Sitcoms for youth.

[furrypaws]

Nnnnn...

Let's start with something simple. They all have been using the exact same ideas within the last four years. Yeah, I know none of it is actually original and everything has been done at least once, but it's like they aren't even trying to hide it anymore. I don't mean the concepts; I mean the actual episodes. How is it a shmultzy singer with a dual life (more on her later), two twins in a hotel, and a girl who goes to a boarding school all have the exact same plots?! Granted, they're all from Disney, but that doesn't change the fact that these weren't great originally.

Not to mention these shows have like no morals. At all. Yeah, I know what you're thinking. "Shows aren't supposed to teach morals, parents are." While that's partly true, when all a ten-year-old girl sees is thirteen-year-old girls disrespecting elders, eachother, school, sneaking out and not getting caught/punished, it really does imprint on them. It's just that age where everything you see leaves a mark, whether it's Doug Funny apologizing for lying and getting grounded and understanding his punishment or Hannah Montannah lying to her father, sneaking around behind his back, and talking like an insolent brat straight to his face with no regard whatsoever for his authority. When every adult on every show is a complete moron with no life, that's how children begin to perceive real adults. You can tell me it's not true, but honestly, with a little sister and her friends, you do see the impact these shows have on their lives. Don't believe me? Look at the shows most popular on the kids channels right now. What are they? Now, compare that to other potential kids shows, such as H20...that's the only one that wasn't successful I can actually think of, because it decided to take a path other than the spoilt brat is king esque plot line. The show was of equal quality (and perhaps better) than the crud they're showing now, but it was shoved aside. Are there any sitcoms that aren't about spoiled 13-year-olds now on kids channels?

They're also complete crap. Some of the targeted audience could write better junk than this. iCarly doesn't have to be the Odyssey, but they can at least be well written. I could bare through Even Stevens, I actually partially enjoyed Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide, H20 actually tried something else, All-That, while not being all that, was fine. I can't even sit through some of this stuff. Especially the shows where they think PUTTING EMPHASIS ON "WITTY" RETORTS SOMEHOW MAKES THEM FUNNY. Or that cutt-changing what you were going to originally say as an excuse to the truth is funny (if I hear another "Ye-no," situation I might crap myself.). Or another 12 year old girl talking about her boyfriend, or a 7th grader talking about how she can't date a sixth grader because of "class"...

As you can tell, I've held this in for so long that I'm almost incoherent.




tl;dr: New stuff is not only crap, but the same exact crap just labled as something else. Also has less than no morals and visibly shows in many children. Also this rant was only about children's shows, not things like Seinfeld or Friends or Everybody Loves Raymond (although a few of those have fairly similar plots too...). They're also like listening to nails on a chalkboard combined with watching a puppy be kicked. They are most certainly that bad.

Rant about absolutely nothing? Yes. It just downright grates my nerves, and isn't that what the rant forum is about?

EDIT: HOLY CRAP.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JONAS_(TV_series)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hannah_Montana

...I don't think I need to explain this one people.

[Syl]

See that's the thing, change the actors but keep the same basic plot lines and add simple, minimal changes.

Kids won't see through that at all. Hence why they can get away with it. I mean, if it was older people watching it, then they'd be in trouble. But that's not the case ;)

It's aimed at kids, so it's bound to be cheesy as hell and extremely simple to the point where anyone else would want to rip their eyes out.

[AlexCraig]

This is why my brother and I (18 and 21 respectively) corrupted our little sister with the shows and video games of our day. Granted, she does watch one or two of the above shows, but she appreciates what we have shown her more, and she seems better mannered these days than most of the kids in her school. Probably one of the reasons she has been ousted by most of the girls in her class.

[MetaZedlen]

This is why my brother and I (18 and 21 respectively) corrupted our little sister with the shows and video games of our day. Granted, she does watch one or two of the above shows, but she appreciates what we have shown her more, and she seems better mannered these days than most of the kids in her school. Probably one of the reasons she has been ousted by most of the girls in her class.

Kinda the same scenario with my sister, but she is one of those idiots that follows almost the ENTIRE prep stereotype, and yet she says that she hates preps...

Jeez, TV nowadays is even more mind degrading than ever before (misses Looney Tunes, Tom & Jerry, Tex Avery, and all of the other badass shows back then...).

Wait, now that I think of it, if we were to show the Looney Tunes to the kids now, holy shit... there was so much to that cartoon that I didn't know about when I was like 5 or 6, and now it basically screams of violence and homosexuality...(and Bugs Bunny is still my favorite...)

