The show immediately caught on with young men, a group that hadn't really latched on to the Cosby-style sitcoms. And Rupert Murdoch, against the advice of the show's producers, gambled that The Simpsons--a gentler but nonetheless satirical view of families--could produce a counter-programming hit. He was right. Putting The Simpsons up against the aging Cosby Show proved a master stroke, giving the Fox network its first major hit.
Meanwhile, Roseanne brought back to television the
blue-collar family, which had been missing since All in the
Family. Like the parents of '50s sitcoms, Dan and Roseanne
Connor keep a firm hand on their brood. But they keep that control
as much with well-placed, and ultimately well-meaning, sarcasm and
insults as
they do with pearls of wisdom. Dan and Roseanne are smart and
loving, but far from perfect. And like All in the Family,
the show brings current events and issues into its fictional
world.
The latest batch of sitcoms seems to have traded in this edginess for a more gentle humor. In the last couple of years, we've seen a contingent of sweet shows that often focus on the childish antics of adults. Their baby-boomer parent figures, like many of their viewers, are trying to balance their responsibilities as adults and parents with their desire to keep the child within them alive.
Take Home Improvement. The parents are firmly in control of the household. Both parents are equals, but one is more equal than the other. The father, Tim, is a bit of a lummox--not as all-wise as Jim Anderson of Father Knows Best or as dignified as Ward Cleaver, but not an Al Bundy-style lout, either. Tim is a well-meaning but somewhat goofy man. He takes delight in the practical jokes his three sons play and sometimes enjoys playing jokes on them. He gets upset if he isn't the center of attention.
And in a recurring bit, his attempts to make his household tools and appliances more powerful inevitably backfire. The dishwasher or the lawnmower or the weedwhacker runs out of control, wreaking havoc, after he has juiced it up. In one case, he burns down a friend's ice-fishing cabin by souping up its heater.
A recent episode focused on Tim's efforts, over his wife's objections, to get his youngest son into karate class. Although the males of the family assure the mother that karate will help the boy get into shape and learn discipline, all of the boys, and the father, are in fact excited about learning how to "kick butt." Tim inevitably gets into a minor altercation with the father of a bully in his son's class. And all the men learn that violence isn't the way to solve problems.
This show's gentle humor stands in marked contrast to the big shows that preceded it: Married...with Children, The Simpsons, and Roseanne. Home Improvement's creator, Matt Williams, was also the creator of Roseanne, but he left that series after disagreements with Roseanne Arnold over the tone of the show. Interestingly, one of the successful new sitcoms--Grace Under Fire--is a kinder, gentler version of Roseanne. This series also focuses on a blue-collar female, but the wisecracks aren't nearly as pointed; the lead character isn't nearly as tough.
In one episode, Grace gives her son a birthday present, pretending it's from his no-good (and never seen) father, whom she left after years of abuse. Because she loves her son more than she hates her ex, she wants him to believe that his father cares about him and remembers his birthday. In the real world, this episode sparked a running advice-column dispute about whether Grace did the right thing.
If history proves a guide, we'll soon see a new crop of sitcoms that replace this niceness with bite and social commentary. One possible indicator: Norman Lear is back, with 704 Hauser, set in Archie Bunker's old house. The show is less biting than All in the Family, but social issues are central to its scripts. The new family is black--which would have appalled Archie--and much of the show's plotting arises from the conflict between the liberal father and his conservative son, who has a white (liberal) girlfriend. Along with South Central, which sets a family sitcom amid the violence and poverty of South-Central Los Angeles, 704 Hauser suggests that at least some producers think America is ready to again mix race and politics with family comedy.
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