasons of ER, Kerry revealed her inner struggle with the fact
that she is a lesbian. Her love story, with firefighter Sandy Lopez,
their journey to parenthood, and the legal battle that ensues over the custody
of their son, Henry, when Sandy dies literally shook me, and all ER viewers, to
our core.
While Kerry’s journey dominates my memories of ER, I also remember other story
lines addressing AIDS, homosexuality, cancer, mental illness, healthcare,
poverty, race, class, bureaucracy, and more.
Every character, while flawed, showed heroism and humanity at one point
or another. This reflection of America
was profound, spot on, and moving. As
one of my personal favorites, I place it
in the # 7 slot.
#6 - The Mary
Tyler Moore Show - That iconic image in the opening credits, of Mary
throwing her hat, is burned into my mind as a metaphor for the independence and
strength of woman represented in this show. May earns the number six spot
for showing America that a woman can live and work independently and
successfully. Before I ever saw any The
Golden Girls, or Murphy Brown, or Ellen,
or Roseanne… I saw Mary Tyler Moore. I
remember a
particular episode where Ted and Mary take a writing class. Ted, fraught with writers block, steals Mary’s
work and presents it as his own, and Mary nearly implodes as she watches him
read it aloud to the class. This moment
stuck in my head, as a symbol of all the times my mother, a young woman in the
70’s, took second place to a boy that did lesser work than she. When I learned last month, that all the boys
on the ski team in my mom’s high school received college scholarships, and none
of the girls did, even though the girls’ team advanced farther that year, I
thought of Mary and that look of frustration as Ted was praised for her
efforts.
#5 - Ellen- This series comes in at number
five for the fact that she came out on her show. Before it aired, there
was so much social commentary on the issue and that the episode's air date is
listed as a
significant day in history, April 30th, 1997, on the History Channel website.
I was fourteen when Ellen announced she was gay, and so was her
character. I remember arguing with people close to me, about whether we
should watch her show, about whether we supported her or not. For the
first time in my life, a television show created a social dialogue in which I
participated.
I was proud to stand by Ellen in
1997, just as I was proud to stand by her in 2012 when JC Penney was condemned
for casting her in their television commercials. In both cases she put herself
on the line, she faced an angry and bigoted public, and she opened doors for
others like herself. I admire her tenacity, nearly a decade and half
after she came out, she still fights for her right to simply be herself.
Even today she is constantly accused of having little or no values, and yet her
values as she describes them in 2012, seem to be just as noble now as they were
in 1997. Last spring, after JC Penney announced its advertising campaign, and
Ellen suffered the backlash from it from so called "family values"
groups, Ellen stood up for herself, when she said," I want to be clear and here are the values that I
stand for. I stand for honesty, equality, kindness, compassion, treating people
the way you want to be treated, and helping those in need. To me those are
traditional values. That's what I stand for." All I can say is, “Me too Ellen, Me Too.”
Lisa Simpson
is the progressive heart of the show, though only eight years old, she is a
vegetarian, feminist, environmentalist, supports gay rights and the Free Tibet
Movement, and converted to Buddhism after studying the Noble 8 fold Path. Although
all the characters either directly espouse liberal ideology or use comedy to
poke fun at conservatives, Lisa's straightforward determination to use logic,
morals and empathy prove her to be the voice of wisdom if not the spirit of
Springfield. Matt Groening, and his fine commentary on
American culture and society which have forever changed our collective
understanding of Americana in a way that cannot be denied.
#3 - All
in the Family - The first rerun of All in the Family, I happened to
catch was a Christmas themed episode where a draft dodger,
David, and the father of a man who died in Vietnam, Steve, join the Bunkers for
Christmas dinner. Within seconds of being exposed to Edith, Archie, Mike and
Gloria, I was captivated.
Having never before heard of or seen
Archie Bunker, I was appalled when he reacted to learning of David dodging the
draft by saying, "He owes an
explanation to the Army, Navy, Marine Core, Commander-in-Chief of the U.S. of
A.--the President!" As that scene played out, and Archie
deferred to Pinko's opinion by saying, "Certainly,
your opinion is important--a Gold Star father! Your opinion is more important
than anybody else in this room and I want to hear that opinion. I want the
young people here to hear that opinion. You
tell 'em, Pinky, you tell 'em!" Then, Pinko opened his mouth
and I was amazed and what I heard that Gold Star father say, "I understand how you feel, Arch. My
kid hated the war, too. But he did what he thought he had to do and David here,
he did what he thought he had to do. But David's alive to share Christmas
dinner with us. And if Steve were here, he'd want to sit down with him. And
that's what I want to do."
In a little under thirty minutes, I experienced
an amazing roller coaster ride of emotion that I soon found to be a delightful
pattern of the series. I felt empathy, anger, and I laughed all the while,
as I looked over my shoulder to ensure that no one saw me watching a man spew
hateful words like fag, fairy, negro, Pollack, or worse. Edith's
50th Birthday and Gloria the Victim were among the many episodes
that taught me about women's rights, the strength of women, and how very
different things were for my mother, aunts, grandmothers and cousins who lived
in a time when society blamed women for their own rape.
I also enjoyed episodes that challenged
Archie's bigotry, such as Archie the Hero, in which Archie inadvertently
gives a transvestite CPR. In 1971, All
in the Family became the first show to have an openly gay character.
