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I think it's VERY important to remember with a lot of these entries, at the time in the 70s and 80s no one not teachers schools parents church groups newscasters absolutely NO ONE talked about a great many of these issues. The only way to get information out and discussions started was to frame them in the way they were framed here. Sitcoms could get away with things that dramas news shows and even the educational system couldn't. Having issues like rape, child molestation, and LGBT issues talked about in a sitcom was how it was done, because everyone else was too scared to be the one broaching the subject. As someone who was born in the early 70s I know many of these sitcom episodes caused discussions in my home probably some that even saved my life. While by today's standards they might not "get away with it", they were important vehicles of information, and should be lauded for their work at helping people communicate about things they otherwise could not.
I think it was good that some TV shows had the balls to teach/talk about serious matters, such as rape, molestation or pedophilia. That's the reason I love The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air: they talked about drugs, a father who doesn't really care about his son, guns...you name it.
Highretrogamelord The problem is in how some of these issues are addressed. If someone who's raped is portrayed as an inconvenience to everyone, that's not really addressing the issue. That's saying "You need to learn to take care of yourself so we don't have to take time out of your busy schedules to do it for you". That's a dickish way at looking at rape victims.
@@greatwhitecoyote Today "trans" commonly refers to "transgender". The word "transvestite" is generally considered outdated and derogatory (especially since it has historically been used in medical diagnoses when transvestism was considered a mental disorder) and "cross-dresser" is more commonly used.
@@CocoRivington wow interesting view keyboard warrior. By caving to specialized groups you cripple free speech. Look up the term self genocide then reply. Petition the newspapers to have your ideologies and political experimental views used when ever they need to use the word transvestite. See what they say or do. You know what i challenge you. Call one up. I did. Listen to there reply. You will be moved and awaken.
The day after that All in the Family episode aired it was all everyone talked about. Even the police department started sending officers to schools and businesses to explain how to identify real officers, all about search warrants, and teaching basic self-defense techniques. It was the first time I heard that rape is rape no matter if you're female or male and is defined as being taken advantage of when incapacitated, or when the word 'No' is ignored. They even went into spousal rape, which in the 70's was a new concept. I loved Edith taking out that monster!
I heard the actor that played the rapist received death threats after this episode aired. I'm glad the series made an episode about such a serious issue, even though it breaks my heart watching sweet, innocent Edith in that situation. Jean Stapleton was amazing!
One of the things about "Edith's" character was that she seemed so timid and was constantly verbally dismissed (to put it lightly) by "Archie" ... To put her in such a horrific situation and see her fight back and win was a revelation! The minute she smashes that hot cake in that guy's face you hear the audience roar! Jean Stapleton brought the house down!
I’m confused about the Friends episode? Pretty sure Chandler says at some point his dad runs a drag bar, which would make him a drag artist, not a transgender woman. So the dialogue treating him like a drag artist would be correct.
I think the fact they casted a woman and everything...I don't know, it wasn't that clear, I think it would be better written today with an actual trans woman and/or drag queen behind it
the problem with it, to me, was that they made no attempt to be clear about what was going on - when they talked about his father before, it sounded like he was a gay man who did drag. But then by casting a woman to play him, and having that woman consistently dress and appear as a woman, even at his wedding, it got very muddled. It seems that Chandler's dad was actually trans and had transitioned - living openly as a woman. The humour in the episode is horribly homophobic and transphobic anyway, but if his father is actually a woman, it's even worse in my opinion. If he is a man who is a drag artist, he should have been played by a man. They completely messed up the whole thing - it was terribly disrespectful and already done at a time when they really should have known better. I loved friends when it was on originally because I didn't get how awful a lot of the humour was, but this bothered me, even then.
I remember when that episode aired, and Kathleen Turner said her casting was just due to the jokes about her voice. She wasn't playing a trans woman, at least according to her understanding.
I have watched Friends faithfully, and have all ten seasons on DVD, and never got the hint that Chandler's father was trans. They always just said he was gay, and a drag queen.
"They always just said he was gay, and a drag queen." Well then they should've had a male in drag play his father, instead of a woman playing the role. The message that I'm getting from Friends is that they think trans women are gay men in drag, even if they have physical female sex characteristics, which is messed up. That's the controversy. But then again, the social climate of the 90s (when Friends aired) was still rather conservative, and ignorant.
the video starts with the queation "how did these episodes ever get green lit?" having grown up in the 80's i can tell u , its because some of them were necessary. we didnt have as open a dialogue with parents like today. these topics were swept away and ignored with people simply hoping it didnt happen, and if it did, sadly it was somewhat expected that u just dealt with it. there is nothing wrong with most of these examples. like a great deal of history, to those in the present, hindsight is 20/20, however we should be more respectful/appreciative to those who blazed the difficult trail to the place we are today, as well as where we need to go tomorrow.
Well said man. A lot of that stuff was to make people aware of reality. I get the racist examples to ridiculous and unnecessary but also it was a different time and if you ask me I think we're TV is bullshit now a days and all this pc shit is overboard and making people ignorant to what's really going on
And some parents hadn’t had to deal with that stuff so they didn’t know what to tell us to look for. ( small town here). I learned a lot from these shows. Life lessons, that stuff can happen to anyone, even your favorite tv characters.
Also, we weren't the snowflakes in the 80s that we are now. We could handle some of these things back then. In the case of Saved By The Bell, dressing up as an American Indian and talking about how much you respect them, after first ridiculing them, was a sign of growing up back then. We didn't have this "one strike and you’re out" mentality (cancel culture) back then, as we do now.
I'm gonna play Devils Advocate here: these shows talking about serious issues like these are beneficial because they expose more people, even children, to some pretty heavy drama that's common everywhere. You're not doing anyone any favors by cauldling folks and avoiding the hard conversations, just because it makes you uncomfortable.
2K Renegade 100% agree with you on that. Heck, some people probably didn’t think or talk about half this stuff until it was brought up in shows like these, especially during the time they were released
Maybe these kinds of shows should happen today. The point of the 'special episodes' was to talk openly and publicly about topics that weren't talked about in society, to give voice to the taboo, and to help people. The rape and molestation episodes helped victims and survivors realize they weren't alone and that it was ok to talk about it.
I agree 100%! We are living in a time now where people more than ever are telling their sexual assault stories. Unfortunately, not everyone will due to fear and consequences, but I think tv sitcoms should still make these PSA type episodes. Same with kid shows! I remember the whole 'no one should touch you where you don't like to be touched' in the old sonic the hedgehog show. Why did they stop doing that in kid shows? They should continue to do so cause it could help encourage even just one kid to say something. I also remember at school they had some people come in to talk to us about what to do in dangerous situations. Like if someone touched us somewhere. At the time, a lot of us thought it was weird and/or funny cause of the demonstrations they did. Obviously, now I think it is great they did that and hope that's still a normal thing in schools.
This topic is one of the main reasons I Love the t.v. series Law and Order SVU . Elliot Stabler is a dad with three son's and two daughters and in earlier seasons of the series his children are in at least a few episodes that have to do with child sensitive issues and the children acting as his in the series handle the episode situations dealing with children issues come off as very season actors for such young ages. Yeah...… I know Law and Order SVU is not a sitcom but it is definitely a series I believe children should watch. Even the children that were on the series that were not Elliot's and Kathy's children handled their characters situations with wisdom beyond their years in being professional minus some crying scenes( crying is not an easy emotion to do on cue even for some season actors).
yeah that was a pointless entry seeing that they never really got into why they added it. it's a stupid episode from a pretty iconic tv series, but not taboo by any standard.
The Seinfeld flag stomping issue was so overblown. Kramer is a doofus who ACCIDENTALLY lit the flag on fire and out of necessity tried to put it out the only way he could. It was meant to be over the top comedy of errors Everybody in this show is a caricature.
That episode was hilarious, Michael Richards got needlessly slammed over this episode. Of course if it was the American flag getting defaced, people would just say he was exhibiting his freedom of expression.
Yes, I agree with you 100% -- the issue was overblown. BUT, I agree with WATCHMOJO that the episode wouldn't be made today. They'd anticipate there being a potential controversy and back away from airing it.
In defense of all the times everyone bashes Chandler for not accepting his dad... so what? If anything, as the show progressed, it showed a very strained relationship of father and son turn into something a lot better, which is a big depiction of anyone going through it in real life. I don't know why Chandler is always made out to be some horrible bigot for not accepting his father right away. These things take time and the show honored that.
Also, him growing up with an out dad in the early 80's would have made him a victim of all sorts of bullying. Neither of his parents made his childhood easy.
I agree especially since it was less talked about and accepted at the time, chandler probably hurt Helena at the time but I'm glad they reconciled in the end it was nice 💜
I'm not sure why Chandler keeps getting shit on for this. If you grew up in the seventies and eighties with a bisexual drag queen father and had some issues with that, I think that would be pretty understandable. He ultimately realizes that his father is just a person and even brags at the end that he used to be in the show. I think people are being too sensitive with this one.
The people ridiculing Chandler don't get the point of the list. because yeah, it is that (even if the whole topic is actually wrong.) it was acceptable on TV when it aired, but they seem to think it couldn't be made today. It isn't saying that he was wrong at the time.
Also, Chandler comes to see that he was wrong to judge his father for his lifestyle, and invites him to his wedding, when, at the start of the episode, he wasn't going to. Someone learning that they were wrong to judge someone else? How can that offend?
yeah i dont get why it's controversial either. It's actually a bit ahead of its time and Chandler ends up being accepting. Family Guy did a similar episode not too long ago with Quagmire's dad transitioning. So it really doesn't belong on this list considering Quagmire's dad still shows up in current episodes.
