~Blog Project One~

Topic #2--Television Show

I for this project I wanted to shed some light on the positive cultural influences that television currently has. There is a show that is produced by Jennifer Lopez, Peter Paige, and Joanna Johnson that airs on the television network, Freeform. Freeform was once known as ABC Family until January 12, 2016 when Disney–ABC Television Group decided to launch the rebranded version of the network. Similarly, too many television networks today, Freeform offers an app that can be downloaded offering viewers the opportunity to watch their programs without having to subscribe to a cable company. This drama is an episodic series that I would classify as a serial program. First airing on June 3, 2013, this family drama is now currently airing its fifth season. I watch it every Tuesday at 8 pm Pacific time.

According to Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer, The Fosters got an 88%, and 96% of the audience like it. 

"Intelligent enough for adults,

accessible enough for younger viewers 

and entertaining enough for both, it's a great 

show for parents and kids to watch together, 

and will give them plenty to 

talk about."

-St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Gail Pennington

"On the basis of the pilot, the 

show does a slightly better than 

average job of turning off-the-shelf 

ingredients into something diverting

and occasionally moving." 

-The New York Times, Mike Hale

This show is breaking the molds of the Americanized families that we have all grown up watching. The dynamics in families nation wide have changed drastically from the "Leave it to Beaver" days of the 50's. It is nice to see a network that produces television that draws a positive message of unity among all people--, especially youth. 

The "Moms"--as referred to in the show, are an interracial lesbian couple. Stef is a white police officer who works at the same station her ex-husband--Mike. Thier son--Brandon, lives with Stef and her wife, Lena. Lena is a black woman who is a principal at a school called Anchor Beach Charter. This gorgeous school rest right along the beach in California. Brandon, along with his adopted brother and sister all go to this school. Jesus and Mariana are Hispanic twins that the Moms adopted from the state--after their removal from their drug addict mother. The couple adopted them at toddlerhood which gave a chance for the deep bonding and history to develop within the family. The Foster family grows when Stef and Lena decide to take in--then later adopt, Cali and Jude. 

The story line closely follows Cali as the main character, or lead role. Through out the seasons, there has been a lot of drama in each individual characters. Fast forward to the most current episodes, and we find well-developed characters that are deeply entangled with different issues that are seen in real life. Adult issues--parenting, work, and marital. Young adult issues--jobs, college, sexual identity, drug and alcohol, pregnancy, legal and so forth. 

I think of this show as, "If 7th Heaven and Modern Family had a baby, they would name it The Fosters." 

The way the writers tackle current issues reminds me of the show 7th Heaven. Like 7th Heaven, writers show empathy on issues to help teach the audience to think of situations differently in order to understand and 'accept those that are different.' This also offers comfort to the viewers that identify with the different issues. I would say that both 7th Heaven and The Fosters are on they are on the same emotional level. Where there are moments of comic relief, it is nowhere near the comical entertainment of Modern Family. Both shows are allowing the normalization, and voices of the 'different'--minorities in our society, to be broadcast to a large public audience--making them seen.

However, there are a few things that I believe that the writers should have done differently. The biological parents of Jesus and Mariana are depicted to be recovering drug addicts that could not raise the children. The father is a stereotypical Hispanic construction worker. Other minor characters feed into the racial stereotypes. A black character is the one having trouble with his older brother getting in-trouble with gangs and drugs. I recognize that writers are helping reconstruct the 'cultural norm' but they are failing when they continue to allow subconscious stereotypical message flow through the background of the story line. 

Over all this show is a revolutionary show that I believe is helping shape our American culture to become more excepting and tolerant.  It is teaching us that your income, sex, color, and sexual identification are completely irrelevant in the bigger picture. Most important, is love for one another. because we all are the same at heart and soul. The continuous themes I have recognized through out the years has alway come down to the ideas of--It is okay to be you, so be you.

I must include one of the repeated commercials that have been airing during this show--consistently twice an episode that last few weeks. I believe this ad re-illiterates the values of the show will targeting the family as a whole--parents and children.

Something a little extra.....