Spring Break
Bring back shows like "Roseanne"
JT Shroyer
Issue date: 11/18/08 Section: Forum
I couldn't agree more. Families like the Conners who live paycheck to paycheck are rarely, if ever, seen on television today. The ironic thing is her sitcom is probably more realistic than half of the "reality" shows dominating television right now.
We're all too busy watching shows like "The Hills," where money is never a problem and going to expensive restaurants is no big deal. In fairness, there has been some balance over the years between shows that portray the rich and shows that portray the rest of us.
Shows like "Dynasty," "Dallas," "Beverly Hills 90210," "Clueless," "Laguna Beach" and "The Hills" are one extravagant end, and then "Happy Days," "Full House," "Home Improvement," "Friends" and "Seinfeld" highlight life in the "middle." Right now, there seems to be a major lack of balance between what kind of characters and people we see on television.
Granted, I like "The Hills," but sometimes I have to ask myself "why?" Do we not want to face our grim reality on TV? Would we rather escape our problems and go into a totally different world for half an hour? Whatever the reason, I've always felt a sense of comfort watching those on TV go through the same problems as me. I think to myself, "Hey, I'm not alone. They're going through it, too, and we're all in this together." Although all of these shows are funny, I find that when I'm watching the "rich," I tend to laugh at them and their problems, but when watching the average folks, I seem to always laugh along with them.
JT Shroyer is a sophomore in new media communications. The opinions expressed in his columns do not necessarily represent the opinion of the Daily Barometer staff. Shroyer can be reached at forum@dailybarometer.com.
We're all too busy watching shows like "The Hills," where money is never a problem and going to expensive restaurants is no big deal. In fairness, there has been some balance over the years between shows that portray the rich and shows that portray the rest of us.
Shows like "Dynasty," "Dallas," "Beverly Hills 90210," "Clueless," "Laguna Beach" and "The Hills" are one extravagant end, and then "Happy Days," "Full House," "Home Improvement," "Friends" and "Seinfeld" highlight life in the "middle." Right now, there seems to be a major lack of balance between what kind of characters and people we see on television.
Granted, I like "The Hills," but sometimes I have to ask myself "why?" Do we not want to face our grim reality on TV? Would we rather escape our problems and go into a totally different world for half an hour? Whatever the reason, I've always felt a sense of comfort watching those on TV go through the same problems as me. I think to myself, "Hey, I'm not alone. They're going through it, too, and we're all in this together." Although all of these shows are funny, I find that when I'm watching the "rich," I tend to laugh at them and their problems, but when watching the average folks, I seem to always laugh along with them.
JT Shroyer is a sophomore in new media communications. The opinions expressed in his columns do not necessarily represent the opinion of the Daily Barometer staff. Shroyer can be reached at forum@dailybarometer.com.
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