OMG, I'm glad Friends was made in the 90s because the episode was FINE. There was nothing wrong with it. First, Chanlder was not estranged with his father because of his sexuality, it's because like his mother, his father was a terrible parent. They were bith narcisisstic assholes to thier only son. He started smoking at 9 and they either did not care or did not pay enough attention to notice thier 9 year old smoking. In the One where chandler cant cry, Monica, Phoebe and Joey pull out Chandler's album and Chandler had his picture taken with the janitor on Parents day, because niether of his parents cared to make it. The only reason Chandler's dad was at his swimmeets was to hook up with Chandler's teacher and possibly get some eyecandy from all the boys in trunks. Chandler tried to earn his father's love, he would do the eyebrows of his father and his "business partners" and even perform in a very sexual performance (too sexual for a kid) of its raining men. But all his father did was use him to try and win against his mother. Today's Pc culture has gotten to stupid that we cant have LGbTQ characters portayed in any bad light as if they are incapable of wrong? Well the reality is, like all people, some trans people are assholes and Chandler's dad just happens to be one. See more about it below. www.postscriptproductions.net/friends-analysis-chandler-bings-soulmate-is-kathy/ You can read more about it here
mymealias totally agree. I was being harassed by a guy who is a person of color. We were both students in college. The professors would see his behavior and then make excuses for him. Oh, do you know all of the challenges he has faced in his life. Well, I don’t see how that excuses him calling me a bitch, etc in class. It seemed to me that they couldn’t see him as a person, that they only saw his skin color and not his behavior. Idk, I’ve had a few issues like this in my life and it kind of makes me feel a little crazy, like I’m in bizarre land.
I wish I could like this comment more than once! This is the second video I've run into complaining about how Chandler treats his dad.... his horrible, neglectful, narcissistic dad. And honestly, if his (also horrible, neglectful, narcissistic) mom would've shown up at his swim meets dressed like Carmen Miranda, that'd still be embarrassing. ("Look at meeee!") Anyway, thanks for posting your comment and the link to the article (the best Friends article I've ever read, by the way)!
Other than the Seinfeld and Saved by the Bell all these examples are great, they covered subjects that were uncomfortable for some families to talk about. You go directly into "oh that wouldn't happen today!" But it should! Rape and child molestation should be on sitcoms because they're part of life, those shows were amazingly brave and should be applauded not admonished. They opened doors for families to talk about painful experiences. The Friends episode is not offensive (IMO) Chandler was traumatized by his parents divorce and less than "normal" childhood but he learned to accept and love his dad just the way he is, I think his reaction was pretty normal considering the circumstances.
Finally a good take in this comment section, everything else is just “eVeRyoNe iS sO ofFenDed by eVryThing theSe dAys I HatE SjW sNoWfLaKes” they should’ve picked more examples where the episodes have just aged poorly with the humour or offensive stereotypes, rather than episodes actually tackling real issues like rape and pedophilia.
Because back then families actually watch shows together and gave the families chances to talk about real things, unlike today where people are sensitive and don't talk to their kids about real issues at hand. The 80s sitcoms were the best and still. TV isn't the same anymore. Sadly. This coming from a 22 year old who grew up watching shows from the 80s with my parents. You learn a lot from those shows that benefit today.
The Average Pandaa 80s tv is just sentimental, preachy bullcrap only the pink glasses of nostalgia can cover. Go do everyone a favor and watch decent tv instead like 50s-60s tv or even the 90s.
So you weren't even alive in the 80's but yet your telling us about how times have changed and the shows back then blah blah blah when you didn't even experience that era smh
Jay Ant I do have parents. Who grew up in the 80s and told me stories. I actually like to hear from older generations how it was in times they were growing up. My mother was the one to teach me about the 80s sitcoms and how they had after school specials you could sit down and watch with your family. So yeah I may not have lived through it but the topics they discuss are still very real today and see how TV has changed since then.
Was Chandler's dad ever actually said to be transgender? I don't remember that at all. I thought the show always framed Charles/Helena as a drag queen or transvestite. Also you can't say they wouldn't do it today because Jeffrey Tambor is definitely not a transwoman and he plays one in Transparent.
Ashtarte He did, however, recently say that he would be more than satisfied to never win an Emmy again if it meant it went to a transgender woman and that transgender talent needs to be given more opportunity for a role.
Considering the fact that Tambor is playing a pre-op character who is living as a trans woman, the casting could be considered fine by definition. Chandler's mom is clearly played by a woman born as a woman and her transition is played up for laughs and the common misunderstanding that trans folk are just gay men and women indulging in their lifestyles too much. Tambor's performance has also been acclaimed by numerous trans actors and actresses who feel he brings the conversation of people transitioning late in life to a higher level and his awards reflect that.
Greg Sloan Wow. I didn’t interpret it like that. I’m a huge Friends fan and I finished watching the whole show a few times. Chandler’s dad is not just for laughs. All the times he is talked about it highlights about how his lifestyle affected him. It’s just to show that he doesn’t understand what his dad was then. That and his mother’s sexual proclivity affected his childhood and how he is. Slowly he comes to terms about them and accepts them. Just because there’s a laugh track behind doesn’t mean it’s to poke fun at the transgender. Of course I deem such conditions as mental problems but that’s beside the point.
I feel like Different Strokes did the child molestation plot a lot better, also I like when sitcoms take on serious topics, when it's done right of course.
I don't know about the Different Strokes episodes, but I agree with you that Comedy series do a good job when they deal with Serious Subjects. Isn't that what made All in the Family and MASH such great shows. I don't ever remember Cheers or even Friends ever dealing with any serious real World issue (with the possible exception of that Transexual episode)
I agree. However, I do wish that people would pay as close attention to the Hitchikers episode. Not that the bike shop episode wasn't just as important but both are important and creepy and The Hitchikers should get as much attention I think.
Mr. Nevz I loved everytime they had an all day marathon for that They did it on new years and 4th of july so when I wasnt out with family or helping set something up Id just stay there and watch it for hours
marlon harrison In living Color is much more raunchy than SNL. SNL does mostly political jokes....In Living Color had a mentally challenged superhero called Handyman. People would lose their shit
The Belvedere episode looked pretty damn important. People need to understand how pedophiles actually operate. I remember the Edith episode and it was important. I didn't even think they'd go there until I saw it. I still remember it because of her drama after the incident. All in the Family was always had a somewhat serious undertone. And again the incident with Arnold shows how pedophiles operate.
I was proud of her in that moment. They had (almost) always portrayed her as meek and then, when nobody else was there to save her, she fought back and saved herself. It was a girl power moment in my eyes. (Just to be clear, that doesn't mean victims are weak if they can't get away.)
Regarding "The Facts Of Life" episode, no one was blaming Natalie for being attacked. The self-defense course was a good idea; not only to have techniques as to how to fight back but to be aware of your surroundings. It was about being cautious. Another important thing that is acknowledged in this episode is that rape is a crime of violence and that it has nothing to do with the victim's appearance or how they are dressed.
ABSOLUTELY!!..CRIME HAPPNES AND THAT IS THE SAD FACT OF THE MATTER - DOING ALL YOU CAN TO PROTECT YOURSELF IS JUST COMMON SENCE....THESE DAFT FEMINISTS WHO COMPLAIN AND JUST SAY 'TELL BOYS NOT TO RAPE' - WELL IF ALL YOU NEED TO DO TO GET RID OF CRIME IS TELL THEM WE WOULDNT NEED POLICE, COURTS ETC ETC
Shaun Clark, it goes both ways. Yes, you should be cautious, but it's important to learn that it is wrong to assault another person. People of either gender can be predators, just as victims can be male or female. And it would be good of myths about sexual assault do not continue to be perpetuated.
are you really that stupid one that wouldn't have flown even in the 80's two that type of mustache was very common during the 30's and 40's and before same with Hitlers hair cut get a clue
No, no woman should have to take self defense courses to protect herself from assholes. Assholes shouldn't rape people. It's about victim blaming culture, when we should really be teaching our sons not to rape.
*Looks at entire collection of "Married with Children DVD boxed sets on my shelf *LOL wonders why this entire list wasnt anything from Married with Children XD "Honey did you miss me?" "Yes dear with EVERY BULLET" XD
Don't forget all the fat shaming. I especially like the one where Al is excited because he's car pooling with Victoria Secret models. They're all heavyset and one says, "Yeah, we're Victoria's Biggest Secret Models."
The Facts of Life writers weren’t saying that Natalie was to blame (PC gone mad). They were making the point that Natalie could take some of the power back to herself by taking action and doing something about it, and in the end, all her friends joined the self defense class with her. I don’t see a thing wrong with that.
The reason sitcoms had those 'very special episodes ' back then but not today is there were SO MANY sitcoms back then and fewer police procedurals. Those episodes were meant to teach lessons. Families watched sitcoms together. Kids didn't watch dramas. I remember all of those episodes... I was a kid at the time and I did learn from them. No one complained when they aired because they would LITERALLY tell you at the start that it was a Very Special Episode and everyone knew that meant something serious was going to happen. If you or your kids didn't want to watch, you changed the channel. Simple.
MavenCree: The other reason there are no more "very special episodes" is that most audiences are no longer shocked by such stories. Today's very special episode should involve a Trump supporter getting beaten up by people who claim that they are tolerant and open-minded and resist hate.
I actually saw something like that. Guy leaving a speech by a far right pundit got beaten up protesters. A black guy hugged him and escorted him to safety.
Why Should a trans actor Only be allowed to play a trans character on a show. That's like saying Heath Ledger is not allowed to play a homosexual in brokeback mountain because he isn't gay. Acting is what it is pretending to be someone you're not. I think people are just a little bit too sensitive nowadays about things like this.
Mitchell Kmatz it’s true it’s the same with Hank Azaria playing Apu, he’s acting. So what all actors have to be the same colour,race, sexuality and have the same accent as the person they’re playing where does this end? Jamie Fox is playing Little John in Robin Hood he isn’t English and their weren’t Black People in England in the 1300’s so its inaccurate too but because he’s black the social justice warriors call that progressive.
