The Evolution of the Family on Television Introduction Television is not just a form of entertainment, it is also an excellent way to study society's ever-changing families. From the beginning of the history of television in the early 1950's to present day, there have been many television shows and sitcoms about the common North American family. Today's sitcoms have "single-parent households, several friends and roommates, gay relationships and unmarried adults whose lives revolve around the workplace" Terry. This is very different compared to the old-fashioned nuclear family unit of mom, dad, and the kids in past decades. The stories...
parents and the children has gone from the perfect family in Leave it to Beaver, to the dysfunctional one in Malcolm in the Middle. But it is the dysfunctional relationships that better portray the typical North American family of today Embry. Many things have changed in television as racial and ethnic lines have been crossed. When TV sitcoms began, mostly whites dominated the shows. Today, there are more types of sitcoms with minorities such as African-Americans or Jews. If anything, television families have been teachers, showing the viewing audiences how to act and how things truly are in society.