Every decade of television brings something different to the table, and what was allowed to be shown and said on TV has changed a lot since the 1970s. A heyday for the classic family sitcom and an interesting period of history, the 1970s boast some of the most influential plots and formulas that shows have been in conversation with for years. While in the contemporary era, more explicit depictions of violence and sex can be shown on television, in the 1970s, it was what the characters said and the types of jokes they were making that wouldn’t fly today.
Of course, the context of these issues matters, as there are times when TV shows discuss the harm of stereotypes and discrimination. However, many of these series from the ’70s, like All In The Family, weren’t concerned with subverting these problematic archetypes and intentionally reinforced them instead. There are aspects of these series that are still beloved, and just because something hasn’t aged well doesn’t mean it should necessarily be forgotten forever. While there are plenty of modern TV shows that perfectly encompass the 1970s aesthetic, these series embody them effortlessly.
1 The Jeffersons (1975–1985)
The Jeffersons was immediately hailed for its representation of an upper-middle-class Black family, which broke away from racial stereotypes that Black characters were pigeonholed into. A spinoff of All In The Family, The Jeffersons centered on the titular family and the ups and downs of their personal lives and the dry-cleaning business George Jefferson (Sherman Hemsley), the patriarch, ran. In many ways, The Jeffersons followed the same formula and story structure as other sitcoms on television, but the series’ problems can’t be ignored.
This complex legacy and layered reality of the show’s history is a definitive element of television during this decade, as so much social change was taking place.
A large part of Norman Lear’s legacy was cemented by his work on The Jeffersons, which directly grappled with race and other social issues of the time. As much as The Jeffersons did in terms of breaking away from harmful depictions of Black Americans, the series also freely used the clichéd depictions of the characters, often making fun of their intelligence. This complex legacy and layered reality of the show’s history is a definitive element of television during this decade, as so much social change was taking place.
2 Three’s Company (1977–1984)
John Ritter, Joyce DeWitt, and Suzanne Somers make up the central three in Three’s Company, as a trio of roommates living together in California. However, since their landlord is old-fashioned and doesn’t approve of unmarried men and women cohabitating, Jack (Ritter) spends the series pretending to be gay. While the issues and existence of the LGBTQ+ community were still considered fairly taboo on television, Three’s Company didn’t work hard to combat the regressive ideas surrounding LGBTQ+ identities that were prevalent in the ’70s.
There are many reasons why this concept would never work today, as men and women living together platonically is a common occurrence today. Additionally, having Jack masquerade as a gay man without centering any LGBTQ+ characters while consistently making fun of these identities and making offensive comments is dated and problematic. Today, having LGBTQ+ characters is a benchmark for all TV shows, as is treating them with respect and fully developing their arcs.
3 Little House On The Prairie (1974–1983)
Based on the beloved children’s book series by Laura Ingalls Wilder, Little House on the Prairie, the series of the same name follows the Ingalls family and their experience on their farm in the late 1800s. Running for nine seasons, Little House on the Prairie connected with audiences because of its source material and the way audiences could see themselves in the young children the program centered. The series is different from a traditional Western since it looks directly at settled family life.
However, there are some unfortunate aspects that Little House on the Prairie shares with some older movies in the genre. Most notably, Little House on the Prairie’s depictions of Indigenous Americans were stereotypical at best and offensive at worst. The white settlers were portrayed as heroes, while the Indigenous people were written one-dimensionally and often as villains. While the show tackled some serious topics with nuance, like grappling with death, the rumored upcoming reboot must fix the 1970s series’ mistakes.
4 All In The Family (1971–1979)
Thanks to the enormous popularity of the hit TV show All In The Family, there were many All In The Family spinoffs, like The Jeffersons and Maude. The longevity and enduring name recognition that All In The Family still holds demonstrates how well the series connected with audiences of its time. Looking back at the pitfalls of the show today reveals the issues and dated elements that wouldn’t be a part of a television series in the 2020s.
All In The Family represents the cognitive dissonance of the time, as it could talk about huge controversies and was open about class disparity in the U.S. However, at the same time, Archie Bunker (Carroll O’Connor) remains one of the most controversial TV characters in history. All In The Family characterized Archie as a regressive man who didn’t shy away from expressing extremely offensive groups while verbally berating his family. Though this was softened with his hard work and hidden loving nature, he’s an easy character to dislike.
5 Soap (1977–1981)
Soap operas have long been the butt of the jokes when it comes to comedy and satirical parodies of the melodrama seen in these daytime TV shows. This is what Soap, the 1977 series, is all about, and the series was never afraid to use the unexpected and often controversial storylines that were featured prominently in soap operas. However, in going further than other TV series and depicting characters who were typically overlooked onscreen, Soap wasn’t always perfect.
Of all the shows from the 1970s that lean into politically incorrect territory, Soap does so in the most tongue-in-cheek ways.
In general, the show worked hard to be ahead of its time and lean into comedy rather than malice in its writing. However, Soap didn’t always handle its somewhat controversial subjects delicately since the comedic nature of the show made it difficult to take some storylines seriously. Of all the shows from the 1970s that lean into politically incorrect territory, Soap does so in the most tongue-in-cheek ways. A young Billy Crystal can be seen in the series, making bawdy jokes that are sometimes in poor taste with the rest of the cast.
