Things that are still considered taboo for sitcoms

[sally mander]

I know such things such as the use of the "f" word and nudity are still considered today "taboo" as far as sitcoms goes, but in this day and age are there any other things out therethat would tend to make the networks "nervous and take a pass" as far as sitcoms goes?

A few weeks back I was visiting a friend who had one of those
satellite radio services ( XM? ). The talk show I was listening too brought up the number of gay characters on various TV shows and how popular Will & Grace was. Nothing really new there but they did brought up something that I thought was interesting. No "bears & cubs". In other words the networks believe America will not accept a gay man sporting a lot of body hair ( such as a goatee or beard ) or doing things that aren't part of the gay image ( I hate the word stereotype ) such as 2 gay men riding a motorcycle together or those who rather watch ESPN than going out to a Broadway show.
Any truth to this?

Any other things that are considered "taboo" today?

[factsoflife]

I know such things such as the use of the "f" word and nudity are still considered today "taboo" as far as sitcoms goes, but in this day and age are there any other things out therethat would tend to make the networks "nervous and take a pass" as far as sitcoms goes?

A few weeks back I was visiting a friend who had one of those
satellite radio services ( XM? ). The talk show I was listening too brought up the number of gay characters on various TV shows and how popular Will & Grace was. Nothing really new there but they did brought up something that I thought was interesting. No "bears & cubs". In other words the networks believe America will not accept a gay man sporting a lot of body hair ( such as a goatee or beard ) or doing things that aren't part of the gay image ( I hate the word stereotype ) such as 2 gay men riding a motorcycle together or those who rather watch ESPN than going out to a Broadway show.
Any truth to this?

Any other things that are considered "taboo" today?

that is because tv programmers think American's are stupid. but it also has to do with the stereotype that associates all gay men as being "un-masculine" or being femine, but the truth is just as many gay men are more "masculine" as straight guys... a lot of gay guys are nowhere near the femine stereotype tv would have you believe....

another BIG taboo for sitcoms seems to be Abortion, i don't know of many sitcoms willing to tackel such a delicate, controversial issue. now that i think of it i can think of only 1 sitcom that has ever had an episode with that word mentioned and that is Roseanne...

[Ireneparalegal]

I am sure television writers/producers want to tackle issues such as abortion, introduce more gay/lesbian characters that don't fit the stereotype, etc. but there are toooooo many "groups" that are ready to pounce on them the minute they don't like something that is shown on television.

[joan davis fan]

that is because tv programmers think American's are stupid. but it also has to do with the stereotype that associates all gay men as being "un-masculine" or being femine, but the truth is just as many gay men are more "masculine" as straight guys... a lot of gay guys are nowhere near the femine stereotype tv would have you believe....

another BIG taboo for sitcoms seems to be Abortion, i don't know of many sitcoms willing to tackel such a delicate, controversial issue. now that i think of it i can think of only 1 sitcom that has ever had an episode with that word mentioned and that is Roseanne...

I have a brother who is a gay-bear. I agree with what you said why you dont see this type of gay male on TV, but I also believe with the other person who said that by showing this type of character could cause an uproar. Not only from the religious groups but you could cause a stink within the general gay community as well. Yes that is a bit odd, but the "gay-bear" lifestyle is a bit different from the so-called average gay community. "Bears" have their own bars, resort places, businesses, even their own websites. In other words, let's use Will & Grace for example, if that show had a "bear", then you would have storylines about "bear runs" ( nothing more than sex parties ), 3 way relationships ( at a time when homosexuals are fighting for the right to get married, not a good idea to show this on TV ), and from what I read in the past many in the bear community do NOT practice safe sex ( I am sure the many AIDS/HIV prevention groups out there would have a fit over that ). In short I believe the networks are scared of bears. Even Queer as Folk, a show that delt with every gay issue, they too avoided the bear/cub lifestyle.

Yes, abortion is still taboo. Also the issue of child abuse I believe is taboo as well even though a few sitcoms in the past like "Diff'rent Strokes" did shows on this subject matter.

[factsoflife]

I have a brother who is a gay-bear. I agree with what you said why you dont see this type of gay male on TV, but I also believe with the other person who said that by showing this type of character could cause an uproar. Not only from the religious groups but you could cause a stink within the general gay community as well. Yes that is a bit odd, but the "gay-bear" lifestyle is a bit different from the so-called average gay community. "Bears" have their own bars, resort places, businesses, even their own websites. In other words, let's use Will & Grace for example, if that show had a "bear", then you would have storylines about "bear runs" ( nothing more than sex parties ), 3 way relationships ( at a time when homosexuals are fighting for the right to get married, not a good idea to show this on TV ), and from what I read in the past many in the bear community do NOT practice safe sex ( I am sure the many AIDS/HIV prevention groups out there would have a fit over that ). In short I believe the networks are scared of bears. Even Queer as Folk, a show that delt with every gay issue, they too avoided the bear/cub lifestyle.

Yes, abortion is still taboo. Also the issue of child abuse I believe is taboo as well even though a few sitcoms in the past like "Diff'rent Strokes" did shows on this subject matter.


Again what you just described are vast generalizations and stereotypes; while it could be true that some members of the gay community practice the atcitivties you described does not mean all memebers do. and the fact is Television has never been an accurate reflection of life and this is one example of how it is so uneven.

