How exactly did TV in the US change or evolve after 9/11

[TMC]

I was watching this video yesterday and one argument was made (about 24 minutes into the video) that after the September 11, 2001 attacks, networks began to move away from sitcoms (such as Friends, Living Single, and Seinfeld) that were set in New York City. Soon, we were getting sitcoms like The Office, Parks and Recreation, and My Name is Earl that weren't set in NYC or New York period.

[blueberrymuffin]

There were still some shows that took place in NYC, like How I Met Your Mother. It's possible that 9/11 had some showrunners decide to shy away from NYC as a location for their shows, but it wasn't like NYC was never touched upon as a setting ever again.

[Dude111]

We were shown the BS 9/11 report for months it seemed........ Nothing else was on......

very sad what they pulled off that day........

[24/7 reruns]

A lot more news programs and networks evolved after 9/11. Sports briefly took a back seat but ended up being a healing event as such. Similar to WWII when baseball was encouraged to continue to create distraction. I'm not so sure about comedies and sitcoms. I know for me I searched those out to help distact from the ongoing news coverage.

I live in the NYC metro area. That day I was planning to take a trip to Baltimore to see an Orioles game and Cal Ripken. I was getting ready and had the news on TV. I saw the first tower get hit and thought it was some story on movie special effects. The second tower got hit and I realized there was something really happening. I worked at a mental health hospital in Westchester and offered to come in to work on my day off. I worked the most acute patients and was concerned on how they were dealing with this. I provided recreation and art activities which proved to be very helpful for the patients. On my drive over the Tapan Zee bridge I was able to see the cloud of smoke and dust from the attack. Very eerie experience.

[dee2364]

I think that argument about 9/11 is nonsense. I'm from NYC, and gentrification is why there aren't as many NYC-centric sitcoms anymore. A lot of people here blame Sex and the City, because that was the show that sent the wrong message about NYC and attracted a lot of shallow people instead of the interesting creative types we used to have. Because of that and gentrification in general, NYC after 2010 became a very boring, shallow city filled with vapid transplants, trust fund babies and chain stores. It lost all the thriving art scenes, local color and demographics that inspired shows from the past.

We used to also have these shows because so many writers, showrunners and people in the comedy biz were also either from here or transplants who wanted to make shows based around their experiences as New Yorkers. Those people no longer exist.

[24/7 reruns]

Originally Posted by dee2364

I think that argument about 9/11 is nonsense. I'm from NYC, and gentrification is why there aren't as many NYC-centric sitcoms anymore. A lot of people here blame Sex and the City, because that was the show that sent the wrong message about NYC and attracted a lot of shallow people instead of the interesting creative types we used to have. Because of that and gentrification in general, NYC after 2010 became a very boring, shallow city filled with vapid transplants, trust fund babies and chain stores. It lost all the thriving art scenes, local color and demographics that inspired shows from the past.

We used to also have these shows because so many writers, showrunners and people in the comedy biz were also either from here or transplants who wanted to make shows based around their experiences as New Yorkers. Those people no longer exist.

I guess it's time to move.

[dee2364]

Originally Posted by 24/7 reruns

I guess it's time to move.

This comment is totally irrelevant, so I'm just going to bring this thread back on topic by reiterating what I said.

We had more NYC-based shows because it used to be a different, more dynamic city and isn't anymore. A lot of showbiz people lived here, which is why we had so many shows about entertainers and wannabe entertainers like I Love Lucy, That Girl, Taxi and Seinfeld. Also, many creative people who wrote those NYC-based shows were either from NYC or were transplants wanting to share all the experiences they had, so we had shows like Welcome Back, Kotter, Barney Miller, The Odd Couple and so many others.

There used to be a lot more interesting, diverse types of people here that resulted in some interesting relationships and conflicts that made for great TV--working class vs middle class, ethnic vs non-ethnic, immigrant vs native, etc., artistic vs straitlaced.

The local places and things that New Yorkers used to do and be able to base situations and scenes around are gone--no more local Greek diners, coffee shops, water cooler conversations, etc., just Starbucks.

There are very few new NYC-based writers and showrunners these days. I think the last one in the vein of old school New Yorkers wanting to do a show about living here might've been Lena Dunham.

So, that was my point. NYC is absolutely nothing like it used to be. It's a generic city with chain stores and bland transplants. The local color is gone, because it's all been gentrified. There's nothing to base a show around.

Again--not a 9/11 issue. Something much deeper.

[TMC]

I know that a big talking point post-9/11 was that it was going to represent the supposed "death of irony" and postmodernism in entertainment. What that basically means is that Americans after witnessing and experiencing such a horrific tragedy like 9/11 would now flat out reject irreverent humor.

[TMC]

Also, after 9/11, we weren't getting a lot of TV shows or movies that were very skeptical of the United States government and military. Basically, a show like The X-Files would've been very out of place post-9/11.

