''Irrelevant'' 1960s sitcoms vs ''relevant'' 1970s sitcoms - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

TMC · 08-17-2016, 02:36 AM

In other words, shows "high concept"/fantasy shows like Bewitched, I Dream of Jeannie, and Gilligan's Island and/or "rural" shows like The Andy Griffith Show and Petticoat Junction vs. Norman Lear fueled "socially conscious" shows like All in the Family. The Jeffersons, and Maude.

Which do you prefer?

icecream · 08-17-2016, 08:44 AM

I prefer the "irrelevant" 60s shows. Norman Lear sucks!

tlc38tlc38 · 08-17-2016, 09:30 AM

I like both.

lakesgirl · 08-17-2016, 11:23 AM

I liked them both. They both have their place in the television landscape.

loaferman · 08-17-2016, 11:36 AM

Give the the 60's. Norman Lear had an agenda and thought because he had access to making TV that he was somehow qualified to push his social views and "push the envelope" just because it was "relevant".

Not that there were not excellent episodes of All In The Family but the preachy tone got in the way too often. Lear is highly over-rated anyone could have "pushed the envelope" if the network allowed it. I still think the "rural purge" at CBS was to make way for a pulpit of liberalism.

Torgo · 08-17-2016, 12:54 PM

Depends on what I'm in the mood for.

LUNCH · 08-17-2016, 01:47 PM

I like both.

broadmoor · 08-17-2016, 02:50 PM

Oh, I vastly preferred the older shows that avoided the "relevance" kick. Probably because I was always already well-read on bearing social issues, politics, ideologies and such, courtesy the newspapers and various periodicals. The very LAST thing I wanted was to turn on a sitcom or drama show, and have to encounter such grating topics there as well. If anything, the main reason I'd tune in to television shows to begin with was to GET AWAY from all that. It didn't help matters that whenever a series delved into such issues, it was always in a slanted and insufferably manipulative manner. A massive turn-off for me.

PhoenixAcres · 08-17-2016, 03:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alan Brady's Hair

The 60s shows above aimed to be funny, and they all hit that mark for at least a few seasons.

This says it all. Most '60s sitcoms had a very simple yet very important goal in mind: to make you laugh. They were intended to be only realistic enough to draw you into the story and then enjoy the ludicrous stuff that followed. They weren't trying to change the world, but rather to give you a pleasant escape from your stressful life, and most succeeded brilliantly in that respect.

I don't really have anything against '70s shows (I have several favorites from that decade), but at the same time, I believe the Rural Purge was a massive mistake.

Dianne3 · 08-17-2016, 04:28 PM

I'm pretty certain (not 100% sure), that by the second half of the 60's, less people were watching TV than the first half. It is because so much stuff was happening in the real world that was not addressed in the 60's sitcoms, so not as many people were watching.

I was very young when TV sitcoms started to get more serious, so at the time I preferred the silly 60's sitcoms. But I can see the 70's sitcoms more being more popular with adults.

As for Norman Lear's sitcoms, only AITF was a hit all the way through. Viewers started to tire of both Maude and Good Times halfway though the show's run. The Jefferson's ended up being just another comedy, probably because it premiered closer to the 2nd half of the 1970's.

DJM77 · 08-17-2016, 06:52 PM

Give me the Norman Lear shows of the 70's. Kudos to the 60's shows for being more wholesome, but overall they're just not funny to me. All In The Family on the other hand is the greatest sitcom ever produced in my opinion.

Mr. Television · 08-17-2016, 06:59 PM

I like both.

Sal · 08-17-2016, 07:14 PM

No contest. The 60s shows were both better and funnier.

Svenfan1234 · 08-17-2016, 07:48 PM

I like 'em both, but I guess it depends what mood I'm in.

BigManMike · 08-17-2016, 09:38 PM

Both were good to me. It just depends what I feel like.

08-17-2016, 02:36 AM	#1
TMC Member Forum Idol Join Date: Jan 09, 2001 Posts: 127,040	''Irrelevant'' 1960s sitcoms vs ''relevant'' 1970s sitcoms In other words, shows "high concept"/fantasy shows like Bewitched, I Dream of Jeannie, and Gilligan's Island and/or "rural" shows like The Andy Griffith Show and Petticoat Junction vs. Norman Lear fueled "socially conscious" shows like All in the Family. The Jeffersons, and Maude. Which do you prefer?

