MovieChat Forums > TV General > Something has changed in people's brains...

Something has changed in people's brains as reflected in today's TV


Do you ever noticed that TV of today is quite dark and bleak compared to television of the 90s and before? Television used to be mostly about comedy, but today, in the so-called "new Golden age", it is mostly about tragedy and shock value. Really, we haven't had warmth and innocence on TV in the majority, since the 1980s.

So, what is contributing to this cold, serious shift? What in the minds of people is contributing to the fact that they no longer think funny? TV writers seem to try to become more and more "cinematic" and that supposed to be a good thing, but in doing so, we have lost the sweet simplicity that made prime time television such a family favorite in years past. In fact, I would go so far as to say that the families on so-called family shows of today seem like overgrown teenagers, rather than units headed by adults, and comprised of various age groups.

Today's TV might be good, but it is good in a way that I'm not sure is good for us. It's good creatively, but not emotionally and spiritually – in those ways, I think it reflects something alarming that is going on inside the heads of the people writing it. Not that it's bad, but it's sad. It's sad that we have become so heavy in our thinking, so harsh in Outlook. It seems we can't laugh at anything anymore – at least not without cynicism. This is reflected in the young people of television, and the family dynamic shift. Even game shows aren't as jolly, bright, and happy as they used to be. Just compare game show from the 1970s or 80s to a game show of the last 10 years – and you will be stunned at the difference. And not in a good way.

Yes, there is something in the minds of people over the last 20 or so years that has increasingly gotten heavier, darker, more cynical, more sarcastic, less sweet, and above all – less funny. Comedy used to rule the television airwaves, but has become increasingly harder to find and harder to make last. The comedies that do last are few and far between – and the reason is, comedy doesn't become us anymore. Today's comedy is a reminder of how tragic the state of our lives are, in its cynicism and sarcasm, whereas the comedy of the past used to be a comfort blanket to people who wanted an escape and to laugh themselves silly, forgetting about their troubles. Today's comedy only serves to remind us of our troubles – and I think that's why it has such a hard time lasting. But how come?

Whatever the reason, we may never be able to recapture the magic of television past, and the innocents (and yes, people were more innocent back then) – so thank God for the rerun! And maybe some of us have never been contaminated with the cantankerous mindset of today. Perhaps there is still that wayward person watching an episode of the Dick VanDyke show, Green Acres, I Love Lucy, or even fun game shows like Love Connection or Tattletales– who still sees the world in a beautiful, simple, sweet way. If these reruns can contribute to people being more like that, here's hoping they never go out of style!

I do think there's something different in the chemistry of people's brains today. And I just felt the need to express that in this post. I dedicate this train of thought to the late Mary Tyler Moore who passed away yesterday at the age of 80, and all the funny men and women of comedy past – the true ladies and gentlemen of entertainment who set good examples for people of all ages, who never felt to make us feel a little better but about ourselves and the world around us, and who will always be missed!

Please excuse typos/funny wording; I use speech-recognition that doesn't always recognize!

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That's a fair enough opinion, and I know some others that feel that way. Personally though I like my TV dark. I do like sitcoms and the occasional lighter drama like This is Us. Overall though I like a good tragedy. Mainly because when situations are light they don't really seem like they are worth watching. Stories are most intriguing when the stakes are at their highest. I like seeing people at their lowest or at the end of their rope. Stories are about conflict, and in general the deeper the conflict the more compelling the story.

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I agree with Dexter. I like realism. There is SO much programming today and with the Internet that includes the WHOLE world. The amount of content is almost limitless unlike the old days when there where few channels, no Internet and very little worth watching. WHATEVER it is your into it is available in this glorious golden age of television.



My Top TV Series Of All Time: http://www.imdb.com/board/bd0000012/flat/259033940

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vapor8:
There was always plenty of good stuff to watch on TV back in the day (for me that would be the '80s) pre-internet. I mean life did exist before the net,you know (lol.) And back in my time cable was just becoming all the rage,so there were more than plenty of channels to watch,and a hell of a lot to watch on most of them. But,yeah both movies and TV have gotten not only stronger and better over the past 50 years,they're gotten far more realistic and more relatable by dealing upfront with everyday issues people actually deal with.
The changes in both film and TV are also simply a reflection of how society and some of its attitudes toward certain issues have changed over the past 50 years or so alone and it's been pretty fascinating to see.

