Okay, so, about a post you reblogged, I need a lil bit of clarification. I personally kind of like TBBT, but I'm very aware that it has a gajillion problems and there are so many better shows out there. I get that. What's so wrong with Modern Family, though? I've seen maybe two or three episodes, but what I've seen looked pretty harmless? Please explain?
I didn’t actually mind Modern Family myself, though I stopped watching it a few seasons ago, and I think it did seek to explode stereotypes as well as lean into them, but the reason I reblogged that post was more to do with the fact that these critics can’t seem to move away from nominating these shows that were a step forward when they were first nominated, but now several years later are not.
For me, it’s like… yes, we know the critics like these two shows. Millions of people do. They pushed the envelope a little bit when they first started and then got popular and sort of… started sliding the envelope back? Just a tad? Or at the very least, they kept the envelope where it was and haven’t gone any further. They’re progressive to a point, but still comfortable enough that any ol’ Tom, Dick and Harry will watch them. But look at what these other shows are doing:
Brooklyn Nine-Nine consistently, regularly brings up feminism, homophobia, racism, transphobia, and even police corruption, and somehow manages to be funny and touching while doing it. It has a truly diverse cast and while the characters are somewhat archetypal, they’re not stereotypes.
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend explores mental illness in a way no other comedy show I’ve seen before does, and it takes a lot of risks weekly. I don’t always agree with all of them, and I definitely don’t frequently find it comfortable viewing, but it’s groundbreaking.
The Good Place is the kind of high concept situation comedy we haven’t had for decades, and it’s also incredibly clever while retaining a heart. Once again, there’s a diverse cast, and it takes risks in storytelling.
I haven’t seen Master of None, but I’m going to bet that like the other comedies mentioned, it’s doing things people haven’t seen before, or at least not all at once.
They all have unique points of view that the aforementioned shows no longer have. Those two have had their time to shine: now we need to recognise brilliance in other shows, even if they’re not very comfortable or easy viewing, especially because they’re risky.