[Syl]

Wait, now that I think of it, if we were to show the Looney Tunes to the kids now, holy shit... there was so much to that cartoon that I didn't know about when I was like 5 or 6, and now it basically screams of violence and homosexuality...(and Bugs Bunny is still my favorite...)

lol this happens to me all the time when I watch old Simpsons episodes. I still get surprised by the stuff thrown in that I would have no clue about when I was younger.

[Solstis]

Unless you're a lot older than I think you are Meta, those (looney tunes, etc) are re-runs from the 60s and whatnot. Technically before this generation's time, but still the stuff we hold dear.

I wonder what classic cartoon they'll show from our generation. Probably Power Puff Girls and Spongebob, which aren't necessarily bad shows. That said, I tend to coast over Disney and Nick these days.

[MetaZedlen]

Unless you're a lot older than I think you are Meta, those (looney tunes, etc) are re-runs from the 60s and whatnot. Technically before this generation's time, but still the stuff we hold dear.

I wonder what classic cartoon they'll show from our generation. Probably Power Puff Girls and Spongebob, which aren't necessarily bad shows. That said, I tend to coast over Disney and Nick these days.

I know what you're saying about the old shows (I'm 19 BTW), but it's to where I don't even watch TV anymore because everything is basically thrown together in 5 minutes and they call it good...

Not to be mean to you, but I really wouldn't consider the PowerPuff girls or Spongebob classic... maybe some of the older Spongebob episodes, but not the ones out now...

Sadly enough, we gave the Writer's Guild of America a raise or whatever, and this is the garbage we get back from it...

[rayner]

Saved by the Bell is no different, or California Dreams... or Kids Incorporated... or Punky Brewster... or Silver Spoons... or Different Strokes... or Webster. The kids were always stupid... got in trouble... and at the end they apologized to their "oblivious" parents. The problem was that real parents were much more observant... so these antics rarely worked.

Cheating methods on tests have become more complex over the years... I have a No Food, No Phones, No Sign Language policy. Ever see kids cheat with M & M's? It's quite entertaining...

[Tessu]

It's just that age where everything you see leaves a mark, whether it's Doug Funny apologizing for lying and getting grounded and understanding his punishment or Hannah Montannah lying to her father, sneaking around behind his back, and talking like an insolent brat straight to his face with no regard whatsoever for his authority. When every adult on every show is a complete moron with no life, that's how children begin to perceive real adults. You can tell me it's not true, but honestly, with a little sister and her friends, you do see the impact these shows have on their lives.

Yes... yes...


They're also complete crap. Some of the targeted audience could write better junk than this. iCarly doesn't have to be the Odyssey, but they can at least be well written. I could bare through Even Stevens, I actually partially enjoyed Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide, H20 actually tried something else, All-That, while not being all that, was fine. I can't even sit through some of this stuff. Especially the shows where they think PUTTING EMPHASIS ON "WITTY" RETORTS SOMEHOW MAKES THEM FUNNY. Or that cutt-changing what you were going to originally say as an excuse to the truth is funny (if I hear another "Ye-no," situation I might crap myself.). Or another 12 year old girl talking about her boyfriend, or a 7th grader talking about how she can't date a sixth grader because of "class"...

YES.

My little sister grew up on and lives and breathes and bleeds over these sitcoms, and she VERY OBVIOUSLY holds it to be true. She's in the sixth grade right now and thinks she knows alllll about high school and how teenagers always get pregnant at 13 and don't tell their parents and how you can get away with crazy shit unlike in boring, horrible sixth grade. She also thinks you can act the way the characters on sitcoms do towards their parents--the way she treats to and talks to my dad is almost beyond what I can handle. Essentially I live with Hannah Montana, except twice the insecure and twice the controlling, and twice the loud and twice the unfunny.

Now these weren't the only things she learned from. She also grew up off of Degrassi: The Next Generation, which is everything BAD about a show about high school that you can think of. There's constant drama left and right. NEVER at Degrassi High School (if that's even what it's called) can you enter the building without someone getting shot or someone making out with a teacher or someone admitting that they're gay or someone getting raped. Despite how ridiculous that is, that's her theory and understanding of high school and what it should be like.

Knowing her, it probably will be.

[Cracka_J]

It's nothing new. The abc sitcoms I grew up watching were all the same shit too.

Full House, Family Matters, Growing Pains, Perfect Strangers...the list goes on and on. They were all the same fucking show.

The only real difference is waiting 15 years and seeing which of the female child actors become porn stars first :P

[Outrider]

That's why kids should base their lives off of my childhood idol: Max Goof from Disney's A Goofy Movie.

