Many shows have circulated through the cycle of television in the
21 century. The most popular shows tended to deal with men and were more action
packed. These shows also had a good amount of criticism from feminists. The
main roles of the popular television shows were men. I think that if a woman as
described in the article would have played the main role in some of these shows
they would not have been nearly as popular. People today want to see
something they would not see everyday. A businesswoman would not appeal to many
viewers. Phillip Maciak says "Imagine if that show had focused on a
powerful woman rather than a powerful man, a businessperson rather than a
murderer, a potential hero rather than the anti-hero." I think that if
this change would have happened these shows would not have made it this far.
People just don't want to see everyday things on TV. The show with the powerful
woman might seem like it would help the feminist movement, but all in all it
would not be a popular show. A perfect example from the article would be the
show The Sopranos. Old time Italian gangsters are not ordinary in
today's world, but when you throw one on television everyone loves it. Today's
society enjoys action and things that are out of the ordinary to their everyday
life that they will probably never experience themselves, so the our age of
television also needs to revolve around this.
Television shows seek the attention and popularity they do because of the protagonists writers choose. Women as main characters are simply just not as popular. I think this is because men do not want to see women in these roles and women are content in watching attractive males be the heroes. I like your Sopranos example, it really illustrated what you were trying to say. Nice post!
ReplyDeleteI agree with that Connor. Television shows would not be as interesting as they are today if they had not pioneered it and criticized it in the past. The majority of people don't want to watch shows about feminism but instead would love to watch a show about gangsters breaking the law and committing acts of violence. That's what people like, that is whats interesting, and that is ultimately popular culture that deems why certain shows are more popular than others.
ReplyDeleteTV shows are created to attract viewers and popularity and if the demand lies with dominant male figures in the leading role, that is what is going to be created. Your post is spot on as the period helped shape where we stand today. The market has shown what is liked and disliked and TV creators put together what they believe
ReplyDeleteConnor,
ReplyDeleteI agree that TV programs mold the American people's values. Classic shows, such as I Love Lucy, promoted patriarchy, while today's Modern Family advocates gay marriage and an "open-minded" outlook. Film producers of all kinds have a heavy influence on their viewers and should use their power responsibly.
Cullen Cosco
There were actually a fair amount of TV shows with female leads--such as Damages and Weeds. The point that the author was raising was why did the "troubled male" format become the dominant one. It certainly isn't the case that powerful women are an ordinary thing still today--that was part of the reason why these shows with women were so popular, I think. Even today, women in power are indeed still something that is out of the ordinary.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with your viewpoint on this issue. People want to see action when they watch TV and the simple fact is men are USUALLY better suited for the action-drama roles that audiences crave. I do not believe that the "sexism" is intentional. It just happens to be that role with action, drama and troubled star that people seem to want to watch on TV, is better suited for a male.
ReplyDelete