The opposite is also true I saw people complain that Darlene in Roseanne should be gay just because the actress is gay even though they've said the character is not gay but people will not let it go you don't have to be straight to play a straight character and you don't have to be gay or trans to play someone gay or trans. Acting is all make believe.
Yeah, these days there's no way you'd have a single straight man living with two single straight women and never start banging each other. They'd call the c*** being "friends with benefits" and continue to poison people with the mindset that healthy adults can't keep it in their pants, while they never suffer from problems like STDs or unwanted pregnancies.
@@CompuclesI think shows like Three's Company helped society accept homosexuals. Like Will and Grace, Melrose Place etc and Three's company never made fun of gay men. They would get annoyed at Mr Roper whenever he would make fun of Jack.
What’s the issue with the ‘very special episode’s though? Are sitcoms not allowed to cover challenging topics now? Are they not allowed to be serious? Or try and teach their (mostly young) audience about the issues that will likely come up at some points in their life? I think it’s very immature to state that just because it’s a comedy, it cannot ever try to become intelligent TV.
When I saw Edith's 50th Birthday episode as a re-run some 20 odd years after its original airing and she threw that burning cake into her attacker's face, I was up off of the couch and yelling at the television with tears in my eyes, "Run, Edith, RUN!" It's still a powerful episode.
I actually kinda liked that episode of All in the Family. It was one of the few that showed Archie could act in a way other than being a complete and total jerk.
Yes these subjects are hard, but sitcoms are made for families and these epsisodes were to help older kids about the troubles in life. For instance you guys totally missed the mark for the Facts if life episode. It was to be taken that Natalie was a victim but there comes a time where you need to pick yourself up, and teach others how not to become a victim and a self defense classes will help. In no way shape or form did they ever try to get blame the rape on her. They had to push the time line along due to the episode being only 30 minutes. We have to talk about these issues because they do happen and if we keep it hush hush then a victim could have the mind set they deserve what is happening
@@msnewsenior we can all agree that there should be no rape, murder, theft, and many other things. But there is. As parent we have to teach our children that bad things do happen, and how to best avoid them. I'm not going to park a $200,000 Maserati in the Bronx overnight. Should I be able to? Yes. Is it smart to? No.
At the wedding, Chandler's mother comments on his dress by saying, "Don't you have a little too much penis for that dress?" in response to a similarly phrased question from him about her dress.
Why does everyone think Chandler's dad is trans??? Marta Kauffman literally said he is supposed to be a drag queen/female impersonator. This annoys the shit out of me because I constantly hear people going on about how the show was being transphobic when he isn't even supposed to be trans??
Chandler gets a lot of hate for being embarrassed at having a humiliating parent. He had a flawed paternal figure growing up, but somehow it’s his fault for being embarrassed.
the part where they complain about a "non trans actor" is pretty retarded too since most movies and TV shows DO usually use women to show a male-to-female transsexual. The look more convincingly female and it's much easier to just find a female actor and tell her "ok you used to be a man but you need to act like a woman" then it is to hunt down a trans actor, since that's alot smaller pool to draw from. It's the same thing when looking for a small minority, alot of shows/movies find non-native american actors to play native americans on TV since there arent that many native american actors which limits your options and makes the whole process more difficult, espeically for a show with a smaller budget or if its filmed far away from native americna tribes.
He had 2 humiliating parental figures. Both parents slept with the house boy. His mother wrote sexually explicit romance novels, had been married and divorced multiple times and tried to have sex with Ross. And it's very clear that a lot of his uncomfortably with his parents is because of how they interact with each other : they HATE each other! They traumatized him, and part of the joke is how he ever ended up relatively normal. Everyone focuses on him not liking his father because that's easy, but they never bring up his issues with his mother or the issues between the two parents. It's always Chandler is a bigot.
I think they also conveniently left out the part where Monica brings him to the bar where her father work so they can rekindle their relationship and Chandler's father can be a guest at their wedding. It's not that people didn't want to be tolerant so much as they did not know how to handle these situations back then.
So, Too Close for Comfort tackles an issue that no one will even tackle today, that of a man being raped, it's portrayed realistically in that people treat him badly because no one takes men getting raped seriously, and somehow, the fact that they tackled this topic is wrong, because it's typically a sitcom? What the hell, WatchMojo?
Shows like "Degrassi" - a drama aimed at kids/teens was one of the few shows I remember that showed these issues like pedophilia, rape, AIDS, teen pregnancy, etc,as a matter of course. It seemed every episode was a life-lesson. However, these shows were primarily aimed at at kids/teens, were played in the afternoon timeslot, thus parents did not watch them. Comedies were watched by parents, along with their kids. So the comedies were used as a vehicle to discuss these important issues. Before the episode aired, there was a warning of the serious nature of the topic, and an advisory note that parents should watch with their children. After the show, they told you about the hotline you could call if you had concerns (eg lifeline). It was far from "irresponsible" or "inappropriate". Many families discussed these issues as a result of watching the "comedy". At a time when we only had 4 (ish) TV stations, and no video, people tuned in each night to watch whatever was on. You had a large captive audience to deliver an important message.
Are we getting "morally" censored nowadays? So much "can't" be said because someone would find it wrong, offensive, inappropriate so they decide what should be talked and said aboud. Isn't that what a censorship means!? Think about it.
More shows these days should talk about some of these things, some of them told people what to do in these situations and showed people that they are never alone.
10. I don't think the story is supposed to be taken that she is a nuisance to the others or that it was her fault but that it's affecting her deeply. But God forbid that woman be taught to defend themselves. 9. You're really going to add a murder mystery on a sitcom to this list? It is a trope, calm down. 7. Chandler's father is always stated to be a cross dresser not a trans person. I'm not even going to bother addressing every single one of these but it's very clear you're seeing what you want to with some of these. Also while some of these are political incorrect it's not a good thing that these wouldn't be shown today, some hold actual valid lessons, but people are too worried about who could possibly maybe be offended we heavily censor ourselves and it's people like watch Mojo that facilitate this attitude.
+Acel Damia Real as in dealing with real life issues, and not afraid to show things that may be offensive or in bad taste..unlike most of todays tv which mostly tries to play everything safe and not hurt anyones feelings. Not to mention the ridiculous amount of so called reality TV shows we have nowadays that are indeed fake and scripted. Don't play stupid you know what the original commenter meant. 🙄
Smart guy also did a Mr. Belvedere episode with an adult pretending to be a child online and getting kids to take clothes off to surf, very disturbing!
"All in the Family" took on just about every "politically incorrect" subject that ever was, and was considered one of the best sitcoms ever. That is a show which could NEVER be made today.
Welp, you can’t miss something you’ve never experienced. “PC culture” isn’t new. Look up Tipper Gore and music ratings. Or Comstock’s time as postmaster general. Look at what happened when Ginsburg published Howl in the 60s. Look up Thomas Bowdler, in the 1800’s he tried to censor Shakespeare because it wasn’t appropriate for kids or grown ass women.
Ok but I thought the one with Chandler's dad was hilarious. It's been a while since I watched it, but I thought his dad was just a drag queen? I didn't really see jokes being about trans people per se, but rather Chandler's father's eccentricities and about Chandler's difficulty coping. Also given the time it was made in and the situation itself, I'd say Chandler's reaction is pretty valid. Back then when there wasn't any information out there, and Chandler not being trans himself, it would make sense that he be confused/embarrassed.
I agree with most of the picks, except #2,-All in the Family. All in the Family wasn't exactly a sit com and it frequently dealt with controversial subjects. Sexaul assault is tricky subject matter to deal with and I thought that they did a good job with this episode.
Just to clear up the misunderstanding; Chandler's dad was a DRAG QUEEN, not just a common trans citizen who had been shunned by his son. It was literally his/her job at Vegas to entertain a gay and accepting audience. But I agree that Chandler's inability to cope with it and his embarrassment by it is a dated 90's mentality.
Yeah. Because we as a society as SO past homophobia/transphobia as a society. And can we please stop acting like that wouldn't still cause some discomfort for a lot of people even now? I think it's safe to say that most people would feel a way about their father dressing up as a woman. It's a difficult thing to accept. And we really have no right to tell someone in that situation how to feel about it.
But also, I think he was kinda traumatized by the fact that he cheated on his mom with their bell boy, which caused him to have an anti-lgbtq mentality, which is totally uncool, but understandable.
S O'B Moron you must live in fantasy land if you think everyone accepts this. I am ok with this but a lot of people it would take time to accept it. It is not phobic to speak the truth.
These episodes were green lit because people didn't get so but hurt back then. Nowadays everyone is offended by everything thing. People are far to soft today.
Some of these I saw when they aired, and a couple I've seen in reruns. Some I've never seen and never heard of that particular episode. I don't feel that you got the _Facts of Life_ one right. The girls aren't just complaining about Natalie's nightmares; they're worried about her. Television, movies, novels, and comic books are filled, and I mean *filled* with stories of non-cops and yes, non-detectives who manage to solve a crime. I fondly remember four kids and a dog who would do that every Saturday morning...
Acel Damia stereotype: "a widely held but fixed and oversimplified image or idea of a particular type of person or thing." Archetype: "a very typical example of a certain person or thing." There's a subtle, but important difference. A stereotype is unfair, whereas an archetype is based on familiar observations and doesn't making sweeping generalizations. Example: Apu from the Simpsons is NOT a stereotype, but an archetype instead. This is because he represents how familiar we are with Indian convenience store owners. We have noticed a pattern, but would not be shocked if the pattern is broken. It would not be earth shattering to see a White or Black convenience store owner. A stereotype would be to say, "all Indians are convenience store owners," or "All convenience stores are owned by Indians."