I honestly believe producers do care about diversity and tackeling societaly taboos, but there is too much pressure right now from the FCC and other agencies to keep things on the so-called "moral" way that they cannot.

but we should have faith that strides have been made, i mean when TV first started tv couples (even married ones) weren't allowed to share the same bed, Lucielle Ball couldn't say the word pregnant on television, when Diane Carroll's "Julia" was a single mother and nurse it was a big deal, and now look at how far we've come: Desperate Housewives tonight featured a teen pregnancy, multiple scenes of married and umarried couples engaging in sex and discussing sex openly, a single mother talking about not being very good at it...

And look at other shows: Gilmore Girls is a huge hit and is about a single mother. Will & Grace was a huge hit, in the mainstream population for many, many years... Brothers & Sisters tonight featured a story about a husband who kept a mistress for 20 years and had a illeginamat child, same episode featured a story about a gay couple; and a married couple with sexual issues...

and Grey's Anatomy, tv's hottest show has a multi-racial cast; in which Asian's, African-Americans, Women and other minorities not only hold positions of power, but are doctors.. .also the fact that the creator/producer/writer of that show is a female, african-american women. Heck the Oscars recently were hosted by a lesbian women...

so yes it seems tough but we've made huge strides and will continue to do so.

[treky]

not to mention the nudity, sex, and cursing on shows like "Dirt", "Nip-Tuck" and others. Granted they don't have much (the episode of "Dirt" I saw the other night only had 1 scene of sex and brief nudity, and only had cursing in 3 scenes) but they still have it.

[catlover79]

I have a brother who is a gay-bear. I agree with what you said why you dont see this type of gay male on TV, but I also believe with the other person who said that by showing this type of character could cause an uproar. Not only from the religious groups but you could cause a stink within the general gay community as well. Yes that is a bit odd, but the "gay-bear" lifestyle is a bit different from the so-called average gay community. "Bears" have their own bars, resort places, businesses, even their own websites. In other words, let's use Will & Grace for example, if that show had a "bear", then you would have storylines about "bear runs" ( nothing more than sex parties ), 3 way relationships ( at a time when homosexuals are fighting for the right to get married, not a good idea to show this on TV ), and from what I read in the past many in the bear community do NOT practice safe sex ( I am sure the many AIDS/HIV prevention groups out there would have a fit over that ). In short I believe the networks are scared of bears. Even Queer as Folk, a show that delt with every gay issue, they too avoided the bear/cub lifestyle.

Yes, abortion is still taboo. Also the issue of child abuse I believe is taboo as well even though a few sitcoms in the past like "Diff'rent Strokes" did shows on this subject matter.
Good point about Diff'rent Strokes, and don't forget there was also an episodes about molestation on Mr. Belvedere and the victim was Wesley. That was also very daring - and to have it happen to a lead character rather than a supporting character (like Dudley) - was very unusual.

Abortion - even the daytime soaps and primetime dramas barely touch this subject, so it's not surprising you don't see it on sitcoms.

[factsoflife]

Good point about Diff'rent Strokes, and don't forget there was also an episodes about molestation on Mr. Belvedere and the victim was Wesley. That was also very daring - and to have it happen to a lead character rather than a supporting character (like Dudley) - was very unusual.

Abortion - even the daytime soaps and primetime dramas barely touch this subject, so it's not surprising you don't see it on sitcoms.


the truth is that things that are taboo for TV reflect for the most part what our society feels is taboo. Abortion is definetly still taboo in our society. I will give daytime soaps credit for ocassionly touching on this subject, but not very often.

no abuse and molestation has been covered very frequently in tv from dramas and sitcoms. the law & order shows and similar crime shows often cover these stories; and Designing Women, Facts Of Life, and other sitcoms have had episodes about child abuse, rape, and molestation.

[joan davis fan]

Again what you just described are vast generalizations and stereotypes; while it could be true that some members of the gay community practice the atcitivties you described does not mean all memebers do. and the fact is Television has never been an accurate reflection of life and this is one example of how it is so uneven.

I honestly believe producers do care about diversity and tackeling societaly taboos, but there is too much pressure right now from the FCC and other agencies to keep things on the so-called "moral" way that they cannot.




The "sterotype" that gay "bear" men are sex/party animals is actually an image the gay-bear community created themselves. Even in their own media such as the newsmagazine "A Bears Life" plays to that stereotype. Just like The Advocate is for the mainstream gay community, A Bears Life ( which targets the bear community ) features stories about sports, politics, health, movie and music reviews and so forth. The difference between the gay and bear community one can tell by looking at the ads in both magazines. The ads in The Advocate are for the most part from nationally known businesses, the same ads found in a variety of straight magazines such as Time and even People while in A Bears Life, pretty much the ads are for some so-called bear-run/sex party somewhere,bars, or for a resort/cruise where nudity is allowed.
Do all bears practice this lifestyle of partying every night ,three way relationships or walking naked on cruise ships? Of course not !! However thanks to films featuring bear characters like A Dirty Shame and Bearcub, plus A Bears Life they really do promote that image which I believe could be a key reason why the networks wont feature such characters on television.