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In a way movies and tv have sort of switched roles.

So many of the highly promoted movies now are either over the top CGI action, comic book, or "Fun for the whole family". Obviously those movies haven't just appeared out of nowhere..but I feel like they're most of the ones I see with heavy promotion nowadays.

You can compare game shows in the 70's to now and I can compare violent crime stats and see that, per capita, murder rape and robbery are significantly less than they were back in the 70's. So the simple tv and game shows didn't necessarily mean the time was safer or always simpler.

I could argue Love Connection was a seed planted for shows like The Bachelor. A sort of voyeuristic account into other people's dates/love life. Sure it never got too raunchy..but the seed was planted. We're just in a society where we always want more. Therefore more has been delivered.


Also...who's to say deeper stories are never good for us emotionally? I can argue that finding out more about ones own moral compass through story is good for you and your own self discovery. The world is anything but cookie cutter and simple....entertainment has just focused a mirror to that outlook. Sophisticated stories may show us we aren't as simple of a species as we pretend to be, but it's better than pretending...


I certainly enjoy your writing style and can sympathize with your point of view. I just think that the more mature storytelling has a lot more to offer us than the simplistic "bubble style" of yesteryear.

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In a way movies and tv have sort of switched roles.

Definitely. Back in the 80's and 90's stuff like Baywatch and 21 Jump Street were tv shows, but today they are movies. And stuff like Stranger Things and Breaking Bad, which probably would have been movies in the 80's and 90's, are TV shows today.

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I guess a simple answer to this is: we have changed, so the art we're making reflects that.

Here's an example I always use with friends:
I don't know if you've seen the Truman Show, but when it was released in 1998, it said some very deep and profound things about why constant surveillance is bad and how we're not just products, but people. Less than 10 years later, and we have Keeping Up with the Kardashians as one of the most popular reality shows of 2007 and more and more people voluntarily willing to be put on similar shows, with 24/7 surveillance, while being plied with alcohol around the clock. Today, KUWTK is still going strong, people refer to themselves as "brands" as if that's normal and everyone on the internet is basically trying to 'sell' themselves and make money off their existence.


The art can only reflect its makers.

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I soured on tv around 2010 when NBC changed the 'comedy night done right' lineup. I would look forward to it and got great enjoyment from it.
I have absolutely no interest in zombies or vampires. I detest sitcoms with overbearing laugh tracks.
Things have evolved or devolved if you will. Is it hormones and chemicals in our food? Is it the education system with an agenda besides teaching the three Rs? Is it the internet that has content that is available to anyone and everyone? CGI that can depict atrocious acts of violence and mayhem?
Beats me

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People do not change, culture changes. The fifties and sixties were a time of prosperity for America and general ease for whites. But once countries rebuilt after WWII and women and minorities began asserting themselves, that time of ease and prosperity came to an end. It was all artificial. The Cleaver household never existed for most Americans.

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I agree that the Cleaver household (and Ozzie and Harriet) never existed for most Americans, but I thought it was something to aspire to. Who wouldn't want a life that is serene, peaceful, and free of major problems?

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It wasn't possible under the easy prosperity of post wwii, and obviously isn't possible now. It's not a matter of aspiration, it's a matter of opportunities and resources.

Like I said, people don't change, culture changes.

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Most TV today are overrated soap opera about unlikable Asshole and they usually end horrible. Because the writers are making this shit as they go along. The only one people seem agree that didn't have a sucking ending is Breaking Bad. You can't have good people on TV anymore. Because serialized Soap Opera thrive on constant conflict. Its not the Goldenage of TV. Its the Goldenage of the Soap Opera. Only different between All My Children and Game of Thrones is the budget.

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