http://www.newsbusters.org/blogs/culture/mairead-mcardle/2016/04/01/todd-bridges-tv-was-better-when-it-was-family-friendly

Not only was TV more family-friendly in the 1980s, it was simply better.

So said actor Todd Bridges, who played Willis on the popular show Diff’rent Strokes, which ran on NBC from 1978 to 1985.

Bridges reminisced and shared his thoughts with CNN’s Brooke Baldwin on Wednesday as part of the network’s introduction to CNN’s new show, “The Eighties,” which premiered on Thursday.

“Back in those days, in the ‘80s TV shows actually meant something, and they all had like, a beginning, a middle, and an end, and they always were very helpful toward people you know, learning how to live their life and learning how to live it the right way,” Bridges said.

Bridges, who is producing a new game show, Lovers or Losers in Las Vegas said shows from the ‘80s were just “great shows” and held meaning for all kinds of people.

“Somewhere along the line it got muttered up and now we just have shows that, um, are about nothing,” said the star. “Back in the ‘80s all of our shows meant something. And it meant something to children; it meant something to adults.”

Bridges remarked that the once family-friendly nature of TV has been lost.

“And you could actually let your kid watch it without being in fear that something bad is going to come on or something bad is going to happen in it that a kid’s not going to understand,” Bridges said of shows a few decades ago.

Bridges painted a broader cultural picture when he pointed out that the ‘80s were comparatively safer for children in other ways as well.

“The ‘80s were also a lot more safer [sic] for kids to be out in the streets. … A kid can go, you know, four, five, five, six-year-olds can go down the street, and they were pretty, very rarely, you know, they were very safe. And nowadays it’s not as safe as it was back then,” he said.

Bridges is no stranger, however, to the darker side of culture even in the ‘80s. The substance abuse of his fellow cast members made him a “better human being” he said, since now he is able to “counsel different people for different situations.”

The actor battled a cocaine addiction in his 20s and in 1988 was tried but acquitted for the attempted murder of drug dealer Kenneth "Tex" Clay.

“Just knowing that I’m like one of the last survivors of that particular core show is a blessing in itself because everyone thought that I’d be the first to go, and I ended up being the last man standing,” he concluded.

Totally agree.

The sad thing is everyone basically agrees with this yet networks refuse to air family shows.

^ It is sad. Family shows are great.

I wish "Diff'rent Strokes" would get completed on DVD!

Todd Bridges speaks the truth.Paul Petersen of The Donna Reed show also slammed modern TV a few years ago,and much harder than Todd did and he was right on the money.I'm confident that many actors,actresses etc. that actually worked back when TV was good have similair views about modern TV and how far television has declined in every way.They just don't come out and say it.

I'm not jumping on the bandwagon that all modern shows are bad, there's still good shows being made, and not all of the shows from the 80's and older were good. 30 years from now people will be looking back on the shows of today with the same rose colored glasses.

I'm not jumping on the bandwagon that all modern shows are bad, there's still good shows being made, and not all of the shows from the 80's and older were good. 30 years from now people will be looking back on the shows of today with the same rose colored glasses.

Seconded.

well all shows can't be family friendly because the adults wouldn't have anything to watch:lol:

There would have to be a balance

well all shows can't be family friendly because the adults wouldn't have anything to watch:lol:

There would have to be a balance

Also seconded.

I'm not jumping on the bandwagon that all modern shows are bad, there's still good shows being made, and not all of the shows from the 80's and older were good. 30 years from now people will be looking back on the shows of today with the same rose colored glasses.

:yeahthat

I wish "Diff'rent Strokes" would get completed on DVD!
You and me both, Svenfan1234! I own the first four seasons of "Strokes" on DVD, but it's not enough...I'd like to own the entire eight-season run (including the episodes featuring Sam and Maggie) in a beautiful, multi-disc DVD box set (complete with special features such as commentaries, gag reel, interviews with the surviving cast [Todd Bridges, Charlotte Rae, Danny Cooksey, Shavar Ross, and Janet Jackson] and crew, original network promos ["Strokes" aired on NBC for its first seven seasons before moving to ABC for its eight and final season], and even the original pilot, "45 Minutes From Harlem" [if it still exists]!)! Wouldn't that be great?

I'm surprised Shout! Factory hasn't taken the plunge and released "Strokes" in its entirety--hell, if Shout! can release a complete series DVD box set of "The Facts Of Life" (which was a spinoff from "Strokes"), surely Shout! can give "Strokes" the same treatment.

http://www.newsbusters.org/blogs/culture/mairead-mcardle/2016/04/01/todd-bridges-tv-was-better-when-it-was-family-friendly
You tell 'em, Todd!

