The New Normal

Popular shows like "Modern Family" and "The Fosters" are showing family structures that weren't always on television and America is loving it!

ABC's "Modern Family"

(2017) Written by Shadei Terry - Coleman

"This show is portraying what many families in 2016 look like. 20 years ago, showing a same sex couple raise their adopted daughter probably would have had a lot of pushback by television networks and audiences in general."

Is television a reflection of our ever changing world or are the images we see on television now helping to shape our society? The content we watch and the way we view TV has changed completely.

Technological advances have made it possible for us to watch our favorite TV shows whenever and wherever we want. The days of us having to sit around the TV at home, in fears of missing your weekly sitcom obsession are over. Watching TV used to be a family event, due to the limited channel options and scheduled timing of primetime shows. Fast forward to today, we can easily watch our favorite shows on our way to school, in between classes and anywhere else we can access Wi-Fi.

As times are changing, so are the shows on television. Some things that we view on TV today would not have been easily as accepted 20 to 30 years ago. Nowadays, the structure of the "New Normal” family is heavily portrayed on television. The "New Normal" refers to a family structure that differs from that of your typical traditional family structure (a mom, dad and three kids). It is now common to see shows that portray the blended family, same sex couples and other blended family dynamics.

ABC’s Modern Family, is a great reflection of the "New Normal" family. It shows almost every type of family structure in a contemporary setting. There’s the older man with his new young wife and her son. There’s the traditional American family with a Wife, husband and their three kids; and the same sex couple with their adopted daughter from China. This show is portraying what many families look like in 2016. 30 years ago, showing a same sex couple raising their adopted daughter probably would have had a lot of pushback by television networks and audiences in general. The success of this show is its comedic timing, but also due to showing representation of many modern families today.

"The Fosters"

The Fosters is another example of a family structure that we never saw on television. It focuses on the family of a lesbian couple; Steph and Lena and their 5 kids, which consist of adopted, biological and foster care children. This show consistently pushes the envelope by discussing things that were never shown on family shows of previous generations. Our society has become more accepting of the "new normal” and television is reflecting that.

"Fuller House" on Netflix

Another show making its way into the "new normal” family is Netflix’s Fuller House, a spin-off series based on Full House the original sitcom. Full house was a staple example of a family with good values in the 90s. The show did not focus on the teenagers having sexual relationships, and did not have any foul language. It was clean comedy that parents could watch with their kids.

The 2016 reboot, however, slightly differs in its values. The overlying theme between the new and older show is family ties. The basis of the new show is that the family is around to help D.J raise her three children, whereas in the original series three men were raising three girls D.J, Stephanie and Michelle.

In the current spin-off D.J (Cameron Candace Bure) and Stephanie played by Jodie Sweetin are adults who ultimately look the same, but act a little differently by occasionally dating and casual drinking. Stephanie’s character on the spin-off is the wild and carefree younger sister who regularly drinks and parties.

More surprisingly, Episode 12 had a kissing scene where Stephanie and Kimmy kissed on the lips while the children watched. If you grew up watching Full House, you probably would never expect a scene like this. The show covers a lot more mature topics. Perhaps, it has something to do with it being 15 years later and the show having a more adult fan base.

When it comes to television or film reboots of any kind, they are usually a hit or miss. Audiences have high expectations based on the original series and usually are emotionally invested in the characters. The content of TV shows will always change, just like our world is continuously changing and thats a good thing.