TV Family Values: Gender, Domestic Labor, and 1980s Sitcoms

During the 1980s, U.S. television experienced a reinvigoration of the family sitcom genre, with shows like Full House, Family Ties, Growing Pains, The Cosby Show, and Who's the Boss focusing on non-nuclear families and the reorganization of housework. Alice Leppert's TV Family Values examines the nature of these sitcoms against the backdrop of a socially conservative time period.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 202 pages
Publication date: 30 March 2019
Publisher: Rutgers University Press

The 1980s marked a significant revival in the popularity of U.S. television sitcoms, particularly those centered around the family. In her book TV Family Values, Alice Leppert delves into the profound impact that these shows had on the structure of middle-class families. These sitcoms aimed to captivate upwardly mobile "career women" and often featured non-nuclear family units and the reorganization of household responsibilities. Leppert employs Foucauldian and feminist theories to analyze the nature of iconic sitcoms like Full House, Family Ties, Growing Pains, The Cosby Show, and Who's the Boss? within the context of a socially conservative era deeply entrenched in traditional family values.

The 1980s witnessed a remarkable resurgence in the popularity of U.S. television sitcoms, particularly those centered around the family. In her book TV Family Values, Alice Leppert explores the profound impact that these shows had on the structure of middle-class families. These sitcoms aimed to captivate upwardly mobile "career women" and often featured non-nuclear family units and the reorganization of household responsibilities. Leppert employs Foucauldian and feminist theories to analyze the nature of iconic sitcoms like Full House, Family Ties, Growing Pains, The Cosby Show, and Who's the Boss? within the context of a socially conservative era deeply entrenched in traditional family values.

The 1980s marked a significant revival in the popularity of U.S. television sitcoms, particularly those centered around the family. In her book TV Family Values, Alice Leppert delves into the profound impact that these shows had on the structure of middle-class families. These sitcoms aimed to captivate upwardly mobile "career women" and often featured non-nuclear family units and the reorganization of household responsibilities. Leppert employs Foucauldian and feminist theories to analyze the nature of iconic sitcoms like Full House, Family Ties, Growing Pains, The Cosby Show, and Who's the Boss? within the context of a socially conservative era deeply entrenched in traditional family values.

The 1980s witnessed a remarkable resurgence in the popularity of U.S. television sitcoms, particularly those centered around the family. In her book TV Family Values, Alice Leppert explores the profound impact that these shows had on the structure of middle-class families. These sitcoms aimed to captivate upwardly mobile "career women" and often featured non-nuclear family units and the reorganization of household responsibilities. Leppert employs Foucauldian and feminist theories to analyze the nature of iconic sitcoms like Full House, Family Ties, Growing Pains, The Cosby Show, and Who's the Boss? within the context of a socially conservative era deeply entrenched in traditional family values.

Weight: 268g
Dimension: 153 x 227 x 16 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780813592671