Alysia Abbott - The Atlantic: The 2012 fall TV season may be remembered as the season the gay fathers stormed primetime. According to The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation there are a record 111 openly LGBT characters on TV and a number of these are fathers. In ABC's Emmy-winning Modern Family, now in its fourth season, ensemble cast members Mitch and Cam are the same-sex parents of an adopted daughter. And this fall, NBC introduced The New Normal about a gay couple, Bryan (Andrew Rannells) and David (Justin Bartha), who decide to start a family with the help of a surrogate mother.
11 comments:
After the article focused on the flaws of gay fathers on TV, I am starting to realize what they are talking about. At first, I was just happy that the gay community was represented on TV, that they were represented as a true couple and not as a joke. But we have moved passed that stage in television and now we are at a stage where we have to be conscious of how gay couples are represented on the screen. I think that this should extend to every character of every sexual orientation or gender. When they are placed on the screen, we are saying something about the larger group of people that they represent. It is okay to have a gay character that is incredibly affluent and overdramatic etc… There are definitely people that exist in reality that act that way. On the other hand, there should also be characters in shows that display the other percentage of the gay community. I think that TV has improved immensely with having gay characters on the show, but now they have to step it up and figure out the image that they are working to make for these characters and the community they embody.
I completely agree with the author. The gay father like figures in television are mainly in comedic roles. And while I think it is absolutely great that the gay community can have these fictional icons on television, I would argue that the author's claim of lack of substance in these characters, is not a gay thing, but rather something having to do with how television shows are written in today's world. Disney just annouced a release of a new TV series called "Girl Meets World", modeling the 90s show with a similar title. In this new series, Cory and Topenga are parents to a pre-teen daughter. I would argue that Disney has a chance to change where television is going. Within the past few years, television has shifted from TV shows where in main character is a simple average teenager to TV shows were you have to be rich, or famous or magical. Today's TV shows emphasize on the visual and spectacle of things, whereas 90s TV shows focused on morals and the troubles of everyday people. Sadly in today's world, kids don't want normal. They want to see extremes from their everyday life. This is the same for this article. I think the issue the author has with today's homosexual characters is not an issue on characterization, but rather based on a changing and ever shifting view for television and what the audience demands. We don't have and more Mr. Bradys or Bill Cosby from the Cosby show, straight ones, let alone gay ones. I miss shows that relied on the audience investing in characters, and not relying on cheap laughs.
I think focusing on just Mitch and Cam seems to make the show worse then it is. The article briefly mentions and then tries to make you forget that its a sitcom where all the characters are extremely exaggerated. Yes they fit into a stereotype but so does every other character on the screen, it is not like the gay community is being singled out. And I don't know enough about the New Normal (yet) to comment, but after reading this I'm definitely going to watch it cheesy sitcoms are basically the only tv I watch because if I am going to spend time watching a tv show I want it to make me laugh. I don't think its good that we follow such strict stereotypes on tv, but I also don't think its really worth considering just one. Its an argument that if made should focus on all the effected groups not just one especially in sitcoms where it is everyone, like in the first 2 minutes of the New Normal pilot which I am currently watching where they have stereotyped the gays, black women, rich white women and thats only 2 minutes, Im sure there will be plenty more to come. If you were going to say anything about one specific community, I would go with "they are being stereotyped on tv now? Good, now they are there along with the rest of society I am glad that people are just as interested in them now as everybody else. ( I am also now 8 minutes into the New Normal) and you can add dwarfs, single mothers, asian girls, and the deaf community to the list they have stereotyped so far.
I agree with the basic premise of this article, but I'm not sure that the examples the author uses are the best ones. Of course, homosexual characters should be portrayed in the media as they are in real life: a hugely diverse group of people from different backgrounds, different economic levels, different ideals, etc. However, the entertainment cited the most was a sitcom. I agree with Isaac that sitcoms in general are inherently stereotypical. Stereotypes are employed to characterize different characters and for comedic laughs. Joey on Friends was the stereotypical dumb Italian New Yorker womanizer; Monica was the uptight control freak; Phoebe was the crazy weird hippie-like outsider. That's just what sitcoms do.