90% of today's sitcoms are garbage. The Dramas are better.

You and me both, Svenfan1234! I own the first four seasons of "Strokes" on DVD, but it's not enough...I'd like to own the entire eight-season run (including the episodes featuring Sam and Maggie) in a beautiful, multi-disc DVD box set (complete with special features such as commentaries, gag reel, interviews with the surviving cast [Todd Bridges, Charlotte Rae, Danny Cooksey, Shavar Ross, and Janet Jackson] and crew, original network promos ["Strokes" aired on NBC for its first seven seasons before moving to ABC for its eight and final season], and even the original pilot, "45 Minutes From Harlem" [if it still exists]!)! Wouldn't that be great?

I'm surprised Shout! Factory hasn't taken the plunge and released "Strokes" in its entirety--hell, if Shout! can release a complete series DVD box set of "The Facts Of Life" (which was a spinoff from "Strokes"), surely Shout! can give "Strokes" the same treatment.

I know! It would be a day-one preorder from me!

http://www.newsbusters.org/blogs/culture/mairead-mcardle/2016/04/01/todd-bridges-tv-was-better-when-it-was-family-friendly

Ah, the glorious days when times were more simple. A time when things were more family-friendly, and Todd Bridges was on trial for murder, while his adopted TV sister Dana Plato was convicted for robbing a video store at gunpoint. A time when the Drummond actors could abuse cocaine, marijuana, valium, vicodin, and barbituates, doing soft-core porn on the side.

The irony of Todd Bridges, of all people, complaining that the television industry should be more wholesome, when he himself was a drug-abusing, gang-banging criminal who was accused of attempted murder, is not lost on me. :lol: (And I loved Diff'rent Strokes.)

The irony of Todd Bridges, of all people, complaining that the television industry should be more wholesome, when he himself was a drug-abusing, gang-banging criminal who was accused of attempted murder, is not lost on me. :lol: (And I loved Diff'rent Strokes.)

Well, TV was more wholesome back then, for sure. As for his post-DS path, he garners sympathy because he got addicted to drugs and was much more a drug addict than criminal (he wasn't guilty of the murder charge [he wasn't even at the scene]...I just finished his book, it was quite an interesting read!), and found his way back to sobriety and a good life. I'm glad he was able to get help and turn himself around.

TV is not only better now, it's way better now. You're not stuck with three major networks anymore. There are so many channels putting out great original content these days.

As for comedies over the last 10 years, Arrested Development (FOX), The Office (NBC), Silicon Valley (HBO), and Veep (HBO) are all outstanding.

As for dramas, Breaking Bad (AMC), Better Call Saul (AMC), Game of Thrones (HBO), Weeds (Showtime), and a few others are some of the best TV dramas ever.

Todd Bridges is just clinging to the past instead of adapting to the present.

I'm not jumping on the bandwagon that all modern shows are bad, there's still good shows being made, and not all of the shows from the 80's and older were good. 30 years from now people will be looking back on the shows of today with the same rose colored glasses.
Exactly. Just because the broadcast networks don't have as much family content anymore doesn't mean it's nonexistent. You still have plenty on PBS, Nick, Disney, et al, plus numerous streaming services.

I say the same thing about pop music. There's still plenty of "good" content out there; you just have to search a little harder. It might not be free like it was in the 80s and 90s, but it's out there.

Besides, the writing on a lot of those "family-friendly" shows was horribly formulaic...not to mention the infamous "Bicycle Man" episode had some weirdly inappropriate dialogue to be a family show.

He sounds like a hypocrite.

He sounds like a hypocrite.

That's because he is.

I agree with Todd Bridges 100%. Most TV shows today are garbage. There are a few I like but not many.

Ed.

Well, TV was more wholesome back then, for sure. As for his post-DS path, he garners sympathy because he got addicted to drugs and was much more a drug addict than criminal (he wasn't guilty of the murder charge [he wasn't even at the scene]...I just finished his book, it was quite an interesting read!), and found his way back to sobriety and a good life. I'm glad he was able to get help and turn himself around.

Oh, I'm glad he turned his life around, too, don't get me wrong.

But Todd Bridges talking about when TV used to be more wholesome when he and Dana were doing incredibly unwholesome things during that era is, as others have said here, hypocritical.