08-17-2016, 08:44 AM	#2
icecream Cat-tastic and Whiskerlicious Forum Celebrity Join Date: Sep 01, 2006 Location: The Catacombs Posts: 20,873	I prefer the "irrelevant" 60s shows. Norman Lear sucks!
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08-17-2016, 09:30 AM	#3
tlc38tlc38 Every day’s a Dolly day! Forum Star Join Date: May 02, 2008 Location: I’m just travelin’ thru Posts: 19,273	I like both.
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08-17-2016, 11:36 AM	#5
loaferman Member Forum Regular Join Date: Jun 23, 2011 Location: Virginia Posts: 642	Give the the 60's. Norman Lear had an agenda and thought because he had access to making TV that he was somehow qualified to push his social views and "push the envelope" just because it was "relevant". Not that there were not excellent episodes of All In The Family but the preachy tone got in the way too often. Lear is highly over-rated anyone could have "pushed the envelope" if the network allowed it. I still think the "rural purge" at CBS was to make way for a pulpit of liberalism.
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08-17-2016, 12:54 PM	#6
Torgo Omaha & Fritz Forum Star Join Date: Mar 06, 2004 Location: Oregon Posts: 19,045	Depends on what I'm in the mood for.
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08-17-2016, 11:23 AM	#4
lakesgirl Member Senior Member Join Date: Feb 14, 2014 Posts: 2,116	I liked them both. They both have their place in the television landscape.

08-17-2016, 01:47 PM	#7
LUNCH Member Senior Member Join Date: Oct 23, 2010 Location: New York State Posts: 1,304	I like both.

08-17-2016, 02:50 PM	#8
broadmoor Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Jul 10, 2010 Location: texas Posts: 489	Oh, I vastly preferred the older shows that avoided the "relevance" kick. Probably because I was always already well-read on bearing social issues, politics, ideologies and such, courtesy the newspapers and various periodicals. The very LAST thing I wanted was to turn on a sitcom or drama show, and have to encounter such grating topics there as well. If anything, the main reason I'd tune in to television shows to begin with was to GET AWAY from all that. It didn't help matters that whenever a series delved into such issues, it was always in a slanted and insufferably manipulative manner. A massive turn-off for me.

08-17-2016, 04:28 PM	#10
Dianne3 Member Senior Member Join Date: Aug 07, 2002 Posts: 1,060	I'm pretty certain (not 100% sure), that by the second half of the 60's, less people were watching TV than the first half. It is because so much stuff was happening in the real world that was not addressed in the 60's sitcoms, so not as many people were watching. I was very young when TV sitcoms started to get more serious, so at the time I preferred the silly 60's sitcoms. But I can see the 70's sitcoms more being more popular with adults. As for Norman Lear's sitcoms, only AITF was a hit all the way through. Viewers started to tire of both Maude and Good Times halfway though the show's run. The Jefferson's ended up being just another comedy, probably because it premiered closer to the 2nd half of the 1970's.

08-17-2016, 06:52 PM	#11
DJM77 Member Forum Veteran Join Date: May 15, 2001 Location: Missouri Posts: 5,568	Give me the Norman Lear shows of the 70's. Kudos to the 60's shows for being more wholesome, but overall they're just not funny to me. All In The Family on the other hand is the greatest sitcom ever produced in my opinion.
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08-17-2016, 06:59 PM	#12
Mr. Television 23 Years at Sitcoms Online Forum Icon Join Date: Jun 06, 2003 Location: Somewhere you're Not Posts: 62,132	I like both.
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08-17-2016, 07:14 PM	#13
Sal Member Forum Veteran Join Date: Jul 20, 2001 Location: Oakville, Ont. Canada Posts: 6,202	No contest. The 60s shows were both better and funnier.
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08-17-2016, 07:48 PM	#14
Svenfan1234 Member Forum Star Join Date: Dec 12, 2015 Posts: 11,200	I like 'em both, but I guess it depends what mood I'm in.
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08-17-2016, 09:38 PM	#15
BigManMike Member Forum 3000 Club Member Join Date: May 25, 2006 Location: Memphis, TN Posts: 3,022	Both were good to me. It just depends what I feel like.