Now Serving Tv For One Essay, Research Paper

Do the reminiscent thoughts of television shows, such as Full House and Family Matters still linger in your mind? Shows which had value and morality written all over them, shows that the whole family could sit down and watch together. The days of family oriented shows are long gone; they have been replaced by shows of raunchy teen love, mindless superheroes, and plots filled with the viewing of augmented breast. The evolution of television shows has shown that families no longer have the time to sit down and watch TV as a whole. This is shown through the types of shows that are no longer being aired, by the shows that are being aired and by the actors who star in them.

Back when television was considered a family past time, Sitcoms and dramas were mainly family oriented. Sitcoms such as Full House and Family Matters or even Happy Days were thought to be good shows that the whole family can sit down and enjoy. They were shows that expressed a purpose and usually taught a lesson. Shows that didn t need to use sex or violence to be enjoyed. But in today s society those types of shows are rarely aired on mainstream primetime slots. Family oriented shows are now replaced by show that have no real purpose but to make you tune in and watch.

Today, sitting down and flipping through channels to find something that the whole family can watch is rather difficult. Today s shows are so demographically produced that it is very hard for a family to sit down and watch it together. Almost every show aired is produced to be watched by a certain age, gender, or social back round.

A teenage girl might watch a great show such as Dawson s Creek, with the shows beautiful stars and imaginative plots of love and betrayal. To a male teen these attributes would be thought of to be a waste of time. Through it s violent content and seductive females the male soap opera known as pro wrestling has to offer, the potential for a family oriented audience is absent. Wrestling, with shows like Smack Down and Monday Night Raw will appeal to mostly guys. On the other hand a great show such as E.R may be parents idea of great television, through its riveting drama and suspenseful story line. To the average teenager watching E.R is as fun as reading. E.R is also aired after ten o clock where most parents expect their children to be sleeping

The dissipation of family oriented shows has brought a new wave of actors and actress that mostly appeal to the targeted audiences that the show is going for. Shows such as Nikki or Buffy the Vampire Slayer targeted towards teens, have nothing bunch a bunch of mindless beautiful people running around doing mindless acts of comedy and violence. Where as a show like 20/20 and other news programs that are targeted towards the older population have rather unappealing and repugnant stars.

The times that certain television shows are aired during the different times of the day show how most programs have a targeted audience which excludes families. Shows being aired this way makes it difficult for families to watch it together. Talk shows, such as Jenny Jones or Jerry Springer are aired during the afternoon. They are targeted towards people who don t have much to do but to watch the pathetic lives of others. The same goes for cartoons, being shown right after school when kids return home. When most parents are at work and older kids are out socializing, cartoons and other children programs get aired. Most teenage dramas are aired during the night. This is done because it is understood that most teenagers have an active social life or have many extra curriculum activities. Because of that are usually never home right after school. The same goes for most dramas that the older population enjoys being aired after most teenagers and children go to sleep.

Through the changes in society, the types of programs that television has to offer and the time that they are offered has been altered to fit the changing needs of the public. It is rare to hear about a family that has the time to sit down to have dinner together, but to hear of one that sits down and watches television together is even more rare. Most families don t have time to spend with each other as a whole. Whether it is the parents working, children going to school or teenagers out socializing, the time to get together and do something so trivial as watching television is not very common. The television industry knows this and has exploited this by strategically showing certain programs at a certain time to be targeted towards individual taste and not wholesome television.

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