I loved that era, but it had its share of incredibly violent, messed up shows, even during the family hour. (The one that springs to my mind is that episode of Little House on the Prairie where Albert's girlfriend is raped by a mime. My god... that was nightmare fuel!)

Anyway, we've entered a new golden age of television. Yes, there's plenty of junk, but also some amazing shows, and no more monopoly of three networks.

TV is not only better now, it's way better now. You're not stuck with three major networks anymore. There are so many channels putting out great original content these days.

As for comedies over the last 10 years, Arrested Development (FOX), The Office (NBC), Silicon Valley (HBO), and Veep (HBO) are all outstanding.

As for dramas, Breaking Bad (AMC), Better Call Saul (AMC), Game of Thrones (HBO), Weeds (Showtime), and a few others are some of the best TV dramas ever.

Todd Bridges is just clinging to the past instead of adapting to the present.
Of those shows the only one I like is Breaking Bad. The sitcoms you mentioned I can't stand. I wanted to like Arrested Development but I didn't find it funny. I won't even get into The Office which I hate. At least it has a theme song though.

Oh, I'm glad he turned his life around, too, don't get me wrong.

But Todd Bridges talking about when TV used to be more wholesome when he and Dana were doing incredibly unwholesome things during that era is, as others have said here, hypocritical.

The difference is that in those times he was scorned for what he did. Today Bridges would be a hero.

The difference is that in those times he was scorned for what he did. Today Bridges would be a hero.

Among a certain crowd, for sure. But I don't think most people, even today, believe being a crack addict is heroic.

Oh, I'm glad he turned his life around, too, don't get me wrong.

But Todd Bridges talking about when TV used to be more wholesome when he and Dana were doing incredibly unwholesome things during that era is, as others have said here, hypocritical.

I loved that era, but it had its share of incredibly violent, messed up shows, even during the family hour. (The one that springs to my mind is that episode of Little House on the Prairie where Albert's girlfriend is raped by a mime. My god... that was nightmare fuel!)

Anyway, we've entered a new golden age of television. Yes, there's plenty of junk, but also some amazing shows, and no more monopoly of three networks.Ditto! A lot of messed up shows and movies.

The difference is that in those times he was scorned for what he did. Today Bridges would be a hero.
Prove your ridiculous claim with examples from today.

Of those shows the only one I like is Breaking Bad. The sitcoms you mentioned I can't stand. I wanted to like Arrested Development but I didn't find it funny. I won't even get into The Office which I hate. At least it has a theme song though.
I didn't like Arrested Development when I first watched it. Gave up disappointed after a few episodes.

I returned to it a few weeks or months later, and I'm so glad I did. Something just clicked, and I got what the show was doing the second time around. I ended up addicted to it and it was some of the funniest television I have ever seen.

90% of today's sitcoms are garbage. The Dramas are better.


100% of today's sitcoms are bad and 100% of today's drama's are bad also

100% of today's sitcoms are bad and 100% of today's drama's are bad also
What a ridiculous comment.

What a ridiculous comment.
Not really. I'm down to only watching about 4 or 5 dramas and a handful of sitcoms.

Not really. I'm down to only watching about 4 or 5 dramas and a handful of sitcoms.
I was referring to the "100%" comment. Absurd.

I was referring to the "100%" comment. Absurd.
Well 90%.

Well it's my opinion. I just so happen to not like anything modern. If I say I hate every modern Tv show, I mean it.

Some of today's shows are good, sketch shows and others that "go after everybody" are funny, but Bridges is right - a lot of sitcoms are not family friendly anymore, few seem to exist, and a lot of those old comedies from the past just feel better structured.

"The Hitchhikers" and the equally creepy bicycle shop episodes (among others!!) could tell strong and good messages, hold drama, having the family work together to save each other, and even juggle comedy - all without disrespecting the audience. It would be nice to see those types of shows make a comeback. But would enough audiences flock back to the format again?

I agree with Todd Bridges. The shows were better in the 80s.

Something about them seemed more innocent. The time was more innocent as well. I really miss shows, like, Different Strokes, The Facts of Life, Who's The Boss, 227, The Golden Girls, The Cosby Show, A Different World, Growing Pains, Amen, What's Happening Now, Silver Spoons, Too Close For Comfort, Bosom Buddies, Love Boat, Family Ties, Webster, Gimme A Break, It's A Living, etc.

he's right. standards of decency have dropped so far. people accept it as 'normal'. the poor younger generation doesn't know anything else :(