Seriously.

But I don't know, are these shows really that much worse than what we used to watch? This isn't the best example, but I remember that even in elementary school, a couple kids in my class were watching Beverly Hills 90210 - a show I'm pretty sure was intended for older audiences. Whatever Miley Cyrus is spewing out can't be much worse than that, right?

Seriously, though - my greatest failing in life is that I'll never be as cool as Max Goof.

[Zyrusticae]

My solution?

Don't have kids. >_>;

[Outrider]

My solution?

Don't have kids. >_>;

Oh, that's adorable.

Also, uh... not entirely relevant? I'm pretty sure the topic is about wanting better children's television programming.

[Solstis]

Now these weren't the only things she learned from. She also grew up off of Degrassi: The Next Generation, which is everything BAD about a show about high school that you can think of. There's constant drama left and right. NEVER at Degrassi High School (if that's even what it's called) can you enter the building without someone getting shot or someone making out with a teacher or someone admitting that they're gay or someone getting raped. Despite how ridiculous that is, that's her theory and understanding of high school and what it should be like.

Knowing her, it probably will be.

Er... aside from the shooting, all those things happened at my High-school. That and pot smoking. I think heroin came in sometime after I left.

This topic seemed to sway from "new shows suck" to "why aren't children as sheltered as we were?"

The new generation of these shows/sitcoms have brought in some real nice elements, but the problem is that the wrong people are watching them. I'd imagine that High Schoolers should be watching Degrassi, not middleshoolers. That show's pretty intense.

[SStrikerR]

Er... aside from the shooting, all those things happened at my High-school. That and pot smoking. I think heroin came in sometime after I left.

This topic seemed to sway from "new shows suck" to "why aren't children as sheltered as we were?"

The new generation of these shows/sitcoms have brought in some real nice elements, but the problem is that the wrong people are watching them. I'd imagine that High Schoolers should be watching Degrassi, not middleshoolers. That show's pretty intense.

Then tell us what we SHOULD be watching. Seriously, it seems most shows are aimed at either high school students or little kids. Most people prefer to go toward MTV, VH1, Degrassi and the like.

[Tessu]

Er... aside from the shooting, all those things happened at my High-school. That and pot smoking. I think heroin came in sometime after I left.

This topic seemed to sway from "new shows suck" to "why aren't children as sheltered as we were?"

The new generation of these shows/sitcoms have brought in some real nice elements, but the problem is that the wrong people are watching them. I'd imagine that High Schoolers should be watching Degrassi, not middleshoolers. That show's pretty intense.

I'm sure they all happen, but not all at once, and certainly not over the course of a week (or however long it takes for a new Degrassi episode to come out).

Sorry for the slight topic-sway, I was just instantly reminded of my younger sister.

[Blitzkommando]

I guess I didn't have a typical childhood then. I ended up slipping over to PBS for shows like Are You Being Served? and the occasional NOVA. But, I mostly stuck to Discovery Channel and its affiliates as they started coming around (yes, there was a time where there was just The Discovery Channel and no others). I then would watch Nick At 'Nite for reruns of Gilligan's Island, Three's Company, All in the Family, and The Jeffersons.

I've seen bits and pieces of various shows today and, honestly, I end up going back to my first love of Discovery Channel. Mythbusters and Dirty Jobs are far more entertaining than the latest soaps, thanks.

[Zyrusticae]

You don't really need better shows for children if there's no children to watch 'em...


But, assuming I had no choice but to have kids of my own (but why would I, when I can just donate a sample of my genetic material to a sperm/egg bank?), I'd just have them watch Sesame Street and such all day 'til they were older, and then I'd start exposing them to the easier-to-watch anime. I'd also make damn sure that they understood the difference between the make-believe of television and reality as soon as humanly possible. If a kid's outright imitating what they see in TV or a video game, well... I'd be worried. That's just not psychologically healthy.

Really, though, I found those sitcoms to be incredibly boring as a kid, and I find grown-up sitcoms to be equally boring now. There's an occasional moment of brilliance, but by and large they just don't appeal to me. I'd be ashamed if I had a child that idolized such things. Euch.

[Outrider]

I think your blanket statement that you think kids watching anime is somehow inherently better than them watching American sitcoms is pretty funny.

Newsflash: Just because it's anime doesn't mean it's not as much about delusional wish-fulfillment as other television.

[Zyrusticae]

It was a huge generalization, but at least it's often better-written than the sitcoms the OP was talking about. Plus, thanks to the wonders of the internet, I can pick and choose what I'd want my kids to watch, avoiding the crap of the litter.

