Includes bibliographical references (pages 205-208) and index.
Contents:
Preface -- Acknowledgments -- Introduction -- Mary Kay and Johnny -- Amos 'n' Andy -- I Love Lucy -- The Dick Van Dyke Show -- That Girl -- Julia -- The Courtship of Eddie's Father -- The Brady bunch -- The Mary Tyler Moore Show -- All in the family -- Sanford and son -- Maude -- Bridget loves Bernie -- M*A*S*H -- Good times -- The Jeffersons -- Welcome back, Kotter -- One day at a time -- Laverne & Shirley -- Three's company -- Soap -- Diff'rent strokes -- The facts of life -- Kate & Allie -- The Cosby Show -- Who's the boss? -- The golden girls -- Valerie / Valerie's family / The Hogan family -- Head of the class -- Designing women -- Full house -- Roseanne -- Murphy Brown -- Ellen -- All-American girl -- Will & Grace -- Modern family -- Mom -- Black-ish -- One day at a time -- Conclusion -- Appendix: The series that tried and the series that might.
Summary:
"Television comedy has long been on the frontline in how America evolves on social issues. There is something about comedy that makes difficult issues more palatable--with humor an effective device for presenting ideas that lead to social change. From I Love Lucy which introduced the first television pregnancy to Will & Grace, which normalized gay characters, the situation comedy has challenged the public to revisit social mores and reshape how we think about the world in which we live."---Provided by publisher.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.