The Big Picture
- Shows like ‘The Honeymooners’ and ‘M*A*S*H’ are considered controversial today due to their depiction of abusive behavior and underlying sexism.
- ‘The Dukes of Hazzard’ received backlash for its objectification of women and its use of a Confederate flag symbol.
- ‘Married with Children’ and ‘All in the Family’ are criticized for their crude and offensive humor, particularly towards women and minority groups.
- Note: The character count for the third takeaway exceeds 150 characters.
No matter what generation you’re a part of, there has been at least one television show that pushed barriers. While shows like the blended family sitcom ‘The Brady Bunch’, pushed the envelope in its day, a show about a divorced mom remarrying would barely raise an eyebrow now.
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When shows about serial killers, and realistic sex scenes are commonplace, some of the past’s most popular shows would be a no-no in 2023. Redditors shared the top shows they say are too controversial to be made today.
10 ‘The Honeymooners’ (1955-1956)
The Honeymooners is a show about hardworking New York City bus driver Ralph Kramden (Jackie Gleason) and his stay-at-home wife Alice (Audrey Meadows) resonated with the generation influenced by the Depression and World War II. Living in a Brooklyn apartment building with neighbors Ed (Art Carney) and Trixie Norton (Joyce Randolph), the blue-collar married couples are a reflection of a different time.
Ralph’s treatment of Alice is a point of contention for Redditor UusiSisu, “The Honeymooners. Ralph threatening Alice with violence.” “I know people that came from abusive homes who refuse to watch a single episode, PAKMan1988 added. “And for me personally, I don’t find humor in people shouting and yelling all the time.”
9 ‘M*A*S*H’ (1973-1982)
M*A*S*H follows a military medical crew during the Korean War. Starring Alan Alda as Hawkeye Pierce, Loretta Swit as Margaret Houlihan, and Mike Farrell as B.J. Hunnicutt, Redditors have an issue with the show’s underlying sexist tone. “Hawkeye was as close to a rapist as a man can get. He never took “no” for an answer,” RonSwansonOldMan commented.
Though M*A*S*H remains one of the most popular series in television history, Reddit user Lazy-Thanks8244 pointed out, “The very first episode introduces the only black character Spear Chucker Jones, played by Timothy Brown, adding a tinge of racism to the show.
8 ‘The Dukes of Hazzard’ (1979-1985)
The Dukes of Hazzard is full of an hour of short shorts, fast cars, and chase scenes dominating this late ’70s, early ’80s classic. Set in Hazzard County, cousins Bo (Tom Schneider), Luke (Tom Wopat), and Daisy Duke (Catherine Bock) live with their Uncle Jesse (Denver Pyle) on a rural Georgia Farm. Bo and Luke spend their days running around town in a Confederate flag-emblazoned Dodge Charger aggravating the town’s richest man, Boss Hogg (Sorelle Brooks).
“The Dukes of Hazzard,” user Ikindofhavetopoop wrote, after failing to see it on the list. Aside from the perceived objectification of The Dukes of Hazzard’s lone female star, Daisy, it’s theshow’s non-human star, the General Lee, that eventually got the show pulled indefinitely from the air.
7 ‘Married With Children’ (1987-1997)
It’s impossible to hear the tune “Love and Marriage,” and not think of the long-running sitcom Married with Children. Al Bundy (Ed O’Neill), an unhappy women’s shoe salesman, lives the not-so-suburban life with his bored housewife Peggy (Katey Segal), daughter Kelly (Christina Applegate), and son Bud (David Faustino) in this show.
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Crude jokes and sexual innuendo are a running theme on Married With Children. The sexualization of Kelly and jokes about her intelligence are more cringe than funny when watching the show today. According to Redditor Scooter30, “Married With Children would never get made today, people get offended at the slightest little thing now.” “I know Al Bundy would drive cancel culture nuts. Hell, even the summary of the show doesn’t paint them very well,” a now-deleted user wrote.
