Friends House (1990s)

The strongest change in family portrayal in the 1990s was the loss of traditional families altogether. The 60s saw the start of single parents. The 70s saw ethnicities. The 80s saw dysfunction. The 90s threw it all in together and more. Censors no longer restricted divorce, homosexuality, or several other sexually-based relationships. Contemporary social humor far outweighed the amount of traditional families on TV.

Several TV families could not even be classified as blood-related families. Friends, Will & Grace, and Seinfeld had key characters that often acted as family members but were not related to each other at all; being married and having children was no longer the focus of families either. Mad about You was the story of an unmarried, childless couple living in New York City.

Even though the families were nontraditional, they often still had some of the same values. Family, whether blood or not, was supposed to be loyal to each other. The American dream of success was supposed to be sought out by all. The cries for politically correct tolerance and acceptance became key values as well.

Friends was the story of six young adults in New York City. Their friendships often developed into more romantic-based stories. Eventually, some of the characters were real family through marriage and children. Basically, the concept was six friends who were as close as family and how they interacted in each other’s lives. This show was a hit because it reached out to almost anyone. If you had friends you could relate to some of their misadventures. Often your friends can be better than your actually family. That was the key concept of this show.



Season 1 opening (Who doesn’t know this song?)



A little inappropriate language – nothing too extreme

Full House was the 1990s take on shows like My Three Sons from the 1960s. Bob Saget’s character, Danny Tanner, is a widower with three little girls. He, along with help from his brother-in-law and best friend, attempt to raise these girls to the best of their abilities. Often criticized as cheesy, Full House was a show that was based on traditional family values in a nontraditional setting. Where My Three Sons had portrayed the men as functioning well without women; Full House was much more vulnerable. The Tanner’s were not perfect, but because they all loved each other, they resolved their problems.



Opening



Clips of the girls

Bibliography:

"Full House on TV.com - Free Full Episodes & Clips, & Show Info." TV.com - Free Full Episodes & Clips, Show Info and TV Listings Guide. 11 May 2009
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Marc, Robinson,. Brought to you in living color 75 years of great moments in television & radio from NBC. New York, NY: Wiley, 2002.

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