When did family-friendly TV grow a social conscience? Whether it’s the more youth-skewing “Steven Universe” and “Andi Mack,” or edgier teen offerings like “Big Mouth” and “Chilling Adventures of Sabrina,” shows aimed at adolescents are taking up the mantle to account for social wrongs ranging from sexism and racism to body-shaming and school safety.
Television has a long, if spotty, history of addressing social issues on primetime; Norman Lear was a master of this on “Good Times,” “All in the Family,” and “Maude.” However, this wasn’t the stuff of TV for kids unless they were watching Very Special Episodes, ABC Afterschool Specials, or PBS programs like “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” or “Sesame Street.”
Today, it’s become the norm for mainstream children’s programming to tackle representation, body positivity, and gun violence — touchy topics that once would never have made it out of development. “One Day at a Time...
Television has a long, if spotty, history of addressing social issues on primetime; Norman Lear was a master of this on “Good Times,” “All in the Family,” and “Maude.” However, this wasn’t the stuff of TV for kids unless they were watching Very Special Episodes, ABC Afterschool Specials, or PBS programs like “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” or “Sesame Street.”
Today, it’s become the norm for mainstream children’s programming to tackle representation, body positivity, and gun violence — touchy topics that once would never have made it out of development. “One Day at a Time...
- 11/13/2018
- by Hanh Nguyen
- Indiewire
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