This was a very interesting list. Numbers 10 and 4 sounds much like the attitude of many people who have no sympathy for kids hurt by bullying today. I'm glad at least there is more sensitivity and sympathy practiced in this time. I would also like to see the reverse list of episodes that air today that would never air back then. I'm pretty sure there are plenty.
I watched all those tv shows and I saw all those episodes. I was just a kid and I didn’t know exactly what was happening in each of those shows until years later when I watched them again as reruns.
I was about the same age as Punky Brewster when it aired and that episode about the killer on the loose actually helped me. As a kid, I would hear scary things when my parents watched the news and I was afraid, but I learned that you can't live your life in fear. I think that's what that episode was trying to help kids understand.
Too many people are offended today as a matter of fashion, not actual concern. One can protect their tender sensibilities by not watching what they claim they are so called offended by.
lmao did the people complaining about sjws ruining comedy even watch the video? half of the picks are literally just bc they were too dramatic for a sitcom...not even offensive. also the best comedies on tv aren't ruined bc they don't play into stereotypes like brooklyn 99, broad city, superstore and even the ones that do for satirical comedy like veep and it's always sunny are doing great and aren't ruined??? by sjw??? y'all really like to complain so much it's actually comedic.
Thank you Katie, finally someone with Brains, Intellegence and Knowledge watching these, unlike the above commenter proving and ultimately ratifying your point even more, talk about the actual REAL SNOWFLAKES!
I think it was great that comedies touched on these subjects. I remember the bike episode.. and I talked to my parents afterward. It taught me alot... it touched on taboos that needed to be touched. Don't forget we had no internet, cell phones or social media in the 80's.... this was a way to touch on the topics with families so families could discuss it with their kids and at that time it was effective. I actually learned alot from some of these.
That show got popular after someone complained and made a stink about it. The difference is today networks don't have any balls and let angry people over the internet have their way.
I was watching that Facts of Life episode again, and yeah. I really felt icky viewing it, but I also felt that way watching the episode where the girl committed suicide and suicidal "jokes" were met with laughter and the episode where Blair fell for the mentally disabled man and was trying to "cure" him of it. It reminded me of those creeps at Autism Speaks.
I remember seeing that episode of All In The Family when I was a little kid and it was damn near traumatizing. Poor Edith, I was so happy when she got away.
The "Friends" one I don't get it. I think that episode was hilarious. I don't think it was offensive. Well I guess if you take things super serious you could get offended but otherwise I don't see why you should.
That Punky Brewster episode makes perfect sense when you consider the serial killer scares at that time, I remember vividly that the adults in that time period talked A LOT about the Hillside Strangler etc.
I really liked Punky Brewster being a children sitcom that depicted emotional rollercoasters like thwse situations. It shows that serious shit can happen unexpectedly in even the most candy colored worlds. The 80ies were a great time for SJW stuff being depicted in a serious way before the "lighten up" and "just a prank bro" took over and dumbed most series down.
If you like this video then you'll love the original content over at our sister channel, MsMojo. Your source for all things pop culture, celebrity, and entertainment: bit.ly/2CGXqIg
I think it's VERY important to remember with a lot of these entries, at the time in the 70s and 80s no one not teachers schools parents church groups newscasters absolutely NO ONE talked about a great many of these issues. The only way to get information out and discussions started was to frame them in the way they were framed here. Sitcoms could get away with things that dramas news shows and even the educational system couldn't. Having issues like rape, child molestation, and LGBT issues talked about in a sitcom was how it was done, because everyone else was too scared to be the one broaching the subject. As someone who was born in the early 70s I know many of these sitcom episodes caused discussions in my home probably some that even saved my life. While by today's standards they might not "get away with it", they were important vehicles of information, and should be lauded for their work at helping people communicate about things they otherwise could not.
WatchMojo.com Zack Morris is Trash.
WatchMojo.com and once again you sound like a group preachy left wing douches.
Please do top 10 Dragon Ball Super characters like Hit, Jiren, Zamasu, Goku Black, Caulifla, Kale.
WatchMojo.com just an FYI a TRANS person is GAY
I think it was good that some TV shows had the balls to teach/talk about serious matters, such as rape, molestation or pedophilia. That's the reason I love The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air: they talked about drugs, a father who doesn't really care about his son, guns...you name it.
Highretrogamelord Fresh Prince was great.
Adam Lennard South Park made a great parody about it ...
ua-cam.com/video/fv2ZMN3T18E/v-deo.html&app=desktop
Too bad the real world is even worse.
Highretrogamelord Encounters with law enforcement- don't forget that.
Highretrogamelord The problem is in how some of these issues are addressed. If someone who's raped is portrayed as an inconvenience to everyone, that's not really addressing the issue. That's saying "You need to learn to take care of yourself so we don't have to take time out of your busy schedules to do it for you". That's a dickish way at looking at rape victims.
Adam Lennard when done right
CHANDLER’S DAD WASN’T TRANS. HE WAS A DRAG QUEEN.
Trans stands for transvestite.
Watch rocky horror picture show for a better song explaining it.
@@greatwhitecoyote Harley coyote, no. Trans stands for transgender.
What does "bi" stand for ?? Bi-gender?
Grow up. Transvestite = trans
@@greatwhitecoyote Today "trans" commonly refers to "transgender". The word "transvestite" is generally considered outdated and derogatory (especially since it has historically been used in medical diagnoses when transvestism was considered a mental disorder) and "cross-dresser" is more commonly used.
@@CocoRivington wow interesting view keyboard warrior.
By caving to specialized groups you cripple free speech. Look up the term self genocide then reply.
Petition the newspapers to have your ideologies and political experimental views used when ever they need to use the word transvestite. See what they say or do. You know what i challenge you. Call one up. I did. Listen to there reply. You will be moved and awaken.
The day after that All in the Family episode aired it was all everyone talked about. Even the police department started sending officers to schools and businesses to explain how to identify real officers, all about search warrants, and teaching basic self-defense techniques. It was the first time I heard that rape is rape no matter if you're female or male and is defined as being taken advantage of when incapacitated, or when the word 'No' is ignored. They even went into spousal rape, which in the 70's was a new concept.
I loved Edith taking out that monster!
Me too! Edith was a force of nature... and the sweetest person at the same time. I miss that show.
I heard the actor that played the rapist received death threats after this episode aired. I'm glad the series made an episode about such a serious issue, even though it breaks my heart watching sweet, innocent Edith in that situation. Jean Stapleton was amazing!
One of the things about "Edith's" character was that she seemed so timid and was constantly verbally dismissed (to put it lightly) by "Archie" ... To put her in such a horrific situation and see her fight back and win was a revelation! The minute she smashes that hot cake in that guy's face you hear the audience roar! Jean Stapleton brought the house down!
I loved how Edith went to town on that would-be rapist. She put the burnt cake on his face and he went out the door; that was some gangsta shit!
Most of these Episodes helped open peoples eyes and have conversations. today everyone is scare of offending someone so people don't do these things.
I’m confused about the Friends episode? Pretty sure Chandler says at some point his dad runs a drag bar, which would make him a drag artist, not a transgender woman. So the dialogue treating him like a drag artist would be correct.
Either way it's bullshit.
I was always under the impression his dad was just that, a cross-dresser,
I think the fact they casted a woman and everything...I don't know, it wasn't that clear, I think it would be better written today with an actual trans woman and/or drag queen behind it
the problem with it, to me, was that they made no attempt to be clear about what was going on - when they talked about his father before, it sounded like he was a gay man who did drag. But then by casting a woman to play him, and having that woman consistently dress and appear as a woman, even at his wedding, it got very muddled. It seems that Chandler's dad was actually trans and had transitioned - living openly as a woman. The humour in the episode is horribly homophobic and transphobic anyway, but if his father is actually a woman, it's even worse in my opinion. If he is a man who is a drag artist, he should have been played by a man. They completely messed up the whole thing - it was terribly disrespectful and already done at a time when they really should have known better. I loved friends when it was on originally because I didn't get how awful a lot of the humour was, but this bothered me, even then.
I remember when that episode aired, and Kathleen Turner said her casting was just due to the jokes about her voice. She wasn't playing a trans woman, at least according to her understanding.
I have watched Friends faithfully, and have all ten seasons on DVD, and never got the hint that Chandler's father was trans. They always just said he was gay, and a drag queen.
I thought he was trans
Maybe because I know perfectly well that Kathleen Turner is a woman...
"They always just said he was gay, and a drag queen." Well then they should've had a male in drag play his father, instead of a woman playing the role. The message that I'm getting from Friends is that they think trans women are gay men in drag, even if they have physical female sex characteristics, which is messed up. That's the controversy. But then again, the social climate of the 90s (when Friends aired) was still rather conservative, and ignorant.
@@MiaRosenbloom There are gay guys playing straight men on TV I see no one complaining what's the difference?
Right? That's what I always thought was the joke
So ....number 10 WASNT about the Hitler mustache? Heh.
Asking the real Question here.
Could of been Charlie Chaplin.
Actually was Charlie Chaplin I remember the episode. Btw the actresses name is Mindy Cohen. I think she would have a problem with the other costume.
SuperMAN Prime exactly what I was thinking
lol
the video starts with the queation "how did these episodes ever get green lit?" having grown up in the 80's i can tell u , its because some of them were necessary. we didnt have as open a dialogue with parents like today. these topics were swept away and ignored with people simply hoping it didnt happen, and if it did, sadly it was somewhat expected that u just dealt with it. there is nothing wrong with most of these examples. like a great deal of history, to those in the present, hindsight is 20/20, however we should be more respectful/appreciative to those who blazed the difficult trail to the place we are today, as well as where we need to go tomorrow.
So true. They may be corny today, but they were effective at starting a real conversation.
