Recently, a lot of magazines and web articles are listing different sit-coms as the "new old shows to watch." In many cases, it's become a cool, almost trendy thing to do. For me, however, old sitcoms were something I grew up with in lieu of "regular" television (yes, it even trumped Disney Channel). In fact, anyone who knows me knows how much I treasure those old sitcoms. Some people have movie nights with friends or significant others. Instead, growing up and even now, I have sitcom nights with my mom. In a style that is very reminiscent of Lorelai and Rory Gilmore, we'd make hot cocoa, pop some popcorn or indulge in some other form of junk food; all while hunkering down to marathon whatever we were in the mood for that night.
In honor of the recently passed Valentine's Day, here's a sort of love letter, if you will, to some of my favorite sitcoms.
1. "Who's the Boss"
Oh, Tony Danza. Oh, Judith Light. Tony and Angela, one of the golden couples of television. Their banter, general dialogue and sexual tension was half of what made the show so great. Brooklyn-native, tough on the outside but soft on the inside, happy go-lucky Tony perfectly balanced out the sometimes awkward but always elegant Angela. The story line is simple: widower Tony Micelli wants to move out of the city in hopes of giving his daughter a better place to grow up. It's only natural, then, that he applies to become recently divorced, advertising executive Angela Bower's housekeeper. Tony and his daughter, Sam, move in, and the shenanigans begin. Angela becomes a mother figure to Sam, and Tony becomes a father figure for her son, Johnathan. The other half of the show's greatness? Angela's mother, Mona. The promiscuous, frank, open-minded grandmother of the show was anything but traditional. She brought a dose of sexual freedom to the show that only amped up the comedy for its time. I miss seeing these re-runs on television, and I'm waiting for the day that all eight seasons are released on DVD. Between Mona and Angela, the show had amazing women to learn from.
2. "The Cosby Show"
Yes, this was a tough one. With everything that's come to light about Bill Cosby, I haven't watched this show in a long time. I made the decision to include it, however, because the show itself had such a huge cultural impact. The show portrayed a well educated, successful black family in a time when stereotypes abounded and permeated society even more than they do now. Clair Huxtable and Sondra were my feminist awakenings. Throughout the seasons, the Cosby family kept growing—and the fact that poor Cliff Huxtable couldn't seem to get his kids out of the house was half the fun, between Denise taking time off from school and then not getting housing on the Navy base with her husband, or Theo's housing fiasco during his first year of college. This show was true slapstick comedy mixed with wholesome family humor. "The Cosby Show" was unparalleled in sass and wit. Anyone who didn't feel a sense of pride in watching Theo mature and hit his stride at NYU and with handling his dyslexia couldn't have been a true fan anyway. The same thing goes for those who didn't cheer when Clair put Elvin in his place for his archaic views about women. I could go on about my love for this show, because no matter what your opinions about Bill Cosby himself might be, the amazing aspects are undeniable.
3. "Full House"
How could I write this piece without giving a mention to this classic? Perhaps the most well-known sitcom among millennials, this is the one most of us grew up with. If you're like me, you're sitting at the edge of your seat for Netflix's remake, "Fuller House." I felt like I grew up with Danny Tanner's dad talks and with a younger sister myself, thoroughly identified with D.J. and Stephanie's struggles. Uncle Jesse, from "Have Mercy!" to his Elvis obsession, is still my favorite to this day. The theme evokes so many emotions when I hear it now, and the show churned out so many life lessons about family, love, and staying true to yourself. I got the complete set of all eight seasons for Christmas and it was by far my favorite present. The cure for anything, whether it's a bad day or a heartbreak, is a "Full House" marathon and a cup of hot chocolate.
This list could go on forever. "Fresh Prince of Bel-Air," "Family Matters" (Steve Urkel: "Did I do that?"), "Three's Company" and even "Golden Girls" and "Bewitched" are shows that I grew up watching and loved as much as the above three. Never underestimate the power of comedy, or even television. If studying film has taught me anything, it's that nothing exists in a vacuum. Television impacts culture, and culture impacts television. Maybe that's part of what makes old sitcoms so much fun for me.
