The Cosby Ties (1980s)

The 80s TV family was much more cynical but relatable. Programs began to show more ethnicities in less stereotypical roles. Shows played up the more dysfunctional roles in family. Soap opera families reflected Reaganomics, the dream of economical prosperity in America. Wealth and status became a key focus in many hit family shows. The politics of the era became natural canon fodder for the blossoming of sitcoms on TV.

Shows began to focus more to what family life actually was and not what it was idealized to be. The Cosby Show showed African – Americans as successful. Married…with Children brought forth the horrors of being a suburbanite. Family Ties showed the generation gap in families. The TV mom no longer had dinner by five prepared but was out working just like her husband. Children no longer held a high respect for parents; instead they often back-talked and schemed to get what they wanted.

The Cosby Show opened up new ground for African-American television. This show featured an upper middle class, wealthy black family, which sparked much controversy in the media about race and classes in America. It was not the first show to feature blacks in lead roles, but it was the first that truly featured them as equals to whites. The show was about the daily lives of Cliff and Clair Huxtable and the relationship with their five children. Cliff was a gynecologist and Clair was a lawyer. TV Guide called them the “most atypical black family in television history” (Hunt 432). They used regular family situations to find humor, decorated their house with black art, and most often played jazz for background music. They wanted to change the stereotype of black families. They had a stable father, a nuclear family, professional jobs, financial stability, multiracial friendships, and did not push their racial pride. The show was met with criticism from both whites and blacks, but it does stand as one of the most popular and influential shows of its kind.


A collection of clips from the show

Few shows portrayed how family was changing in the 1980s like Family Ties. It showed how the Reagan Era was changing the generation of the time. The Keaton family showed the classic nuclear family structure, but was focused on the generation gap between the teens and their parents. The parents, Elyse and Steve, were leftovers from the hippy era. They had strong liberal views, had been in the peace corps, and showed strong love for thier family. Their foil was their son, Alex. The role that made Michael J. Fox famous, Alex P. Keaton was a Reaganomics, conservative, middle-class teenager who dreamed of strong success. Alex became a symbol for clean-cut entrepreneurs of the 80s yuppies. He was so popular the President Reagan actually wanted to guest star at some point (something that was ignored by producers).



Opening for the show


Alex’s 18th Birthday

Bibliography:

Hunt, Darnell M. "The Cosby Show." Encylopedia of Television. 1st ed. 1 vols. Chicago: Fitzroy Dearborn, 1997.

Saenz, Michael. "Family Ties." Encylopedia of Television. 1st ed. 1 vols. Chicago: Fitzroy Dearborn, 1997.

Spigel, Lynn. "Family on Television." Encylopedia of Television. 1st ed. 1 vols. Chicago: Fitzroy Dearborn, 1997.

Television and Family - The Portrayal Of Family On Television