Although television (TV) was brought to the United States (US) in the 1950s, it did not become popular with the US public until the post World War II (WWII) era. This was from a variety of factors ranging from the popularity of radio and the cost of owning the technology. Importantly, in the early years of television, wide spread use of animation in TV shows did not exist. By 1960 however, Hanna-Barbara, a television animation studio, began to gain notoriety in the growing media market. Hanna-Barbara’s most popular TV program was The Huckleberry Hound Show, which was a cartoon TV variety show hosted by Huckleberry Hound himself. Still, it was not until the premiere of The Flintstones that Hanna-Barbara gained wide spread popularity. The
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Sitcoms existed when television became popular in the post WWII era, but the television genre did not begin saturate the market until the 1960s. Furthermore, family sitcoms were the main driver in the increased popularity of sitcoms. The first popular family sitcom was The Honeymooners, and followed the live of the Kramer’s and the Norton’s, two couples living in the same Brooklyn apartment complex. The show was also known as the first “blue collar” family sitcom because it told the story both a bus driver and a sewer worker. Then by the 60s however, blue-collar family sitcoms made way for the “nuclear” family model with shows like Leave it to Beaver and The Dick Van Dyke Show. These family sitcoms were called the nuclear families because it created an idealized world of US middle and upper class family life and the mold of what the TV family should be like. By the 1970s “blue collar” family sitcoms came back into popularity with TV shows like All in the Family and nuclear family sitcoms topped the charts again in 1980s with hits like The Cosby Show. Ultimately the main difference between the two types of family sitcoms was the “blue collar” style’s conflicts were more relatable and …show more content…
Pop culture breaks a TV show out of the “sitcom” universe because pop culture is referencing anything currently marketed towards the majority of the public that reflects popular ideas, phenomenon, images and attitudes in a country’s culture. In 2017, any meme would be deemed pop culture. Thus, something referenced in the all ready existing world rather than the “sitcom” world. The Simpsons use pop culture in almost all of their episodes. For example, in “Lisa vs. Malibu Stacey”, the episode begins with the family at the grand opening of The Center for Geriatric Medicine and a very old Ben Matlock is there to be apart of the festivities. This is an example of pop culture because Ben Matlock was a character on the TV shows Matlock starring Andy Griffith. The TV show and character already existed outside of the realm of The Simpsons “universe”. Another example of the use of pop culture in The Simpsons is in the episode “New Kids on the Blecch”. In this episode, Bart joins a boy band and meets the boy band In Synch, which was a popular boy band during the late 90s when the episode aired. This is a pop culture reference because the TV show placed a popular group of figures from the real world into the show. The use of pop culture is prevalent in The Simpsons because
Sitcoms existed when television became popular in the post WWII era, but the television genre did not begin saturate the market until the 1960s. Furthermore, family sitcoms were the main driver in the increased popularity of sitcoms. The first popular family sitcom was The Honeymooners, and followed the live of the Kramer’s and the Norton’s, two couples living in the same Brooklyn apartment complex. The show was also known as the first “blue collar” family sitcom because it told the story both a bus driver and a sewer worker. Then by the 60s however, blue-collar family sitcoms made way for the “nuclear” family model with shows like Leave it to Beaver and The Dick Van Dyke Show. These family sitcoms were called the nuclear families because it created an idealized world of US middle and upper class family life and the mold of what the TV family should be like. By the 1970s “blue collar” family sitcoms came back into popularity with TV shows like All in the Family and nuclear family sitcoms topped the charts again in 1980s with hits like The Cosby Show. Ultimately the main difference between the two types of family sitcoms was the “blue collar” style’s conflicts were more relatable and …show more content…
Pop culture breaks a TV show out of the “sitcom” universe because pop culture is referencing anything currently marketed towards the majority of the public that reflects popular ideas, phenomenon, images and attitudes in a country’s culture. In 2017, any meme would be deemed pop culture. Thus, something referenced in the all ready existing world rather than the “sitcom” world. The Simpsons use pop culture in almost all of their episodes. For example, in “Lisa vs. Malibu Stacey”, the episode begins with the family at the grand opening of The Center for Geriatric Medicine and a very old Ben Matlock is there to be apart of the festivities. This is an example of pop culture because Ben Matlock was a character on the TV shows Matlock starring Andy Griffith. The TV show and character already existed outside of the realm of The Simpsons “universe”. Another example of the use of pop culture in The Simpsons is in the episode “New Kids on the Blecch”. In this episode, Bart joins a boy band and meets the boy band In Synch, which was a popular boy band during the late 90s when the episode aired. This is a pop culture reference because the TV show placed a popular group of figures from the real world into the show. The use of pop culture is prevalent in The Simpsons because