Also, shut up. I know it's all delusional wish-fulfillment. Quit talking down to me.

(Actually, a fair chunk of it is just exploring odd themes, such as Kaiba's exploration of what it means to have a body when you can switch them like clothing, rather than wish-fulfillment ala Shonen series like Naruto, but somehow I don't think you'd much care for it.)

[Nitro Vordex]

Weeaboo warning.

[Solstis]

It was a huge generalization, but at least it's often better-written than the sitcoms the OP was talking about. Plus, thanks to the wonders of the internet, I can pick and choose what I'd want my kids to watch, avoiding the crap of the litter.

Also, shut up. I know it's all delusional wish-fulfillment. Quit talking down to me.

(Actually, a fair chunk of it is just exploring odd themes, such as Kaiba's exploration of what it means to have a body when you can switch them like clothing, rather than wish-fulfillment ala Shonen series like Naruto, but somehow I don't think you'd much care for it.)

Traumatize them with Ghost in the Shell: Innocence.

"Daddy, who is Descartes?"

[Vanzazikon]

Newsflash: Just because it's anime doesn't mean it's not as much about delusional wish-fulfillment as other television.I remember I thought I could fly if I spiked my hair... Dragon Ball Z :disapprove:

[Outrider]

Thank you, Nitro. I think you summed it up quite nicely.

EDIT: I should probably say a bit more.


It was a huge generalization, but at least it's often better-written than the sitcoms the OP was talking about.

See, the thing is, just because these things might seem interesting to you because they're different or a little unusual doesn't mean they're necessarily better-written or outright better in any way.

Lots of anime, even some of the "better-written" anime, is still heavy-handed and clumsy. (Don't get me wrong - this isn't exclusive to anime. Games, comics, whatever - people love to talk about how great a story might be in these mediums even when it's really just good compared to its peers.)

Also, there's the matter of demographic here. Sure, maybe your favorite anime might be better written than Hannah Montana, but Hannah Montana is clearly marketed towards children. Just because I might think Kurt Vonnegut is a better writer than Dr. Seuss doesn't mean kids should be reading him instead.

[Retehi]

I'd just have them watch Sesame Street and such all day

You were doing great here until. . .


'til they were older, and then I'd start exposing them to the easier-to-watch anime.

Oh lord.

[astuarlen]

Has no one yet invoked Sturgeon's Law (the second one)?


Just doin' my job, ma'am.

[Zyrusticae]

Gawdamnit, man. Anime means just about anything that's animated from Japan and, believe it or not, there is good stuff that comes out of it that is, in fact, marketed to children. I know the friggin' difference between stuff that I like and stuff that I liked because I was a kid (like Barney... *sigh*). What does it matter what I watch comes from? The simple fact is, there's more cartoons coming out of Japan than all of the western world combined, and so by proxy there's a larger number of shows that are not total crap (speaking strictly in terms of animated series - yes, I'm referring to Sturgeon's Law here). Kids tend to like cartoons, but the stuff marketed to kids in their "tween" years are very few and far between these days, so by my thinking I'd just go to the most abundant and easily available source of quality material. I went to anime solely for this reason during my teenage years, and so I'd reason that it'd be a fairly decent thing to expose hypothetical children to. There's lots of stuff out there, for all manner of taste, so why not?

I also have no cable or satellite TV, so unfortunately I can't just conveniently expose them to the lovely educational programs we have on channels like Discovery and TLC (assuming they're still called that - I haven't had access to such for years).

You know, it's like you're assuming I'm some kind of idiot right off the bat. It's extremely insulting. I'm not even planning on having kids anyways, so all of this is rather moot.

[Outrider]

You know, it's like you're assuming I'm some kind of idiot right off the bat. It's extremely insulting. I'm not even planning on having kids anyways, so all of this is rather moot.

Ah, well. That wasn't my intention. I guess I thought you were being specific when you were actually being more general. My apologies.

[SStrikerR]

Just throwing it out there....I hate 99% of Anime. If, hypothetically, you had children and they hated every show you wanted them to watch, what then? If I had been your child I would've left by whatever age you had switched me over to anime.
No offense, even though you'll take offense by it anyway.

[Nitro Vordex]

You know, it's like you're assuming I'm some kind of idiot right off the bat. It's extremely insulting. I'm not even planning on having kids anyways, so all of this is rather moot.
We're not thinking you're an idiot.

We're thinking you're a biased, Japan brainwashed idiot.