Archie's role as America's favorite bigot, and the constant rebuttal he
receives from his son-in-law and daughter, has made a fine mirror for Americans
to stare into, and laugh, while considering their reflection.
#2 -
Roseanne - Before this show came on the air, sitcoms and other
forms of prime-time TV never really showed anything that resembled the actual
American families I knew growing up. Prior to Roseanne, issues of class,
money, and real parents struggling to provide for real kids seemed to be like
toilets, everybody knew they were around, but nobody put them on TV.
My mother hated Roseanne. She
thought that the woman, and the show, were brash, uncouth and foul.
Still, I remember watching Becky spin herself up in the telephone cord trying
to get some privacy in that family kitchen, and knowing immediately that I, or
any one of my friends, could easily be a Conner. Throughout the series,
Roseanne provided a strong voice for women, confronted issues of race, and had
some of the first gay characters I ever saw on TV. I remember when Becky
got birth control, when Roseanne and Dan struggled with whether or
not to keep a pregnancy that might produce a sick child, when Jackie
was beaten by a lover, when Roseanne's mom came out, when Darlene proposed to David and when Roseanne led a group of women out of Wellman's plastics after
her boss sexually harassed her. These were moments that I watched as an
adolescent girl, and used as a reference point later in life, when I asked
myself, "What would a strong woman do right now?"
Perhaps the most moving moments of
the series were in the final episode when Roseanne
gives a monologue from the little desk that her family built for her
to write from in the basement of the Connor home. "Dan and I always felt that it was our responsibility as parents to
improve the lives of our children by 50% over our own. And we did. We didn't
hit our children as we were hit, we didn't demand their unquestioning silence,
and we didn't teach our daughters to sacrifice more than our sons. As a modern
wife I walked a tightrope between tradition and progress and usually I failed
by outsiders standards or another's. But I figured out that neither winning nor
losing count for women like they do for men. We women are the ones who
transform everything we touch, and nothing on earth is higher than that."
#1 - MASH
- This series simply must sit in the number one slot. To this
day, nearly thirty years after the show went off the air, it still holds its
place as the most popular TV show of all time. As
of November 2011, the series finale, "Goodbye Farewell, Amen," is
still the most watched television broadcast in US History. It was watched by
approximately 125 million viewers. The finale aired from 8pm - 11pm on February
28, 1983. At 11:03 pm, EST, New York City public works noted the highest water
usage at one given time in the City's history. This was due to the fact that in
the three minutes after the finale ended, approximately 77% of New York City
flushed their toilets.
MASH used the Korean War as a
platform to discuss the social issues of the late 1970's and early 1980's
including the Vietnam War, the draft, women's rights, racism, sexuality,
religion and even gay rights. Episodes such as "The Ringbanger" in which Hawkeye,
Trapper and Radar work together to get a Colonel with reckless casualty rates
home, and "For the Good of the Outfit" in which Hawkeye
and Trapper attempt to force the army into taking responsibility for the
accidental bombing of a local village, both show the injustice and lack of
ethics in war. "Dear Dad Three" tells the story of
how Hawk and Trapper color the skin of a racist patient with iodine to teach
him a lesson after he makes racist remarks and demands the "right color of
blood." A particular favorite of mine is titled simply, "George"
and has a storyline that revolves around a gay soldier. Burns tries to
slap a dishonorable discharge on the kid, shouting “He's not normal!" To which Hawkeye asks, "What's normal Frank?" Good
old conservative Frank says, "Normal
is everybody doing the same thing." Trapper cannot let this
answer stand, "What about
individuality?" In classic MASH tongue in cheek enthusiasm an irate
Frank declares, “Well, individuality is
fine - as long as we all do it together."
The constant commentary on war and
civil rights, and specifically the ability of this show to force people to use
their two most valuable skills, humor and empathy, to look at their society
make it an American classic to be proud of.
I'm certain that I’ve left some
shows that are incredibly important out, but this list is based on my own
meandering experience, and I can’t help that. I think that perhaps
Hawkeye said it best when he said, ""I
can't say that I've loved you all…But I've loved as many of you as I
could!" That's how I feel about this subject. I can't
say that I've seen, let alone loved, all the progressive television there is,
but I’ve shared with you as much of it as I could!
Don't get me wrong, I'm a mom who
limits the TV time and specific shows my kids watch. I'm a person who
sees quite a bit of mess, embarrassment, and melancholy in
television. I'm somebody who fully understands how shallow it
sounds to assume that a television show alone can or should change a person's
life.
On the other hand, I’m also the mom
who recognizes the value of a son who idolizes superheroes, Jedi and little
cartoon people named Phineas and Ferb.
I am a person who looks for hope, inspiration, and good messages in crappy TV.
I am happy to see positive changes in our social expectations inspired by and reflected
in our entertainment. I don't fault Joe Biden a bit for referring our
collective conscious back to the lovable characters of Will and Grace. In
a nation that probably has its fair share of citizens who know Will and Grace's
names and life stories better than our vice president, Joe Biden's, it seems
like a smart move to refer to such well known and well-loved characters to make
his point.
I hope you enjoyed this list of my favorite TV
shows. Please feel free to follow these
links to my blog, Facebook page,
and
addictinginfo archives.