Well said man. A lot of that stuff was to make people aware of reality. I get the racist examples to ridiculous and unnecessary but also it was a different time and if you ask me I think we're TV is bullshit now a days and all this pc shit is overboard and making people ignorant to what's really going on
And some parents hadn’t had to deal with that stuff so they didn’t know what to tell us to look for. ( small town here). I learned a lot from these shows. Life lessons, that stuff can happen to anyone, even your favorite tv characters.
Well said.
Also, we weren't the snowflakes in the 80s that we are now. We could handle some of these things back then. In the case of Saved By The Bell, dressing up as an American Indian and talking about how much you respect them, after first ridiculing them, was a sign of growing up back then. We didn't have this "one strike and you’re out" mentality (cancel culture) back then, as we do now.
I'm gonna play Devils Advocate here: these shows talking about serious issues like these are beneficial because they expose more people, even children, to some pretty heavy drama that's common everywhere. You're not doing anyone any favors by cauldling folks and avoiding the hard conversations, just because it makes you uncomfortable.
Well said.. We are not allowed to discuss such stuff because too many people need their safe space nowadays especially if it "offensive" to them.
Caudling hmmmm
Well said, except *coddling 😉
I'm going to play the advocate of the Devil's Advocate and say I absolutely agree with you.
2K Renegade
100% agree with you on that. Heck, some people probably didn’t think or talk about half this stuff until it was brought up in shows like these, especially during the time they were released
Maybe these kinds of shows should happen today. The point of the 'special episodes' was to talk openly and publicly about topics that weren't talked about in society, to give voice to the taboo, and to help people. The rape and molestation episodes helped victims and survivors realize they weren't alone and that it was ok to talk about it.
I definitely think that having a kids show talk about subjects that impact kids and helps them to deal with them is a good thing.
Or even teaches those kids what to do if they're ever in those situations.
McReese, Remember the ABC After School Specials? That's what those were for, to help kids and parents open up regarding sensitive topics.
I agree 100%! We are living in a time now where people more than ever are telling their sexual assault stories. Unfortunately, not everyone will due to fear and consequences, but I think tv sitcoms should still make these PSA type episodes. Same with kid shows! I remember the whole 'no one should touch you where you don't like to be touched' in the old sonic the hedgehog show. Why did they stop doing that in kid shows? They should continue to do so cause it could help encourage even just one kid to say something.
I also remember at school they had some people come in to talk to us about what to do in dangerous situations. Like if someone touched us somewhere. At the time, a lot of us thought it was weird and/or funny cause of the demonstrations they did. Obviously, now I think it is great they did that and hope that's still a normal thing in schools.
This topic is one of the main reasons I Love the t.v. series Law and Order SVU . Elliot Stabler is a dad with three son's and two daughters and in earlier seasons of the series his children are in at least a few episodes that have to do with child sensitive issues and the children acting as his in the series handle the episode situations dealing with children issues come off as very season actors for such young ages. Yeah...… I know Law and Order SVU is not a sitcom but it is definitely a series I believe children should watch. Even the children that were on the series that were not Elliot's and Kathy's children handled their characters situations with wisdom beyond their years in being professional minus some crying scenes( crying is not an easy emotion to do on cue even for some season actors).
I'm not following along with the Benson entry. I replayed the explanation 4 times and I still don't get it.
Yeah, I'm not getting it. I'm guessing they are saying murder mystery won't be used as a comedy now.
yeah that was a pointless entry seeing that they never really got into why they added it. it's a stupid episode from a pretty iconic tv series, but not taboo by any standard.
It was a murder mystery on a sitcom... Not exactly in keeping with the rest of the entries.
Amiri Especially because family guy did it a few years back.
And american dad did it a few weeks back
The Seinfeld flag stomping issue was so overblown. Kramer is a doofus who ACCIDENTALLY lit the flag on fire and out of necessity tried to put it out the only way he could.
It was meant to be over the top comedy of errors
Everybody in this show is a caricature.
@Kitty Kat you're so dumb, and the majority of people on the planet would disagree with you. get a sense of humour!
That episode was hilarious, Michael Richards got needlessly slammed over this episode. Of course if it was the American flag getting defaced, people would just say he was exhibiting his freedom of expression.
Kitty Kat That is show was dumb?
Yes, I agree with you 100% -- the issue was overblown. BUT, I agree with WATCHMOJO that the episode wouldn't be made today. They'd anticipate there being a potential controversy and back away from airing it.
Cristina that show Is For douchebags that Show Is Not Funny
In defense of all the times everyone bashes Chandler for not accepting his dad... so what? If anything, as the show progressed, it showed a very strained relationship of father and son turn into something a lot better, which is a big depiction of anyone going through it in real life. I don't know why Chandler is always made out to be some horrible bigot for not accepting his father right away. These things take time and the show honored that.
Also, him growing up with an out dad in the early 80's would have made him a victim of all sorts of bullying. Neither of his parents made his childhood easy.
I agree especially since it was less talked about and accepted at the time, chandler probably hurt Helena at the time but I'm glad they reconciled in the end it was nice 💜
I'm not sure why Chandler keeps getting shit on for this. If you grew up in the seventies and eighties with a bisexual drag queen father and had some issues with that, I think that would be pretty understandable. He ultimately realizes that his father is just a person and even brags at the end that he used to be in the show. I think people are being too sensitive with this one.
Brie Stoll I would have been pretty embarrassed if my dad dressed up like a woman. I think most people would.
The people ridiculing Chandler don't get the point of the list. because yeah, it is that (even if the whole topic is actually wrong.) it was acceptable on TV when it aired, but they seem to think it couldn't be made today. It isn't saying that he was wrong at the time.
Also, Chandler comes to see that he was wrong to judge his father for his lifestyle, and invites him to his wedding, when, at the start of the episode, he wasn't going to.
Someone learning that they were wrong to judge someone else? How can that offend?
yeah i dont get why it's controversial either. It's actually a bit ahead of its time and Chandler ends up being accepting. Family Guy did a similar episode not too long ago with Quagmire's dad transitioning. So it really doesn't belong on this list considering Quagmire's dad still shows up in current episodes.
Exactly. Someone smart finally.
OMG, I'm glad Friends was made in the 90s because the episode was FINE. There was nothing wrong with it. First, Chanlder was not estranged with his father because of his sexuality, it's because like his mother, his father was a terrible parent. They were bith narcisisstic assholes to thier only son. He started smoking at 9 and they either did not care or did not pay enough attention to notice thier 9 year old smoking.
In the One where chandler cant cry, Monica, Phoebe and Joey pull out Chandler's album and Chandler had his picture taken with the janitor on Parents day, because niether of his parents cared to make it. The only reason Chandler's dad was at his swimmeets was to hook up with Chandler's teacher and possibly get some eyecandy from all the boys in trunks.
Chandler tried to earn his father's love, he would do the eyebrows of his father and his "business partners" and even perform in a very sexual performance (too sexual for a kid) of its raining men. But all his father did was use him to try and win against his mother. Today's Pc culture has gotten to stupid that we cant have LGbTQ characters portayed in any bad light as if they are incapable of wrong? Well the reality is, like all people, some trans people are assholes and Chandler's dad just happens to be one.
See more about it below.
www.postscriptproductions.net/friends-analysis-chandler-bings-soulmate-is-kathy/
You can read more about it here
mymealias totally agree. I was being harassed by a guy who is a person of color. We were both students in college. The professors would see his behavior and then make excuses for him. Oh, do you know all of the challenges he has faced in his life. Well, I don’t see how that excuses him calling me a bitch, etc in class. It seemed to me that they couldn’t see him as a person, that they only saw his skin color and not his behavior. Idk, I’ve had a few issues like this in my life and it kind of makes me feel a little crazy, like I’m in bizarre land.
I wish I could like this comment more than once! This is the second video I've run into complaining about how Chandler treats his dad.... his horrible, neglectful, narcissistic dad. And honestly, if his (also horrible, neglectful, narcissistic) mom would've shown up at his swim meets dressed like Carmen Miranda, that'd still be embarrassing. ("Look at meeee!") Anyway, thanks for posting your comment and the link to the article (the best Friends article I've ever read, by the way)!
I never liked Chandler's parents for all the reasons you just listed, hell they scared Thanksgiving for him for life!
Other than the Seinfeld and Saved by the Bell all these examples are great, they covered subjects that were uncomfortable for some families to talk about. You go directly into "oh that wouldn't happen today!" But it should! Rape and child molestation should be on sitcoms because they're part of life, those shows were amazingly brave and should be applauded not admonished. They opened doors for families to talk about painful experiences. The Friends episode is not offensive (IMO) Chandler was traumatized by his parents divorce and less than "normal" childhood but he learned to accept and love his dad just the way he is, I think his reaction was pretty normal considering the circumstances.
That Saved by the Bell episode was terrible. Gimme me a break!
MrNitro071 yes and that is why op said OTHER than the Seinfeld and Saved by the bell
I understood it the other way around.@@aesinam
Thank you!
Finally a good take in this comment section, everything else is just “eVeRyoNe iS sO ofFenDed by eVryThing theSe dAys I HatE SjW sNoWfLaKes” they should’ve picked more examples where the episodes have just aged poorly with the humour or offensive stereotypes, rather than episodes actually tackling real issues like rape and pedophilia.
Because back then families actually watch shows together and gave the families chances to talk about real things, unlike today where people are sensitive and don't talk to their kids about real issues at hand. The 80s sitcoms were the best and still. TV isn't the same anymore. Sadly. This coming from a 22 year old who grew up watching shows from the 80s with my parents. You learn a lot from those shows that benefit today.
Also though there were times a show did push it self a bit too far, but at the same time it's a show. Don't take things with a grain of salt.
The Average Pandaa 80s tv is just sentimental, preachy bullcrap only the pink glasses of nostalgia can cover. Go do everyone a favor and watch decent tv instead like 50s-60s tv or even the 90s.
