We talked about All in the Family in class this week and how it pushed the boundaries of its viewers and their beliefs. The show was in its time, and still is today, one of TV’s most popular shows. It first aired in 1971 and paved the way for modern television.
The show’s unique comfort with racial boundaries made it extremely popular as it recorded the highest ratings on TV for five straight years. Today, we see shows that display similar disregard for political correctness, like South Park and Always Sunny in Philadelphia. And these shows thrive on their edgy content. But in its time, All in the Family introduced a brand new genre and as it turned out, people enjoy it.
Because All in the Family was so widely accepted, it became clear that people enjoy watching racy content.
The year after All in the Family began airing, HBO started. According to the National Cable and telecommunications Association, it was the very first pay-TV network. HBO has become very popular over the past 40 years partially because it plays by different rules than regular cable TV.
Since you have to subscribe to receive HBO, they are allowed to display more explicit content than cable TV. Some of the most popular shows on TV today run on HBO even though you have to pay extra for it. Maybe they pick the best shows, but I’d argue that people are willing to pay for HBO because HBO is allowed to show edgier shows.
Shows like the Sopranos and Entourage would not be allowed on cable TV uncut and the HBO exclusive version is much more appealing to many. Subscribers are essentially paying for the added nudity and profanity in their shows.
This notion that people are more interested in mature content is prevalent in all forms of media. And it’s not just used for comedic purposes. Movies like Saw and Hostel intentionally push the viewers boundaries with graphic images because people want their boundaries pushed.
Hollywood wouldn’t make shows and movies like this if they weren’t making money and they’re making money because the people approve.
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