I think that it says something that these gay characters are being subjected to the same kind of stereotypes as every other group and it's not considered odd or not normal that sitcoms have gay characters as the leads.
I think that this article addresses many relevant and important issues. I agree that since so many people are watching, embarrassing stereotypes are unfortunate ones to portray. I am unsure if people are watching, therefore we should not display stereotypes, or if it's really that since we are displaying these stereotypes, people are watching. This poses the question: Would these shows be as successful if they were more true? Is it too early for our society to cope with those realities? It's shameful that this question should even be asked: part of me doesn't care if our society is ready because they SHOULD be. I hope that soon there are more than just stereotypes of gay parents portrayed on television.
The article focused primarily on sitcoms, therefore it is only obvious that they are going to portray larger than life characters who don't exactly portray the footprint of a real homosexual parent's lifestyle.
Sitcoms are a slap of life, plus bold exaggerations. As the writer mentions there was a point in time where homosexual characters weren't seen on shows. Then they were the hilariously flamboyant friend/sidekick. Now some of them are seen playing father figure roles. A question to ask is, would we enjoy watching an ordinary gay character, who may not be over the top or exaggerated? Not in sitcoms you wouldn't. Aren't some of our favourite characters like that?
However I have seen homosexual characters portrayed in films and they are sometimes portrayed completely differently from sitcoms. This is true for dramas or true stories. It all depends on the aim of a show. The film may want entertain their audiences with the straight portrayal of the characters as they truly are. However sitcoms aim to entertain their audiences with laughter.
I appreciate the authors insight on gays on TV, but I also think we should mostly take it with a grain of salt. I do agree with the author some but also like some of the things TV puts out on about the subject. It's actually very entertaining and fun to watch. I know some of the stereotypes are exaggerated but that's what makes it entertaining. It's suppose to be enjoyable......it's a sitcom! Now having said that, I think they need to have serious roles also so viewers can see a more natural and common way of life. The fact that there are that many gay characters on TV is amazing so instead of criticizing things too much, I say great to the fact on how far TV has come. Think back to when Ellen Degeneres came out on TV and what happened. .......now she's got her own talk show and there are 111 openly gay characters on TV!
Sitcoms are there to be enjoyable and make you laugh, yes. And as previously mentioned, it is often most of the cast that is over the top and exaggerated, not just the gay characters. But right now we are in a time when this is just becoming acceptable, and there are still PLENTY of people who think that it is not. Shouldn't we take the stance of trying to exhibit these characters in a more accurate way? Why not have every other character in the show be stereotypical and NOT have the gay character be overly flamboyant? I have a lot of experience dealing with people who are radically against the gay community, and as dumb as it is, a big part of that is their lack of knowledge. They aren't exposed to this community very often, and make a point to try not to be. So their only point of view is what they see in the media, on tv, etc. We're progressively getting better, but why not help push it more?
There's a fine line in comedy between what's acceptable and what's not. I've thought a lot about what factors determine where that line is drawn, but I can't come to any universal conclusion. I'm starting believe there isn't any hope for finding a formula and instead that jokes need to be considered on a case by case basis.
So, responding to this scenario... I'd say that although The New Normal might not be the most progressive depiction of a homosexuals, it's not altogether terrible. Yes, it plays up some stereotypes. But then again, that's kind of what sitcoms do. A show about Bob Rafsky, however moving it might, just wouldn't be funny.
I'm not sure where the right answer to this question lies, but I think this sort of analysis and further discussion can help us to find it.
As with anyone who gets cast representing a certain race, gender, or sexual orientation, I think television has a very heavy influence over how society views those communities, and should therrefore be extremely conscious of how their television shows go about depicting these characters. Especially in comedies, because there is a fine line between being tastefully funny and being offensively stereotypical.
I also was incredibly disappointed by The New Normal and the way gay parents were portrayed, but this article brings up a problem that I have with gay characters in general and the way they seem to be portrayed on TV and in film. David and Bryan are incredibly wealthy, and therefore are able to have stylish clothing, furniture, and go to fancy places. And it seems gay characters in general seem to either be affluent or have mysterious means to pay for their more stylish accessories. But I have yet to see a lower or middle class gay character, and deal with that. How can we explore the gay man without relying on Marc Jacobs and Banana Republic? What is that like?
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