Dundee Trust me when I say I loved those too, but I have my opinions and you have yours. Thanks for your feed back though.
So you weren't even alive in the 80's but yet your telling us about how times have changed and the shows back then blah blah blah when you didn't even experience that era smh
Jay Ant I do have parents. Who grew up in the 80s and told me stories. I actually like to hear from older generations how it was in times they were growing up. My mother was the one to teach me about the 80s sitcoms and how they had after school specials you could sit down and watch with your family. So yeah I may not have lived through it but the topics they discuss are still very real today and see how TV has changed since then.
Was Chandler's dad ever actually said to be transgender? I don't remember that at all. I thought the show always framed Charles/Helena as a drag queen or transvestite. Also you can't say they wouldn't do it today because Jeffrey Tambor is definitely not a transwoman and he plays one in Transparent.
Ashtarte He did, however, recently say that he would be more than satisfied to never win an Emmy again if it meant it went to a transgender woman and that transgender talent needs to be given more opportunity for a role.
Chandler’s dad is never said to be transgender. Watchmojo just doesn’t know how to research basic information
+Winter Naomi Vera did he give his opinion on the use of punctuation?
Considering the fact that Tambor is playing a pre-op character who is living as a trans woman, the casting could be considered fine by definition. Chandler's mom is clearly played by a woman born as a woman and her transition is played up for laughs and the common misunderstanding that trans folk are just gay men and women indulging in their lifestyles too much.
Tambor's performance has also been acclaimed by numerous trans actors and actresses who feel he brings the conversation of people transitioning late in life to a higher level and his awards reflect that.
Greg Sloan Wow. I didn’t interpret it like that. I’m a huge Friends fan and I finished watching the whole show a few times. Chandler’s dad is not just for laughs. All the times he is talked about it highlights about how his lifestyle affected him. It’s just to show that he doesn’t understand what his dad was then. That and his mother’s sexual proclivity affected his childhood and how he is. Slowly he comes to terms about them and accepts them. Just because there’s a laugh track behind doesn’t mean it’s to poke fun at the transgender. Of course I deem such conditions as mental problems but that’s beside the point.
How is teaching a rape victim to defend herself a bad ending?
I feel like Different Strokes did the child molestation plot a lot better, also I like when sitcoms take on serious topics, when it's done right of course.
I don't know about the Different Strokes episodes, but I agree with you that Comedy series do a good job when they deal with Serious Subjects. Isn't that what made All in the Family and MASH such great shows. I don't ever remember Cheers or even Friends ever dealing with any serious real World issue (with the possible exception of that Transexual episode)
@@HoldenNY22 Alisons creepy pedo dad on Melrose :/
@@postersandstuff- I didn't watch Melrose Place that Much. Was the Dad a Famous Actor or something
I agree. However, I do wish that people would pay as close attention to the Hitchikers episode. Not that the bike shop episode wasn't just as important but both are important and creepy and The Hitchikers should get as much attention I think.
The entire "In Living Color" series wouldn't be made today! 😂😂😆
Mr. Nevz
I loved "In Living Color"
No job?
NO Problem!
NO Credit?
NO Problem!
NO MONEY?!?
PROBLEMMM!🤣
Laura Beane yeah I love that show. This generation would lose their shit over it
Mr. Nevz I loved everytime they had an all day marathon for that
They did it on new years and 4th of july so when I wasnt out with family or helping set something up Id just stay there and watch it for hours
Mr. Nevz But SNL is still on?
marlon harrison In living Color is much more raunchy than SNL. SNL does mostly political jokes....In Living Color had a mentally challenged superhero called Handyman. People would lose their shit
The Belvedere episode looked pretty damn important. People need to understand how pedophiles actually operate. I remember the Edith episode and it was important. I didn't even think they'd go there until I saw it. I still remember it because of her drama after the incident. All in the Family was always had a somewhat serious undertone. And again the incident with Arnold shows how pedophiles operate.
Agreed.
Here I thought her Hitler mustache was going to be the offensive article
It was clickbait. She was Charlie Chaplin.
Nah. Everybody knows it's okay to make fun of Hitler/Chaplin's moustache cause IT IS JUST SO LAME!
It was Charlie Chaplin.
Edith slammed that burnt cake into that guy's face, I was like YEAH! NOW RUN!
I was proud of her in that moment. They had (almost) always portrayed her as meek and then, when nobody else was there to save her, she fought back and saved herself. It was a girl power moment in my eyes. (Just to be clear, that doesn't mean victims are weak if they can't get away.)
Yes, I always love seeing when Edith gets away in that episode.
Regarding "The Facts Of Life" episode, no one was blaming Natalie for being attacked. The self-defense course was a good idea; not only to have techniques as to how to fight back but to be aware of your surroundings. It was about being cautious. Another important thing that is acknowledged in this episode is that rape is a crime of violence and that it has nothing to do with the victim's appearance or how they are dressed.
ABSOLUTELY!!..CRIME HAPPNES AND THAT IS THE SAD FACT OF THE MATTER - DOING ALL YOU CAN TO PROTECT YOURSELF IS JUST COMMON SENCE....THESE DAFT FEMINISTS WHO COMPLAIN AND JUST SAY 'TELL BOYS NOT TO RAPE' - WELL IF ALL YOU NEED TO DO TO GET RID OF CRIME IS TELL THEM WE WOULDNT NEED POLICE, COURTS ETC ETC
Shaun Clark, it goes both ways. Yes, you should be cautious, but it's important to learn that it is wrong to assault another person. People of either gender can be predators, just as victims can be male or female. And it would be good of myths about sexual assault do not continue to be perpetuated.
Alex Anderson I think it was a Charlie Chaplin mustache.
are you really that stupid one that wouldn't have flown even in the 80's two that type of mustache was very common during the 30's and 40's and before same with Hitlers hair cut get a clue
No, no woman should have to take self defense courses to protect herself from assholes. Assholes shouldn't rape people. It's about victim blaming culture, when we should really be teaching our sons not to rape.
*Looks at entire collection of "Married with Children DVD boxed sets on my shelf
*LOL wonders why this entire list wasnt anything from Married with Children XD
"Honey did you miss me?"
"Yes dear with EVERY BULLET"
XD
Don't forget all the fat shaming. I especially like the one where Al is excited because he's car pooling with Victoria Secret models. They're all heavyset and one says, "Yeah, we're Victoria's Biggest Secret Models."
MWC was clearly farce and not at all typical of your average sitcom.
GOOD COMMENT ..VERY FUNNY..
I remember the episode it the one where Kelly audition and the producer change the plot and copied her life lol
Freddie Lounds 11
You just gave 10 reasons why TV shows used to be great!.... today's shows are so afraid of offending someone that they have nothing to show!
That's why they all suck
This wannabe boomer
Great point
@@darrengreen2992 Better a wise, experienced boomer, than a smart-arsed, know-it-all millenial.
You'll be old one day.
@@dhenderson1810 okay boomer
The Facts of Life writers weren’t saying that Natalie was to blame (PC gone mad). They were making the point that Natalie could take some of the power back to herself by taking action and doing something about it, and in the end, all her friends joined the self defense class with her. I don’t see a thing wrong with that.
Action is very hard with severe trauma.
@@lockandloadlikehell depends on the person honestly.
There was also a very controversial episode of The Facts of Life where a girl commits suicide. That episode is very rarely rerun.
I still remember the Happy Days episode in season 6, where Potsi went crazy and chopped up Joanne's cousin with a hatchet.
That one always got to me.
@@mcbailey9 and remember the one with Tooty and the underage hooker? I was so scared.
The reason sitcoms had those 'very special episodes ' back then but not today is there were SO MANY sitcoms back then and fewer police procedurals. Those episodes were meant to teach lessons. Families watched sitcoms together. Kids didn't watch dramas. I remember all of those episodes... I was a kid at the time and I did learn from them. No one complained when they aired because they would LITERALLY tell you at the start that it was a Very Special Episode and everyone knew that meant something serious was going to happen. If you or your kids didn't want to watch, you changed the channel. Simple.
MavenCree it is a collosal generational gap, who Grew up and learned about it
MavenCree: The other reason there are no more "very special episodes" is that most audiences are no longer shocked by such stories. Today's very special episode should involve a Trump supporter getting beaten up by people who claim that they are tolerant and open-minded and resist hate.
Dessert Tray what do you mean by that ?
I actually saw something like that. Guy leaving a speech by a far right pundit got beaten up protesters. A black guy hugged him and escorted him to safety.
SamAsm true
Why Should a trans actor Only be allowed to play a trans character on a show. That's like saying Heath Ledger is not allowed to play a homosexual in brokeback mountain because he isn't gay. Acting is what it is pretending to be someone you're not. I think people are just a little bit too sensitive nowadays about things like this.
Mitchell Kmatz exactly
Mitchell Kmatz it’s true it’s the same with Hank Azaria playing Apu, he’s acting. So what all actors have to be the same colour,race, sexuality and have the same accent as the person they’re playing where does this end? Jamie Fox is playing Little John in Robin Hood he isn’t English and their weren’t Black People in England in the 1300’s so its inaccurate too but because he’s black the social justice warriors call that progressive.
Mitchell Kmatz I totally agree. An actor should be allowed to play any character they wish, regardless of their age, gender or sexual orientation.
The opposite is also true I saw people complain that Darlene in Roseanne should be gay just because the actress is gay even though they've said the character is not gay but people will not let it go you don't have to be straight to play a straight character and you don't have to be gay or trans to play someone gay or trans. Acting is all make believe.
or NPH in How I Met Your Mother playing the biggest womanizer on sitcom since Joey Tribbiani^^
All in the Family and Three's Company would never see the light of day today.
