The Best TV Show of the '80s

It happens with every generation. We see changes in our ways of thinking, changes in political views, changes in science and technology. On the lighter side, we also see dramatic changes in the world of pop culture. Growing up in the '80s, I saw my parents reminiscing about the quality entertainment of their youth. Now, my oldest child is on the cusp of her thirteenth birthday, and I find myself falling into the same mindset; ah the good ol' '80s!

Before we viewed entertainment in the form of not-so-realistic reality shows, there was the scripted sitcom. "Silver Spoons", "Good Times", "Family Ties", "Growing Pains", and many, many more. Families gathered 'round the boob tube regularly for shared primetime distraction. It was quality, wholesome, worthwhile amusement; and our stars weren't competing for the tabloid covers, trying to one-up the latest shocker. However, subtly laced amidst the laughs, there was actually some substance there too. Controversy wasn't the goal, nor the result, yet ground was broken and paths were paved. One prime example of quality '80s TV is "The Jeffersons".

Although "The Jeffersons" began in 1975, it ran through eleven seasons, well into the '80s. Today, it is still viewable via cable stations such as TV Land. In a time when African Americans were pigeon-holed into the poverty-stricken roles of the Evans Family in "Good Times", "The Jeffersons" was pioneering in the advancement of our views on racial stereotypes. The notable aspect of this is that it was not a dominant focus of the show. It is, to date, the longest-running television show that featured a primarily minority cast of characters, yet it was not isolating in its audience, or focused on blatant racial advancement. It was, fitting to its time, focused on entertainment. Yet somehow, it accomplished so much more beyond entertainment.

"The Jeffersons" centered on the family sharing the name. George and Louise "Weezie" Jefferson (played by Sherman Hemsley and Isabel Sanford, respectively) were an African-American couple who rose to upper middle-class status from poverty through good old-fashioned work and ambition. The show was a spin-off of the politically-incorrect "All in the Family", and some of the non-PC mentality carried over to "The Jeffersons" as well. The scripts were often laced with terms that would now be considered as purely offensive and even censored out, but no matter how often the racially-driven slangs of zebra, honky, cracker or the ill-conceived "n-word" were tossed out, offense was never the goal, nor the end result.

Although the series was comedic in nature, it did cover topics of a serious nature on occasion. When issues such as racism (an episode in which George unwittingly finds himself attending a KKK rally) were tackled on the show, it was handled with tact and maturity. In a time when it was still essentially new and widely-criticized, "The Jeffersons" introduced a bi-racial couple as central characters. George dished the neighboring Willis's (Caucasian Tom and African American Helen) endless insult and taunting over their relationship and the mixed race of their children, but it was never taken seriously to the point of anything other than what it was intended to be - light-hearted amusement.

Overall, it would be unfair and closed-minded to claim that nothing on modern television holds any entertainment value. However, there is clearly something lacking today. A certain level of quality has diminished from our options. Today, the media is mired in controversy, insult and shock value. There is such a fear of offense and crossing the politically-correct line that everyone is walking on eggshells and seeking a reason to cry foul. When did it stop being about its original intention - good old fashioned entertainment?