Everyone has heard the story about the “lovely lady who was bringing up three very lovely girls” and “the man named Brady who was busy with three boys of his own”. “The Brady Bunch” is a show that, if you haven’t watched it, at least you’ve heard of it. Originating in 1969, the show lasted for five seasons and is not too different from the currently running Emmy-winning hit, “Modern Family”.
Both shows feature families that are getting used to their new lives and the funny and relatable trials faced by the characters. While “Modern Family” is obviously a bit more “modern” than “The Brady Bunch”, it is still a good laugh for parents and kids alike.
Other recent shows like “Dawson’s Creek” and “Boy Meets World” introduced more mature plot lines to audiences that could be easily relatable to teens. It was these shows that made it okay for “The Secret Life of the American Teenager” and “The O.C.” to broadcast episodes that would have been considered scandalous otherwise in the past.
“‘Boy Meets World’ was the show everyone watched growing up, but now it’s shows like ‘Secret Life’ or ‘Pretty Little Liars’,” senior Kristen Mulvihill said.
Just like there were plenty of sitcoms 20 years ago, crime dramas have also dominated a portion of broadcast television. Back then, people were watching shows like “Magnum, P.I.” and “Miami Vice” – even the show “Law and Order” got its start before the current batch of seniors was born.
As shows progressed and became more diverse, viewers were given TV shows such as “Bones” and “Criminal Minds” that delved into the lives and motivation behind crime and the trials faced by crime fighters. Though the crime shows of today are more gruesome than what earlier generations experienced, the plot of the shows are mainly the same: catch the bad guy.
“Crime shows today are definitely more complex than they used to be,” senior Billy Halovanic said. “I’ve seen some older episodes of Law and Order and, compared to the more recent episodes on the show as well as others, they’re tame.”
However original “American Idol” and “America’s Got Talent” may seem, the whole talent search show has been overdone. What started out as a radio show, “The Original Amateur Hour” was a talent search that featured performances from people with talents ranging from singing to juggling acts. Members of the audience would vote either by postcard or telephone and decide the winner, much like talent shows of today.
Dating shows are not new to television, either. ABC premiered “The Dating Game” in 1965, and that consisted of a bachelorette asking questions to three hidden bachelors. It was much less personal than the “Bachelor” and “Bachelorette” of today, but each had the same possibility of finding true love. Hopefully the relationships worked out better back then, since most relationships from the “Bachelor” end in heartbreak.
Maybe next time you’re watching a show with your parents and they ramble on about how it’s just like the shows they used to watch, you’ll know it’s mostly not just them talking crazy in their old age. TV has been, and probably will continue to be, an entertaining outlet for viewers everywhere.
