TMC
07-28-2013, 01:58 PM
http://whatculture.com/tv/8-sitcoms-that-did-the-baby-born-on-the-elevator-thing.php
In sitcoms, introducing a new baby into the family is a classic jump-the-shark event. In all the years that sitcoms have been broadcast, I couldn’t even begin the attempt of counting how many times it has happened. It’s one thing when the birth of a child is clearly a natural course of the family’s story (i.e. Jim and Pam in The Office) but more often than not, they occur at points where the youngest of the existing children are in or almost in high school, like in Family Ties, Roseanne and Growing Pains. Yes, that kind of thing does happen, but in the world of television comedy, it’s merely an oft-repeated plot-device thats designed to introduce a source of fresh conflict and reinvigorate the dynamic of the main cast that has, over the years, gone stale.
But perhaps even worse than the whole bring-a-new-baby-into-the-mix thing, is ridiculous baby-born-in-an-elevator story, which sadly has been done more times than it should. Even though it’s been done time and time again, television writers have still seen fit to repeat the absurd notion that not only do women in labor cause mechanical issues on elevators, but that there’s anything funny about a woman giving birth in a small space, without a qualifed person with them, and access to appropriate medical neccesities. Then, of course, is that fact that a woman can be in labor for a long amount of time, but in TV world, pregnant women who get stuck on elevators are guaranteed to be over and done with the miracle of life well before a certified mechanic can get the elevator working again.
Here are a few of the examples I found or can personally remember.
In sitcoms, introducing a new baby into the family is a classic jump-the-shark event. In all the years that sitcoms have been broadcast, I couldn’t even begin the attempt of counting how many times it has happened. It’s one thing when the birth of a child is clearly a natural course of the family’s story (i.e. Jim and Pam in The Office) but more often than not, they occur at points where the youngest of the existing children are in or almost in high school, like in Family Ties, Roseanne and Growing Pains. Yes, that kind of thing does happen, but in the world of television comedy, it’s merely an oft-repeated plot-device thats designed to introduce a source of fresh conflict and reinvigorate the dynamic of the main cast that has, over the years, gone stale.
But perhaps even worse than the whole bring-a-new-baby-into-the-mix thing, is ridiculous baby-born-in-an-elevator story, which sadly has been done more times than it should. Even though it’s been done time and time again, television writers have still seen fit to repeat the absurd notion that not only do women in labor cause mechanical issues on elevators, but that there’s anything funny about a woman giving birth in a small space, without a qualifed person with them, and access to appropriate medical neccesities. Then, of course, is that fact that a woman can be in labor for a long amount of time, but in TV world, pregnant women who get stuck on elevators are guaranteed to be over and done with the miracle of life well before a certified mechanic can get the elevator working again.
Here are a few of the examples I found or can personally remember.