6 ‘All in the Family’ (1971-1979)
All in the Family is a look inside the life of the blue-collar working-class family the Bunkers, whose patriarch Archie (Carroll O’Connor) was referred to as a lovable bigot during its run. Not only was Archie racist, but he frequently treated his doting wife Edith (Jean Stapleton) his daughter Gloria’s (Sally Struthers) husband Michael (Rob Reiner), badly.
“Lots of anti-black and anti-gay things and jokes,” Redditor stitchmidda2 commented. “I’m not a sensitive person at all, and I love dark humor but some of the stuff I heard in that show had me doing a double take.”
5 ‘The Jeffersons’ (1975-1985)
Created by legendary screenwriter and director Norman Lear, The Jeffersons is a spin-off of All in the Family. On its predecessor, George (Sherman Hemsley), Louise (Isabel Sanford), and their son Lionel (Mike Evans) move next door to the Bunkers. A self-made businessman, George is considered by some to be as racist as his neighbor Archie. “My dad liked to watch THE JEFFERSONS,” MissSara101 wrote.
Despite George’s use of derogatory terms for White people, the show was popular as evidenced by its decade on the air. But likability isn’t everything and George’s discriminatory attitude toward his married interracial neighbors Helen (Roxie Roker), her husband Tom (Franklin Cover), and their bi-racial daughter Jenny (Berlinda Tolbert) wouldn’t see the light of day in 2023.
4 ‘Scrubs’ (2001-2010)
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Scrubs follows a group of medical interns at the fictitious teaching hospital, Sacred Heart, in Sacramento, California. Best friends and roommates J.D ( Zach Braff) and Christopher Turk (Donald Faison) balance stressful rounds and workplace crushes in this long-running dramedy.
While it may not seem that a story about wannabe doctors is controversial, there’s one particular character who stood out, Dr. Todd (Robert Maschio). Though the dialogue teeters on the edge of inappropriate at times, the sexist Dr. Todd is too much for some Redditors to stomach. “The Todd would not last Me Too,” user KoalaSyrah wrote.
3 ‘Sanford and Son’ (1972-1977)
When Sanford and Son premiered in 1972, it was an instant hit. Widower Fred Sanford (Redd Foxx) shares a home and business with his adult son Lamont (Demond Wilson) in South Central Los Angeles. A vocal bigot, viewers tuned in week after week to see what get rich quick scheme Fred and Lamont were up to that almost always blew up in their faces.
Airing at the same time as All in the Family, Fred was considered the Black counterpart to Archie Bunker – but Redditors weren’t impressed. “I am not entertained by a father character who is a narcissist and refuses to listen to anyone else’s viewpoint,” commented user horsenbuggy. “No thanks. Grew up under one of those, don’t need to see it anymore.”
2 ‘East Bound and Down’ (2009-2013)
When disgraced former Major League Baseball Player Kenny Powers (Danny McBride) returns home to North Carolina, he has a hard time leaving his fame and party lifestyle behind. Now a substitute P.E. teacher, Kenny butts heads with his brother Dustin (John Hawkes) and sister-in-law Cassie (Jennifer Irwin), whose straight-laced suburban lifestyle doesn’t mix well with Kenny’s less-than-family-friendly behavior.
Reunited with his old flame April (Katy Mixon), Kenny’s lack of maturity is contrary to April’s adulting. Emboldened by his former star status, Kenny’s misogynistic and sexist comments, not just toward April, but most women he encounters on the show, are almost painful to watch. The macho attitude gets old pretty quickly, making East Bound and Downthe choice of Redditor Sister_fister-69.
1 ‘South Park’ (1997-2023)
South Park isn’t your kid’s cartoon. Unlike the other shows on the list, this adult comedy is still on the air. But according to Reddit user SP4CEP00DLE, “It would have never made it through first draft if it was made today.”
For 26 seasons fans of the show have watched the politically incorrect Stan, Eric, (both voiced by director Trey Parker), Stan, and Kenny (voiced by co-creator Matt Stone) behave more like adults than elementary school kids. The toilet humor can be overbearing, but it helps the show was created in 1999. MonicaTesticleJuice wrote, “It was too powerful before cancel culture started taking off, so it was in a way grandfathered in, starting a show like that in today’s political climate would be difficult.”
Source: https://dominioncinemas.net
Category: Lists
