[Air-L] Searching the normal family

Patrícia Dias da Silva pdiasdasilva at gmail.com
Tue Sep 15 07:14:01 PDT 2009


Long time lurker and learner, this time I couldn't help commenting.
Even as a strong consumer of tv series, I'm sorry I can't be much of
help. All the difficulties you are facing and the fact that I can't
think of any show which fits your criteria made me think I'm finding
your search maybe even more interesting than your initial project.
There has been a lot of talk about the invasion of television by the
anti-hero (House, Dexter...), but not a lot about how former strong
normative models - "the normal family" - are disappearing. And I
honestly wonder how to compare the families in Happy Days with today's
families...

Best of luck on your research and I hope we can soon hear some more about it...

Patrícia Dias da Silva
PhD Candidate
Instituto de Ciências Sociais
Universidade de Lisboa

>
> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
> From: Barry Wellman <wellman at chass.utoronto.ca>
> To: aoir list <air-l at aoir.org>
> Date: Sun, 13 Sep 2009 21:31:04 -0400
> Subject: [Air-L] TV help wanted
> I'm writing a big piece in which a part is familistic comparing TV shows
> of the 1950s-1970s (Father Knows Best > Happy Days) to more networked
> family shows of today, in which household members go their separate ways,
> but are linked by ICTs and mobiles.  I can think of modern shows like
> Seinfeld and Sex and the City, but they have only single folks. Can anyway
> cite decent networked family shows. Possibly Hannah Montana, altho I'd
> like one with traditional mom & dad & 1 plus kid.
>
>
>  Barry Wellman
>  _______________________________________________________________________
>
>  S.D. Clark Professor of Sociology, FRSC               NetLab Director
>  Department of Sociology                  725 Spadina Avenue, Room 388
>  University of Toronto   Toronto Canada M5S 2J4   twitter:barrywellman
>  http://www.chass.utoronto.ca/~wellman             fax:+1-416-978-3963
>  Updating history:      http://chass.utoronto.ca/oldnew/cybertimes.php
>  _______________________________________________________________________
>
>
>
>
>
> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
> From: Barry Wellman <wellman at chass.utoronto.ca>
> To: aoir list <air-l at aoir.org>
> Date: Sun, 13 Sep 2009 21:44:57 -0400
> Subject: [Air-L] clarification
> I'm looking for mainstream (HBO, Showtime, USA ok) dramas/comedies where
> husband, wife, 1+ kids go their separate ways -- with a lot of
> communication via ICTs and mobile phones.
>
> Not Dexter (which someone suggested)
> No Secret Life of an American teen (minor channel; pregnancy of 15 year
> old not really mainstream).
>
> Possibly Desperate Housewives (which I rarely watch), but don't HWs mostly
> stay home in daytime, and don't go off to paid work. Do they use ICTs and
> mobile?
>
> Thanks,
>  Barry Wellman
>  _______________________________________________________________________
>
>  S.D. Clark Professor of Sociology, FRSC               NetLab Director
>  Department of Sociology                  725 Spadina Avenue, Room 388
>  University of Toronto   Toronto Canada M5S 2J4   twitter:barrywellman
>  http://www.chass.utoronto.ca/~wellman             fax:+1-416-978-3963
>  Updating history:      http://chass.utoronto.ca/oldnew/cybertimes.php
>  _______________________________________________________________________
>
>
>
>

>
> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
> From: "Soon Wan Ting" <wtsoon at nus.edu.sg>
> To: "Barry Wellman" <wellman at chass.utoronto.ca>, "aoir list" <air-l at aoir.org>
> Date: Mon, 14 Sep 2009 10:03:34 +0800
> Subject: Re: [Air-L] clarification
>
>   How about Lipstick Jungle by NBC Universal? Caught only two episodes
>   but it kind of suit your description - high power women with families
>   working in NYC, juggling career, husbands and kids, with lots of
>   communication via blackberries and mobile phones etc.
>     _________________________________________________________________
>
>   From: air-l-bounces at listserv.aoir.org on behalf of Barry Wellman
>   Sent: Mon 9/14/2009 9:44 AM
>   To: aoir list
>   Subject: [Air-L] clarification
>
>   I'm looking for mainstream (HBO, Showtime, USA ok) dramas/comedies
>   where
>   husband, wife, 1+ kids go their separate ways -- with a lot of
>   communication via ICTs and mobile phones.
>   Not Dexter (which someone suggested)
>   No Secret Life of an American teen (minor channel; pregnancy of 15
>   year
>   old not really mainstream).
>   Possibly Desperate Housewives (which I rarely watch), but don't HWs
>   mostly
>   stay home in daytime, and don't go off to paid work. Do they use ICTs
>   and
>   mobile?
>   Thanks,
>    Barry Wellman
>    _____________________________________________________________________
>   __
>     S.D. Clark Professor of Sociology, FRSC               NetLab
>   Director
>     Department of Sociology                  725 Spadina Avenue, Room
>   388
>     University of Toronto   Toronto Canada M5S 2J4
>   twitter:barrywellman
>     [1]http://www.chass.utoronto.ca/~wellman
>   fax:+1-416-978-3963
>     Updating history:
>   [2]http://chass.utoronto.ca/oldnew/cybertimes.php
>    _____________________________________________________________________
>   __
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> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
> From: Barry Wellman <wellman at chass.utoronto.ca>
> To: aoir list <air-l at aoir.org>
> Date: Mon, 14 Sep 2009 13:15:59 -0400
> Subject: [Air-L] can't get no satisfaction
> I want to thank everyone for sending me sitcom suggestions for a modern
> family where husband and wife work, kids are relatively normal, and
> everyone uses ICTs and cellphones. However, I have been unable to find one
> that fit my specs, perhaps due to the fact that I never watch TV before 10PM.
>
> Seventh Heaven -- wife doesn't work.
> Beverly Hills 90210 -- mostly pre cell phone era. Doesn't really focus on
> parents.
> Big Love -- 4 Wives is not the American norm (at least at 1 time)
> Gossip Girl -- not intact families.
> Vampires not normative, except in movies & TV.
>
> I keep hoping that Carrie and Samantha will get married; Miranda will
> reconnect with Steve, and all 4 Sex & the City ladies will come back in 15
> years.
>
> Any more help would be appreciated.
>  Barry Wellman
>  _______________________________________________________________________
>
>  S.D. Clark Professor of Sociology, FRSC               NetLab Director
>  Department of Sociology                  725 Spadina Avenue, Room 388
>  University of Toronto   Toronto Canada M5S 2J4   twitter:barrywellman
>  http://www.chass.utoronto.ca/~wellman             fax:+1-416-978-3963
>  Updating history:      http://chass.utoronto.ca/oldnew/cybertimes.php
>  _______________________________________________________________________
>
>
>
>
>



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