Tv Shows In The 1950's

From “Leave it to Beaver” in the 1950s toe “Modern Family” in the present day, there have been some dramatic changes to what the American family looks like in TV shows as the decades progress. Although all the T.V shows display fictional families and situations, the cultural trends and norms are accurately depicted in each show. These changing trends are evident as we progress though decades. The changes most evident in the TV shows through the decades are the structure, culture, and dynamics of the families. I will illustrate these changes and explain how the depiction and understanding of the family changed through the decades. “Leave it to Beaver” was the top watched T.V show during the 1950s. The 1950s is often perceived as the “Golden Age” in United States …show more content…
The Cleaver family makes up the shows main characters. The family makeup is nuclear, with two married parents, Ward and June, and two sons, Wally and Theodore better known as “The Beaver”. The family follows the cultural ideal of the times, as June Cleaver is a homemaker while Ward is the breadwinner of the family. The children Wally and the Beaver are mischievous, but they are well mannered complacent kids. It is obvious that Ward is the head of the household as both his wife and children are submissive to his control. In all aspects, the Cleaver family is being depicted the “ideal family” for the time, they are an upper class family with seemingly good family relations. As TV shows develop through the decades, there will be obvious differences from this “ideal family” of the 1950s. Immediately in the 1960s, there is a change in the depiction of the American family on TV shows. This is displayed in the top TV show during the decade, “The Andy Griffith Show”. The family in this TV show consists of windowed husband Andy Taylor, his young son Opie, and also