[TMC]

Originally Posted by blueberrymuffin

There were still some shows that took place in NYC, like How I Met Your Mother. It's possible that 9/11 had some showrunners decide to shy away from NYC as a location for their shows, but it wasn't like NYC was never touched upon as a setting ever again.

There was also 30 Rock, which debuted in 2006, but it had a decidedly more cynical outlook than prior popular sitcoms that were set in NYC like Friends. So all in all, 9/11 may have put to a halt, the idea of fun, optimistic sitcoms being set in major metropolitan cities for a while.

[TMC]

Originally Posted by 24/7 reruns

A lot more news programs and networks evolved after 9/11. Sports briefly took a back seat but ended up being a healing event as such. Similar to WWII when baseball was encouraged to continue to create distraction. I'm not so sure about comedies and sitcoms. I know for me I searched those out to help distact from the ongoing news coverage.

I live in the NYC metro area. That day I was planning to take a trip to Baltimore to see an Orioles game and Cal Ripken. I was getting ready and had the news on TV. I saw the first tower get hit and thought it was some story on movie special effects. The second tower got hit and I realized there was something really happening. I worked at a mental health hospital in Westchester and offered to come in to work on my day off. I worked the most acute patients and was concerned on how they were dealing with this. I provided recreation and art activities which proved to be very helpful for the patients. On my drive over the Tapan Zee bridge I was able to see the cloud of smoke and dust from the attack. Very eerie experience.

9/11 for one thing, arguably marked the true beginning of the 24/7 news cycle. There's for instance, the birth of the constant news crawl at the bottom of the screen on TV news channels.

Before 9/11, CNN would organize its news by day, similar to a newspaper. This basically meant that you would get sent to the current day from the main page but could manually type in earlier days and get a snapshot of that day's stories. But afterwards, CNN went to a constant news feed and never went back.

[Dude111]

Originally Posted by dee2364

This comment is totally irrelevant, so I'm just going to bring this thread back on topic by reiterating what I said.

Well that comment is important cause if we dont move on,this thread might become hot and Todd might lock it......... (He doesnt like HEATED threads (Thats why the political base was disabled))

[24/7 reruns]

Originally Posted by Dude111

We were shown the BS 9/11 report for months it seemed........ Nothing else was on......

very sad what they pulled off that day........

Watergate coverage was far worse considering the limited networks available. The 3 major networks had Watergate coverage for hours every day. No alternative programing was available and VHS was not around as a backup.

As for the 9/11 coverage, considering all that died and the destruction created the coverage was justified. I live in the NYC metro area so the coverage of 9/11 may have been far more than elsewhere. Plus every September 11th all the local channels run a remembrance event where every single person who died was spoken. Even though, at this point, I would say enough is enough. Yet I was not personally impacted by the attack.

[TMC]

Friends, Seinfeld, and the rest of NBC's Must-See TV sitcoms were the pinnacle of TV in the 90s, then 9/11 happened and changed everything... forever...

How Did 9/11 Change 90s Sitcoms Forever

9/11 changed sitcoms by moving them away from New York City settings, as many 90s shows like Seinfeld and Friends were set there and portrayed the city as a diverse and fast-paced environment. While the 90s sitcom format was already evolving before 9/11, the attacks prompted a more significant shift in setting and tone, as the carefree nature of earlier sitcoms felt jarring after the attacks.

Shift in Settings
From NYC to elsewhere:
Many popular 90s sitcoms, such as Friends, Seinfeld, and Mad About You, were set in New York City. Following the 9/11 attacks, shows began to move away from NYC settings.

A shift in the city's portrayal:
Before 9/11, New York was often depicted as a hip, fast-paced, and diverse place. After the attacks, this carefree image became less fitting for television.

Shift in Tone and Style
Less about lightheartedness:
The lighthearted, often realistic, tone of 90s sitcoms felt out of step with the somber mood that followed the attacks.

Focus on realism:
The shift wasn't solely about avoiding real-life tragedy. Many sitcoms had already started experimenting with single-camera styles, which allowed for a more contemporary feel. Shows like Malcolm in the Middle and Curb Your Enthusiasm proved successful with this more realistic approach, which gained more traction after 9/11.

A Gradual Evolution
Not an overnight change:
While 9/11 was a major catalyst, the evolution of sitcoms was a gradual process that also included shows like Friends and Seinfeld being so successful they changed the landscape for 4-camera sitcoms.

The "Must-See TV" era ended:
The era of NBC's "Must-See TV" sitcoms, which included Friends and Seinfeld, reached its peak in the 90s. The post-9/11 climate contributed to the end of this era, leading to new styles and settings in television.

[TMC]

How exactly did television in the United States change or evolve after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks?