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In addition to being a pioneer of the multi-camera set-up, and one of the most popular sitcoms ever, I Love Lucy was also one of the first television programs to feature a pregnancy. When Lucille Ball became pregnant IRL, she and Desi made the groundbreaking decision to write it into the storyline. CBS forbid them from saying the word ‘pregnancy,’ so the cast had to use euphemisms like “expecting” or like in the clip below “a blessed event.”
“The Cleavers,” Leave it Beaver (1957 – 1963)
One of the first sitcoms told from the kids’ point-of-view, Leave It To Beaver also represented an idealized portrait of suburban bliss. It was a quintessential piece of Baby Boomer lore, extolling the virtues of hard work and marriage. The whole idea of suburban life was a fairly new concept to see on primetime television. Pre-fab communities like Levittown were only just built in the early 50’s. It has since become a relic of simpler times, when America had “good values.”
“The Taylors,” The Andy Griffith Show (1960 -1968)
At the time, it was common to name a show after the star instead of the main character. This show was a smash ratings hit, and also gave us the wonderful Don Knotts, as well as Ron Howard. But what makes this Taylor family (clear eyes, full hearts) revolutionary, is that as a widower Sheriff Andy Taylor became one of the first single parents on primetime television.
“The Bradys,” The Brady Bunch (1969 -1974)
Quick: name all six children without even thinking about it. How do we know these things? How? Sherwood Schwartz’s sitcom about Astroturf was hardly a hit when it first aired, cancelled after only five seasons. But thanks to Nick@Nite, TVLand and a national obsession with nostalgia, it’s a part of our collective consciousness. But its real contribution as a game-changer was its emphasis on the blended family, at a time when divorce rates were on the rise. Mike Brady was a widower, but Carol was a divorcee – though it was never addressed outright on the show. Either way, it was one of the first sitcom families not completely related by blood.
“WJM TV Station,” Mary Tyler Moore Show (1970 – 1977)
The woman with a broken engagement who could turn the world on with her smile does not exactly translate to family. Except that the Mary Tyler Moore Show was one of the first to champion the idea of the workplace family: people who spend so much time at the office that the people they work with become akin to their next of kin. The extent of the WJM family is captured pretty perfectly in the last few minutes of the show’s poignant series finale.
“The Bunkers,” All in the Family (1971 – 1979)
Meet the Grand Poobah of Game-changers. All in the Family aired during a tumultuous decade for the US, and reflected that in its themes. Working-class bigot Archie Bunker is a far cry from Ward Cleaver. It broke all kinds of new grounds not just for the sitcom genre, but for broadcast television in general. At a time when no show had confronted taboos full on, All in the Family addressed racism, rape, abortion, cancer, Vietnam, impotence and even homosexuality. Today these issues can be found in one episode of Law & Order: SVU. But it would probably still be shocking even in 2011 to see a sitcom talk frankly about racism or the war in Iraq. Here’s a famous clip of Archie Bunker meeting crooning legend Sammy Davis Jr.
Sanford and Son ,(1972 - 1977)
Known for its edgy racial humor, running gags and catch phrases, the series was adapted by Norman Lear and considered NBC's answer to Archie Bunker.Sanford and Son has long been hailed as the precursor to many other African American sitcoms. It was a ratings hit throughout its six season run. While the role of Fred G. Sanford was known for his bigotry and being cantankerous, the role of Lamont Sanford was usually a peacemaker and more conscientious. At times, both would involve themselves in schemes. Other colorful/unconventional characters were Aunt Esther, Grady Wilson, Bubba Bexley and Rollo Lawson. In 2007, Time magazine included the show on their list of the "100 Best TV Shows of All Time".
Good Times (1974 -1979)
As was the case on other Norman Lear sitcoms, the characters and subject matter in Good Times were a breakthrough for American television. Sitcoms had featured working class characters before (dating back at least to The Life of Riley), but never before had a weekly series featured black characters living in an urban setting. (Fred and Lamont Sanford of Sanford and Son, though they live in the poor Watts area of Los Angeles, at least have their own home and business.) Episodes of Good Times deal with the characters' attempts to survive in a high rise project building in Chicago, despite their poverty. When he is not unemployed, James Evans is a man of pride who often stated he would not accept charity. He usually works at least two jobs simultaneously, from a wide variety such as dishwasher, construction laborer, etc. When he has to, he plays pool in order to hustle money, though Florida disapproves of this.
“The Jeffersons,” The Jeffersons (1975 – 1985)
A spin-off of All in the Family, The Jeffersons is the longest-running sitcom in the history of television where the majority of the cast was African-American. After opening their own dry-cleaning chain, the affluent Jeffersons “move it on up to the East side” to live in a fancy uptown apartment. While the show ran for 10 years, it was cancelled without having a proper series finale to much controversy.
“The Keatons,” Family Ties (1982 – 1989)
Reagan was president and the national pendulum swung away from the liberated 60’s and 70’s to a more conservative mindset. Family Ties turned that change on its head, illustrating the country’s newfound conservatism through the children instead of the parents. Alex P. Keaton rejected the free love of his formerly-hippie mother and father, embracing the role of a young Republican. Also the show had a pretty classic 80’s theme song.
“The Huxtables,” The Cosby Show (1984 – 1992)
A lawyer mother, a doctor father and a whole lot of family values. The fact that the family happened to be African-American was not the point of the show, and yet was everything. It crossed all boundaries to become a major hit, and made NBC a huge pot of money. Some critics even said it revived the sitcom altogether.
“The Bundys,” Married…With Children (1987 – 1997)
Married With Children made an absolute mockery of the sitcom family, and that is why it’s important. It took the middle-class ideal and had a crass field day, to the chagrin of some Christian housewives. But it was a pioneer in the parody of the traditional sitcom, opting for lessons in immorality as opposed to clichéd family values.
Roseanne (1988- 1997) Starring Roseanne Barr, the show revolved around the Conners, an Illinois working-class family. The show is centered on the Conners, an American working-class family struggling to get by on a limited household income in the fictional town of Lanford, Illinois. Lanford was nominally located in Fulton County, but other on-air references over the years suggest the town is in the vicinity of Aurora, Elgin, and DeKalb, which are much closer to Chicago. The family consisted of outspoken Roseanne, married to husband Dan, with three children; Becky, Darlene, and D.J.
2009-Present: Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Eric Stonestreet in Modern Family
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