Challenging Social Norms In Television

Despite its negative impact, television has had a positive impact when it comes to challenging social norms. Throughout the years, television has captured the change in family dynamic. Full House, a popular family sitcom of the 90s, contains three men acting as both father and mother figures towards the children, undermining the fixed family roles of a mother and father (Merritt). On a more social side, The Jeffersons challenge the notion that African Americans are typically poor and uneducated by depicting them as an ordinary American family (Merritt). Recently, the comedy T.V. show, Modern Family, offers a striking contrast to the picture of an established family. The show focuses on three married couples: an interracial marriage, a gay