LegendOfKage
Member
When I say actual gender equality, I mostly mean if there are parents or a couple, the guy isn't a screw up and the woman isn't always right. Either no one is a screw up, or they're both constantly screwing things up about evenly. Nobody is seen as "the one who puts up with the other." Admittedly this would disqualify some truly great classic shows, so it shouldn't be considered an instantly bad thing or an even remotely recent trend. But I think it would be interesting to discuss which shows treated their protagonists equally, and which did not.
I got to thinking about this while listening to an interview with Rosanne where she said that it was important to her that Dan not be written as a screw up or an idiot. She wanted him to be written as a real person who was funny because of his sense of humor, and who you could see her wanting to be married to.
I think you also have outliers that had a twist on "dumb guy, smart woman," such as Everybody Love Raymond. The guy is generally the screw up, and his wife is "the one who puts up with him," but at the same time his mother is always making her feel inadequate and treating her like a screw up. Even though there's not a balance, there kind of is, because they're both getting constantly criticized from someone.
Anyhow, what are your thoughts on the matter, and what are some of your favorite sitcoms that did gender equality right (or didn't)? And what shows can you think of, even in the past, that did the reverse with a "woman screws things up, guy who puts up with her" situation? I can only think of one, but I'd think there would have to be more.
I got to thinking about this while listening to an interview with Rosanne where she said that it was important to her that Dan not be written as a screw up or an idiot. She wanted him to be written as a real person who was funny because of his sense of humor, and who you could see her wanting to be married to.
I think you also have outliers that had a twist on "dumb guy, smart woman," such as Everybody Love Raymond. The guy is generally the screw up, and his wife is "the one who puts up with him," but at the same time his mother is always making her feel inadequate and treating her like a screw up. Even though there's not a balance, there kind of is, because they're both getting constantly criticized from someone.
Anyhow, what are your thoughts on the matter, and what are some of your favorite sitcoms that did gender equality right (or didn't)? And what shows can you think of, even in the past, that did the reverse with a "woman screws things up, guy who puts up with her" situation? I can only think of one, but I'd think there would have to be more.