Yeah, these days there's no way you'd have a single straight man living with two single straight women and never start banging each other. They'd call the c*** being "friends with benefits" and continue to poison people with the mindset that healthy adults can't keep it in their pants, while they never suffer from problems like STDs or unwanted pregnancies.
@@CompuclesI think shows like Three's Company helped society accept homosexuals. Like Will and Grace, Melrose Place etc and Three's company never made fun of gay men. They would get annoyed at Mr Roper whenever he would make fun of Jack.
@@anna-mariageorgiades5532 I didn't say anything about homosexuality, just that shows back then had a more healthy attitude about sex in general.
@@CompuclesThree's company is about a guy who is pretending to be homosexual and how he is treated by Mr Roper. That's was my comment.
@@anna-mariageorgiades5532 ...which had nothing to do with my comment, so I don't know why you relied specifically to me in the first place.
What’s the issue with the ‘very special episode’s though? Are sitcoms not allowed to cover challenging topics now? Are they not allowed to be serious? Or try and teach their (mostly young) audience about the issues that will likely come up at some points in their life? I think it’s very immature to state that just because it’s a comedy, it cannot ever try to become intelligent TV.
When I saw Edith's 50th Birthday episode as a re-run some 20 odd years after its original airing and she threw that burning cake into her attacker's face, I was up off of the couch and yelling at the television with tears in my eyes, "Run, Edith, RUN!" It's still a powerful episode.
Same here!
It wasn't comedy, however. Jean Stapleton is just too good an actress - you saw it all there in her face.
I actually kinda liked that episode of All in the Family. It was one of the few that showed Archie could act in a way other than being a complete and total jerk.
Brian Corvello he has had other moments too.
I said "one of the few"
Yes these subjects are hard, but sitcoms are made for families and these epsisodes were to help older kids about the troubles in life. For instance you guys totally missed the mark for the Facts if life episode. It was to be taken that Natalie was a victim but there comes a time where you need to pick yourself up, and teach others how not to become a victim and a self defense classes will help. In no way shape or form did they ever try to get blame the rape on her. They had to push the time line along due to the episode being only 30 minutes.
We have to talk about these issues because they do happen and if we keep it hush hush then a victim could have the mind set they deserve what is happening
How not to become a victim? So is there like a book on that? So problematic
@@msnewsenior we can all agree that there should be no rape, murder, theft, and many other things. But there is. As parent we have to teach our children that bad things do happen, and how to best avoid them. I'm not going to park a $200,000 Maserati in the Bronx overnight. Should I be able to? Yes. Is it smart to? No.
Chandler's dad isn't a trans woman, he's a DRAG QUEEN!
Onyx Helena Ember-Graves was he? Didn’t he have surgery to become a woman at some point?
@@ollale711 Not that I remember
At the wedding, Chandler's mother comments on his dress by saying, "Don't you have a little too much penis for that dress?" in response to a similarly phrased question from him about her dress.
not to mention Chandler always refers to his father as he or him. And Monica tells Rachel "he is the man in the black dress".
That's what I always thought, he was a cross-dresser
Im a caring,sensitive person but i actually loved when sitcoms got serious it always made me more drawn to them & the characters
Nothing wrong with learning. Life isn't all rainbows and sunshine, the earlier the better.
Leave it to MASH - the only show that can tackle drama and humor perfectly.
The fact that Alexis Arquette is in the episode of friends should tell you that there's nothing to be offended by.
Exactly!
Why does everyone think Chandler's dad is trans??? Marta Kauffman literally said he is supposed to be a drag queen/female impersonator. This annoys the shit out of me because I constantly hear people going on about how the show was being transphobic when he isn't even supposed to be trans??
Comedy has gone down so much since then. It used to talk about real issues while being funny but now it's just the same bland plotlines.
try watching something other than big bang theory and modern family
Did you catch at least one funny joke in this video?
Yeah, sitcoms back then def. didn't age well. Try watching any of these shows now.
Tomáš Zelenka Saved by the bell. Zach as an indian? Hilarious.
Watch The Good Place.
These issues need to be discussed as unfortunate as it is it does happen we cant all be expected to live in a bubble and be blind to the real world
Seriously? The drag episode of Friends? People would have an issue with that?
Take a wild guess.
Chandler gets a lot of hate for being embarrassed at having a humiliating parent. He had a flawed paternal figure growing up, but somehow it’s his fault for being embarrassed.
the part where they complain about a "non trans actor" is pretty retarded too since most movies and TV shows DO usually use women to show a male-to-female transsexual. The look more convincingly female and it's much easier to just find a female actor and tell her "ok you used to be a man but you need to act like a woman" then it is to hunt down a trans actor, since that's alot smaller pool to draw from. It's the same thing when looking for a small minority, alot of shows/movies find non-native american actors to play native americans on TV since there arent that many native american actors which limits your options and makes the whole process more difficult, espeically for a show with a smaller budget or if its filmed far away from native americna tribes.
He had 2 humiliating parental figures. Both parents slept with the house boy. His mother wrote sexually explicit romance novels, had been married and divorced multiple times and tried to have sex with Ross. And it's very clear that a lot of his uncomfortably with his parents is because of how they interact with each other : they HATE each other! They traumatized him, and part of the joke is how he ever ended up relatively normal. Everyone focuses on him not liking his father because that's easy, but they never bring up his issues with his mother or the issues between the two parents. It's always Chandler is a bigot.
I think they also conveniently left out the part where Monica brings him to the bar where her father work so they can rekindle their relationship and Chandler's father can be a guest at their wedding. It's not that people didn't want to be tolerant so much as they did not know how to handle these situations back then.
Yep. People get offended and the keyboard warriors would pressure the networks into removing the series entirely and boycotting the network.
Somber Stricken oh piss off, broflake
Somber Stricken Yes I thank those people for censoring the material before my adult, feeble mind becomes subjected to such horror.
Rightfully so.
SJWs in the comment section.
Speedy Quick broflake really?
So, Too Close for Comfort tackles an issue that no one will even tackle today, that of a man being raped, it's portrayed realistically in that people treat him badly because no one takes men getting raped seriously, and somehow, the fact that they tackled this topic is wrong, because it's typically a sitcom?
What the hell, WatchMojo?
I think the Show Picket Fences and Law and Order:SVU Men being raped by a Woman, but unlike the Too Close for Comfort, it took the issues seriously.
Shows like "Degrassi" - a drama aimed at kids/teens was one of the few shows I remember that showed these issues like pedophilia, rape, AIDS, teen pregnancy, etc,as a matter of course. It seemed every episode was a life-lesson. However, these shows were primarily aimed at at kids/teens, were played in the afternoon timeslot, thus parents did not watch them.
Comedies were watched by parents, along with their kids. So the comedies were used as a vehicle to discuss these important issues. Before the episode aired, there was a warning of the serious nature of the topic, and an advisory note that parents should watch with their children. After the show, they told you about the hotline you could call if you had concerns (eg lifeline). It was far from "irresponsible" or "inappropriate". Many families discussed these issues as a result of watching the "comedy".
At a time when we only had 4 (ish) TV stations, and no video, people tuned in each night to watch whatever was on. You had a large captive audience to deliver an important message.
Degrassi was AMAZING
Are we getting "morally" censored nowadays? So much "can't" be said because someone would find it wrong, offensive, inappropriate so they decide what should be talked and said aboud.
Isn't that what a censorship means!? Think about it.
At least we weren't a bunch of thin skinned wimpy people that let others control our emotions by getting offended
Watchmojo 2018: "Comedies shouldn't handle controversial subject matter"
Alextromagnetic ffs that wasn't said nor implied you jackass smh
Jay Ant on multiple occasions throughout the episode
"This kind of subject matter wasn't expected from a comedy series"
DragonHeart 12 Yep, like he said neither said nor implied
In a nutshell yes.
They shouldn't.
More shows these days should talk about some of these things, some of them told people what to do in these situations and showed people that they are never alone.
10. I don't think the story is supposed to be taken that she is a nuisance to the others or that it was her fault but that it's affecting her deeply. But God forbid that woman be taught to defend themselves.
9. You're really going to add a murder mystery on a sitcom to this list? It is a trope, calm down.
7. Chandler's father is always stated to be a cross dresser not a trans person. I'm not even going to bother addressing every single one of these but it's very clear you're seeing what you want to with some of these. Also while some of these are political incorrect it's not a good thing that these wouldn't be shown today, some hold actual valid lessons, but people are too worried about who could possibly maybe be offended we heavily censor ourselves and it's people like watch Mojo that facilitate this attitude.
"All in the Family" often dealt with serious real life issues. This was pretty common too. It could be said the entire series might not air today.
Back when programmes were real
They are still real. Do you think they are all just illusions now?
+Acel Damia Real as in dealing with real life issues, and not afraid to show things that may be offensive or in bad taste..unlike most of todays tv which mostly tries to play everything safe and not hurt anyones feelings. Not to mention the ridiculous amount of so called reality TV shows we have nowadays that are indeed fake and scripted. Don't play stupid you know what the original commenter meant. 🙄
Smart guy also did a Mr. Belvedere episode with an adult pretending to be a child online and getting kids to take clothes off to surf, very disturbing!
"All in the Family" took on just about every "politically incorrect" subject that ever was, and was considered one of the best sitcoms ever. That is a show which could NEVER be made today.
What about Roseanne? The storyline of Jackie being beaten up by her boyfriend?
Thomas Rettenwander it is significant, but it is not that bad
"How did these episodes ever get greenlit?"
Probably by being written before the Perpetually Offended Brigade ruined everything.
previously this was titled "in today's PC world", to which I say: "Ha! Yeah right..."
i dont know what shows your watching but a lot of these are still touched on today..
