quote:Will and Grace" which has stereotypes but an obvious positive portrayal of homosexual lifestyles.
As a gay man, I beg to differ. I will agree that the show presents it's two main gay characters Will and Jack as "normal" in the sit-com universe sense, but I'd hardly consider them a "positive portrayal of homosexual lifestyles." (Disclaimer: I haven't watched any recent seasons of the show so if it has changed dramatically from what I describe please let me know.)
Will can't keep a boyfriend through more than a couple of episodes. Most of the time he meets someone and dumps him (or gets dumped) in the same episode and often for very shallow reasons. He's obsessed with his looks and his youth, and he's just as hard on everyone else who doesn't fit his mold as he is on himself.
Jack is completely self-centered. He is a mooch. He is shallow and easily distracted by shiny objects. Any time he shows the slightest degree of altruism it's an "awe, see he does have a heart" moment or the set up for a joke, which just underscores that for the most part he's just a selfish little boy.
Will's relationship with Grace is far from healthy. If they were sexually compatible we'd be forced to yell "Get Married Already or Break UP!" They do as much to prevent each other from finding happiness as they do to support each other. Sure it's funny on the sit-com level, but "positive" in any sense of reality??
Don't get me wrong. I don't think any less of "Will and Grace" than I do of "Friends". I've been known to laugh loudly while watching them both. But at the same time would you really like your daughter to grow up like Phoebe, Rachel, or Monica??
The truth is, most portrayals of Gays on TV are nothing but stereotypes. I still agree with the thrust of Chris's article, because most of TV itself depends on stereotypes. Shows that portray believable human beings are rare. I'd like to see that change, including more shows with believable homosexual characters.
Posts: 6394 | Registered: Dec 1999
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quote:Openly religious characters on a show without "God," "Heaven," or "Angel" in the title: 1 percent
A notable recent exception to this is the show "Wanted" on TNT; it's not a great show, but one of the main characters is openly religious and is neither a wacko nor obnoxious.
Joan of Arcadia also had (*sniff*) positive portrayals of religious (Catholic and Jewish!) characters, but I guess that's this far from being a show with God in the title, eh?
Posts: 4077 | Registered: Jun 2003
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It'll practically be a cold day in hell when someone goes to church on TV, except for in black sitcoms where it's just a milieu.
The Simpsons went to church.
I know this is pretty bad in terms of representation, but in a sense it's also understandable. Whenever Hollywood or TV tries to show people with a religion, they show that they don't get it at all, even when they're sympathetic. Some sort of mental block?
quote:I don't think any less of "Will and Grace" than I do of "Friends".
Me neither. And boy, is that ever not a compliment! Posts: 1877 | Registered: Apr 2005
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quote:It'll practically be a cold day in hell when someone goes to church on TV, except for in black sitcoms where it's just a milieu.
Hell must be freezing, then.
Seriously, even if the actual attendance of church services isn't shown, it's referenced in a number of dramas (if not sitcoms). Heck, they don't show a lot of people eating dinner, or going to the bathroom, or any number of other routine activities. IMHO, I think this is bringing out a lot of Christians' persecution complexes. You really aren't a minority. I promise.
Posts: 4077 | Registered: Jun 2003
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quote:Openly religious characters on a show without "God," "Heaven," or "Angel" in the title: 1 percent
The new incarnation of Battlestar Galactica is fascinating in this regard. (I'm not speaking about the 1980s series, as I've never seen it.) One of the main characters, President Roslin (played by Mary McDonnell), is basically a prophet receiving revelations from the gods. (They're polytheistic, but their religion "feels" Christian rather than pagan, in terms of the values expressed, etc.) She is a likable character and the viewer is supposed to take her completely seriously. There was a huge conflict between Roslin/her supporters and the military leadership over the past few episodes. The commander [Adama, played by the awesome Edward James Olmos], believed that she was deluded, referred to her prophecies as "religious crap," and actually deposed the civilian government for a while. The commander is also a good guy, so I'm glad that last week [SPOILER removed].
Posts: 1512 | Registered: A Long Time Ago!
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posted
I know that I am greatly underrepresented on TV. Until they have a show featuring someone just like me, and pay me a fortune to use my image, I am going to protest and complain.
(Hey, if it works for the news, where people are demanding parrots of their own beliefs instead of factual news, it should work on fictional TV, if there is a difference between today's news and fictional TV)
Posts: 11895 | Registered: Apr 2002
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quote:we could have 24.5% of the characters be Catholic -- let's see, how many times have we seen anybody go to mass on TV this week? 16% would have to be Baptist, 6% Methodist, 4% Lutheran, 2% Pentecostal/Charismatic, 2% Presbyterian, 1% Mormon and 1% Jewish
Here's an unfair bit: Catholic priests get to do ALL the exorcisms. Are we ever gonna get to see a Presbyterian minister do an exorcism??
Posts: 2911 | Registered: Aug 2001
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posted
I seem to remember an episode of "Home Improvement" where Tim got really angry because one of the sons decided not to go to church. I remember thinking how odd that was, considering their being religious had never come up before.
quote:The familiar is not as entertaining as the rare.
Also, different is more entertaining than "same."
Exactly why there should be more variety in television. If every sitcom is the same, why bother watching any of them?
Posts: 1814 | Registered: Jul 2004
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posted
Home Improvement had several religious based episodes, including him doing work on a baptismal font for Al's church.
Posts: 11895 | Registered: Apr 2002
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