TV in the Golden Age

Sometimes, I feel bad for kids growing up today.  They have no idea what they're missing.

In a world where most houses have access to hundreds of cable channels and just about everyone has a DVR, our tv watching habits have changed.  Channels have specialized, and no matter what time of the day your favorite program airs, you can watch it at your own convenience.  Most homes have multiple tv sets, not to mention video game systems, computers, ipads/iphones and a number of other entertainment options.  In the modern household you might see, for example, the younger kids watching a DVR'd Disney Channel show in one room while the older/teenage child FaceTimes a friend in her own room and a parent channel surfs in the living room.  As the modern family has changed, so has the tv programming--hardly any shows try to cater to everyone, and each show has a clearly defined "target demographic" as network executives try to maximize their ad revenue.

But it wasn't always this way.  There was a time--not too long ago--when at around 8pm (7 central), after all the homework and dishes were done, that a family would gather around the tv set and enjoy an evening of tv programming together.


And we were treated to some of the greatest shows in the history of television.  Lovable characters that are still talked about today.  Hilarious situations that had us in stitches.  Food fights.  Ridiculous dancing.  Men in drag. You name it, the primetime tv shows of the 80's and 90's had it.

But it wasn't all just fun and games.  Television in the Golden Age always taught us something too.  Take a look at the following clip:

(Embedding for the video has been disabled, but PLEASE check it out at this link:)

Family Matters Scene on Racism

Does anyone think ANY tv show or network would have the guts to take on a scene like that today?

TV in the Golden Age was extremely entertaining, but that wasn't all.  It had substance, and more often than not it taught us something--about growing up, or about the world, or about ourselves.  The shows of our childhood weren't afraid to take on big issues--whether it was Family Matters with racism, Fresh Prince with gun violence, Saved by the Bell with drug use, Boy Meets World with teen drinking, Full House with child abuse, or any of dozens of other powerful storylines taken on by these great shows and others.  Golden Age shows took on relevant issues of their time and gave us some insight on how to deal with them.  No issue was too big.  And it was all done tastefully, so that the entire family could watch and understand without anyone feeling uncomfortable.

And beyond the contemporary issues, Golden Age shows taught us about the real world problems we'd face in every day life--peer pressure, drama with parents or best friends, the delicate emotional balance of young love.  I can't tell you how many times in life I've faced a tough personal issue only to realize that Kevin Arnold or Cory Matthews or some other great Golden Age character had faced a similar issue and ended up ok.

We'll never forget the tv shows of the Golden Age for the memorable characters, countless laughs and warm-fuzzy moments.  But for me, the fact that they were "real" made them so much more relatable and is the reason why they still resonate today.  While today's television programs go for cheap laughs with adult humor--even in the 8/7c timeslot--the programs of the Golden Age made us laugh, and cry, AND taught us something and made us better people.  For that, we'll always love them.