I miss Pre-PC culture 😦😦😦
marlon harrison Me too my friend ... me too
Most sane people do
YeAh I sssooo Agree when are people gonna wake up get help and be normal again ! The whole world for that matter!! All of it just saying! 😩😩😩😩😩😩😩
All normal people do
Welp, you can’t miss something you’ve never experienced. “PC culture” isn’t new. Look up Tipper Gore and music ratings. Or Comstock’s time as postmaster general. Look at what happened when Ginsburg published Howl in the 60s. Look up Thomas Bowdler, in the 1800’s he tried to censor Shakespeare because it wasn’t appropriate for kids or grown ass women.
People are just too sensitive and easily offended nowadays.
*Mrs. Voldemort* I assume that you are a homosexual then
there's a difference between something funny and admitting something highly unfunny and inappropriate
There is Poop on my Lollipop
More like a pan. But I would never act on it. 😉 Just keep in my imagination. I even lusting for Voldemort, dear...
Francesca huawei
There is. But some people, it took some times to analyze it. 😊
Ok but I thought the one with Chandler's dad was hilarious. It's been a while since I watched it, but I thought his dad was just a drag queen? I didn't really see jokes being about trans people per se, but rather Chandler's father's eccentricities and about Chandler's difficulty coping. Also given the time it was made in and the situation itself, I'd say Chandler's reaction is pretty valid. Back then when there wasn't any information out there, and Chandler not being trans himself, it would make sense that he be confused/embarrassed.
I agree with most of the picks, except #2,-All in the Family. All in the Family wasn't exactly a sit com and it frequently dealt with controversial subjects. Sexaul assault is tricky subject matter to deal with and I thought that they did a good job with this episode.
They only show The Peurto Rican Day Seinfeld episode once in a blue moon on TV.
they need show it more
MrGrimjaw Alot of it is funny, but I dunno.
Poison quite long ago and Interesting.
Funny thing is that it doesn't show the Puerto Ricans in a bad light, but Kramer's stupidity.
TK Los Angeles haha when Kramer gets involved forget it
Just to clear up the misunderstanding; Chandler's dad was a DRAG QUEEN, not just a common trans citizen who had been shunned by his son. It was literally his/her job at Vegas to entertain a gay and accepting audience. But I agree that Chandler's inability to cope with it and his embarrassment by it is a dated 90's mentality.
Yeah. Because we as a society as SO past homophobia/transphobia as a society. And can we please stop acting like that wouldn't still cause some discomfort for a lot of people even now? I think it's safe to say that most people would feel a way about their father dressing up as a woman. It's a difficult thing to accept. And we really have no right to tell someone in that situation how to feel about it.
spoken like a true phobia ridden small minded arse
But also, I think he was kinda traumatized by the fact that he cheated on his mom with their bell boy, which caused him to have an anti-lgbtq mentality, which is totally uncool, but understandable.
S O'B Moron you must live in fantasy land if you think everyone accepts this. I am ok with this but a lot of people it would take time to accept it. It is not phobic to speak the truth.
yeh, you reaaally sound like you're completely "ok with it" -_-'
I remember Edith's bday episode. Watched it a couple years ago. It was very moving, and intense, that show hit on a lot of topics in its time.
These episodes were green lit because people didn't get so but hurt back then. Nowadays everyone is offended by everything thing. People are far to soft today.
Married with children.
haha yeah the entire show lol.
No name here it is not that offensive
LOL - really? Married with Children didnt give a crap and pushed the edge even for its day. People today couldnt handle that show at all.
Poison it is now, but it was a different time and just accept what had happen
I fucking LOVED Married With Children. I have Season One on DVD. That show pushed limits and boundaries like it was nothing.
Your sister channel did this for episodes of Friends.
Some of these I saw when they aired, and a couple I've seen in reruns. Some I've never seen and never heard of that particular episode.
I don't feel that you got the _Facts of Life_ one right. The girls aren't just complaining about Natalie's nightmares; they're worried about her.
Television, movies, novels, and comic books are filled, and I mean *filled* with stories of non-cops and yes, non-detectives who manage to solve a crime. I fondly remember four kids and a dog who would do that every Saturday morning...
I see nothing wrong with any of these.
Stereotypes are different from archetypes. Why doesn't anyone understand this?
OneNewHope ikr
Same reason why everybody on the internet thinks that "ironic" is a synonym for "coincidence."
OneNewHope but it is a collosal generational gap problem
Actually, they are synonyms of each other. Time to dust off your Thesaurus.
Acel Damia
stereotype: "a widely held but fixed and oversimplified image or idea of a particular type of person or thing."
Archetype: "a very typical example of a certain person or thing."
There's a subtle, but important difference. A stereotype is unfair, whereas an archetype is based on familiar observations and doesn't making sweeping generalizations.
Example: Apu from the Simpsons is NOT a stereotype, but an archetype instead. This is because he represents how familiar we are with Indian convenience store owners. We have noticed a pattern, but would not be shocked if the pattern is broken. It would not be earth shattering to see a White or Black convenience store owner. A stereotype would be to say, "all Indians are convenience store owners," or "All convenience stores are owned by Indians."
This was a very interesting list. Numbers 10 and 4 sounds much like the attitude of many people who have no sympathy for kids hurt by bullying today. I'm glad at least there is more sensitivity and sympathy practiced in this time. I would also like to see the reverse list of episodes that air today that would never air back then. I'm pretty sure there are plenty.
No one gave a shit about bullying back then either.
I watched all those tv shows and I saw all those episodes. I was just a kid and I didn’t know exactly what was happening in each of those shows until years later when I watched them again as reruns.
I was about the same age as Punky Brewster when it aired and that episode about the killer on the loose actually helped me. As a kid, I would hear scary things when my parents watched the news and I was afraid, but I learned that you can't live your life in fear. I think that's what that episode was trying to help kids understand.
Top 10 ways to get offended by stupid stuff by WatchMojo.
No matter what you say, I'll still watch F.R.I.E.N.D.S again and again and again until I die
No one is saying you shouldn't.
That Family Guy clip with the boys in the bicycle shop makes a lot more sense now
Too many people are offended today as a matter of fashion, not actual concern. One can protect their tender sensibilities by not watching what they claim they are so called offended by.
people get so easily offended nowadays...
I'm offended by that! lol. Back to non-offensive shows like Game of Thrones and Santa Clarita Diet.
Nothing new
lmao did the people complaining about sjws ruining comedy even watch the video? half of the picks are literally just bc they were too dramatic for a sitcom...not even offensive. also the best comedies on tv aren't ruined bc they don't play into stereotypes like brooklyn 99, broad city, superstore and even the ones that do for satirical comedy like veep and it's always sunny are doing great and aren't ruined??? by sjw??? y'all really like to complain so much it's actually comedic.
katie edits you forgot Roseanne.
What's the matter cupcake? Did the people pointing out how SJW's are ruining comedy (and everything else) upset your little SJW feelings?
Thank you Katie, finally someone with Brains, Intellegence and Knowledge watching these, unlike the above commenter proving and ultimately ratifying your point even more, talk about the actual REAL SNOWFLAKES!
Read her comment again because you clearly missed the point. Also, sjws ruin everything? Not the racists, homophobes, sexists etc.? Really?
Andy Mann Don't be that guy.
Zach Morris is the original Elizabeth Warren
I think it was great that comedies touched on these subjects. I remember the bike episode.. and I talked to my parents afterward. It taught me alot... it touched on taboos that needed to be touched. Don't forget we had no internet, cell phones or social media in the 80's.... this was a way to touch on the topics with families so families could discuss it with their kids and at that time it was effective. I actually learned alot from some of these.
I think I saw every one of these story lines in Its always sunny in Philadelphia.
Ι guess today "Married with children" pilot would have been thrown out of the window (along with its creators)
That show got popular after someone complained and made a stink about it. The difference is today networks don't have any balls and let angry people over the internet have their way.
Totally remember that Too Close For Comfort episode, which I saw in syndication during mid-afternoon reruns. So... yeah.
I have several friends whom are Puerto Rican and they all love that Seinfeld episode, haha!
Because Kramer was a duffus and your friends have a sense of humor. 😊
Do top 10 signs watchmojo is running out of ideas
Young Seinfeld on Benson. :)
What's with that...
I was watching that Facts of Life episode again, and yeah. I really felt icky viewing it, but I also felt that way watching the episode where the girl committed suicide and suicidal "jokes" were met with laughter and the episode where Blair fell for the mentally disabled man and was trying to "cure" him of it. It reminded me of those creeps at Autism Speaks.
I remember seeing that episode of All In The Family when I was a little kid and it was damn near traumatizing. Poor Edith, I was so happy when she got away.
The "Friends" one I don't get it. I think that episode was hilarious. I don't think it was offensive. Well I guess if you take things super serious you could get offended but otherwise I don't see why you should.
That's cause Chandler's father is gay and a drag queen, not trans.
I thought Kathleen Turner was hilarious in this episode, and props to her for doing it.
"how did these episodes ever get green lit?" Because back in those days being offended by everything was odd, not norm.
It's so crazy how those specific episodes of Facts of Life and Different Strokes are permanently seared into my brain since childhood.
That Punky Brewster episode makes perfect sense when you consider the serial killer scares at that time, I remember vividly that the adults in that time period talked A LOT about the Hillside Strangler etc.
Was Chandler’s dad a trans woman, I always just thought they were a drag queen, and that’s why Chandler used “he/him” pronouns.
Samuel Hill your correct
He is a drag queen.
I really liked Punky Brewster being a children sitcom that depicted emotional rollercoasters like thwse situations. It shows that serious shit can happen unexpectedly in even the most candy colored worlds.
The 80ies were a great time for SJW stuff being depicted in a serious way before the "lighten up" and "just a prank bro" took over and dumbed most series down.
That all in the family episode had me so into it as a kid! I remember cheering when Edith got away and feeling so bad for her as she recovered.
The Bike Episode from Diff'rent Strokes was used in an episode of 'Smart Guy' in the late 90s/early 00s