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!