The American Family on Television: A Chronology of 122 Shows, 1948-2004 Review

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(More customer reviews)We all grew up in front of the television set and often wished we could trade in our own families and become members of The Cleavers, The Andersons, the Bradys and even, in some cases, The Munsters. Now that we're rational adults, the notion of having a Frankenstein father may not seem as appealing as it once did, but the memories live on.
The American Family on Television is more than just a reference book. It's a walk down memory lane, with fun facts and interesting stories about your favorite television families. There's even a section dealing with a large group of TV families that didn't make the grade. Remember The Charmings or The Pruitts of Southhampton?
If you're a fan of TV Land or of TV in general, I know you will enjoy my book.

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The sitcom made its first appearance in January of 1949 with the introduction of television's first family, The Goldbergs. Since the advent of the sitcom, televised fictional families have reflectedthe changing structure of American society. The sitcom emphasized first the lives of suburban, working class European immigrants and gradually expanded to encompass the multicultural urban phenomena of the 1960s. The roles of men and women in the fictional family have similarly been adjusted to depict women's movement into the workforce and the changing identity of the father. As censorship laws became less stringent, sitcom viewers also began to be exposed to the realities of changing family dynamics in America, watching as the traditional nuclear family diverged to include single-parent, two-father, and two-mother households. From the cultural upheaval of the mid-century to the "reality" craze of the new millennium, television's families have mimicked and even influenced the changing values of American society. This broadcast history covers more than 100 television families, from the Goldbergs to the Osbournes, who have provided entertainment and inspiration for the American public since 1949. An introduction to the cultural trends and social developments of each decade is provided prior to a summary of the significant series of that decade. Each series entry includes a description of the family, the date of the show's first and last broadcast, the broadcasting network, the day and time aired, and the cast of characters.