Matt N
TS Member
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Hi guys. Over the years, TV has changed a lot. What people watch and what is au fait in the modern world has changed, and trends have come and gone along with changes in popular culture. Sometimes, you might watch an older TV program and notice elements of it that wouldn't fly in modern day culture, such as problematic elements, jokes or plot lines. You're likely to notice this to some extent in most programmes older than a certain age; times change. But sometimes, you might go a step further; you might watch or remember an older TV program and just find the whole premise inherently problematic and wonder "How on Earth was that ever green-lighted?". With this in mind, I'd be interested to know; what TV programmes can't you believe were ever made? What TV programmes have made you wonder "How was this ever thought of as acceptable television?" or "How was this ever allowed to air?".
I was thinking about this after I read an article in The Guardian earlier about how British romance shows are apparently some of the most risqué there are in the world (if you’re interested in reading it: https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-...wildest-tv-in-the-world?CMP=oth_b-aplnews_d-5). I was reading through some of the programmes it listed and thinking “how on Earth was that ever green lighted?”… maybe it's just me, but I'm surprised that some of these programs were ever aired on television!
I'll get the ball rolling with some of my ideas...
Personally, I have a couple of suggestions for this thread. These are:
P.S. I wasn't sure if this should be here or in the Tavern... if it's more appropriate for the Tavern, mods, feel free to move it.
I was thinking about this after I read an article in The Guardian earlier about how British romance shows are apparently some of the most risqué there are in the world (if you’re interested in reading it: https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-...wildest-tv-in-the-world?CMP=oth_b-aplnews_d-5). I was reading through some of the programmes it listed and thinking “how on Earth was that ever green lighted?”… maybe it's just me, but I'm surprised that some of these programs were ever aired on television!
I'll get the ball rolling with some of my ideas...
Personally, I have a couple of suggestions for this thread. These are:
- The Jeremy Kyle Show - This aired for 14 years, but I'm slightly stunned that it was ever considered acceptable television. I only saw it on the odd occasion with my older sister, but when I did, it basically just looked like Jeremy Kyle hurling abuse at people while they hurled abuse at each other and their dirty laundry was being aired on national television... I'm honestly surprised that it took as long as it did for the format to be seen as problematic.
- Various 2000s/2010s shows revolving around diet culture - I would lump a number of shows that I remember from my late 2000s/early 2010s childhood into this category; off the top of my head, some notable examples include Supersize vs Superskinny, Fat Families and You Are What You Eat, amongst others. These were among a number of shows focusing around diet culture and weight loss, and while I'm not saying that shows about weight loss are inherently problematic, the way in which these shows handled the topic was not vaguely sensitive. Things that these shows used to consider perfectly fine included hurling insults at overweight people, making people stand half-naked while the food they ate was shown in a tube and they were shamed about it, letting Gillian McKeith examine people's faeces and then berate them about their diets based on what she found, scaring people with morbid, fearful rhetoric and various other incredibly insensitive things... I can't quite believe that this lack of sensitivity towards a very complex issue was ever thought of as acceptable television.
P.S. I wasn't sure if this should be here or in the Tavern... if it's more appropriate for the Tavern, mods, feel free to move it.