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What are some concepts/themes that wouldn't work too well anymore in TV and Film?

posted 5 years ago by [deleted]
138 replies | jump to latest

Thinking about the recent Charlie's Angels flop it occurred to me that when the original series came out it was somewhat radical or groundbreaking. Three attractive women being chosen to conduct special operations. Of course it helped that they were attractive but the show was fun.

This isn't a groundbreaking theme anymore. There are plenty of female cops, firefighters etc.

Another show Three's Company or the original British version being Man About the House. A single man living platonically with 2 women.

I'm not sure there would be anything noteworthy about that anymore to warrant a show.

Any other themes or topics that you don't think would work anymore?

[–] [deleted] 5 years ago

The Beverly Hillbillies - I don’t think people who get rich quick feel the need to move to California. I never understood why the Clampetts moved away from their home in the first place, other than to give a premise to the show.

I Dream of Jeannie - a beautiful woman enslaved to a white man would get protested, boycotted off the air in a blink.

Bewitched - a woman has to give up her identity, her abilities because her husband demands it. Nope.

[–] [deleted] 5 years ago

I never understood why the Hillbillies left the hills either. All they did was the classic immigrant thing of continuing their lifestyle somewhere else. Although in the theme song that line "California is the place you ought to be!" makes me think that their wealth made them pariah's in their own community. Rather deep for a silly show.

I Dream of Jeannie has remained unrebooted all these decades and that is probably why I am sure. Not to mention by rights a Genie should be Arabic/Middle Eastern so there would also be an outcry of cultural appropriation if played by a blonde woman.

Bewitched is interesting as Sam promised no witchcraft from the outset and yet throughout the series breaks that promise. It was based on a mixed marriage premise and I have never understood why one person marries another that is different and then by choice or otherwise decides to convert or give up their own culture. I never saw the Kidman reboot not sure if they just played it for laughs or avoided the topic altogether.

[–] [deleted] 5 years ago

Any film set after the advent of the internet where two characters are engaged in a heavy debate about anything. The internet allows us of course to just look up the answer. An example would be the argument the two leads have in Crimson Tide about the horse breed, it runs throughout the film and is never resolved as to which country they come from. They are both wrong it turns out anyway but if the same debate occurred now it would simply be a case of a quick Google check.

[–] aavfreak (3334) 5 years ago

While I agree completely with your premise, Crimson Tide may not be the best example. As I remember, they were out of communication with the surface. They couldn't even get their emergency action message. I doubt a quick Google check would be within reason in that context.

[–] [deleted] 5 years ago

While out of communication true but they continued their argument whilst on shore which means even if the internet didn't exist at the time neither one of them bothered to consult a book.

[–] aavfreak (3334) 5 years ago

It's been a long time since I've seen it. You're right. That would have audiences yelling at the screen, "just Google it!"

Hell, half the audience would probably *be* on their phones googling it.

[–] [deleted] 5 years ago

lol I do that a lot actually Google whatever is happening or being spoken about to find out more!

[–] mikethemartian (6779) 5 years ago

TV shows like The Fugitive and Route 66 where the character goes far from home and either tries to go by another identity or experience a different life that is remote from their life at home. With social media you would constantly see post like “Richard Kimble showed up today at my job at the supermarket and claimed his name was Larry”

[–] [deleted] 5 years ago

There was a show called "Banshee" where a criminal takes on the identity of a man who is travelling to a town to become the new Sheriff. An ok show but I still can't understand how he made that work in the age of the internet and facebook. Without even being a member of facebook, linkedin and other sites I can google so many people and yet this guy just takes over as Sheriff and everyone is ok with it.

[–] bohemianroxie (2478) 5 years ago

His friend Job was an expert hacker that could plant anything anywhere..There were a few oversights that he had to take care of at the last minute though.
That's how they get away with the identity issue these days...just have an expert hacker on hand.

[–] [deleted] 5 years ago

I figured it was something like that. It would work well enough unless someone has ties to someone who actually knows the real person.

[–] bohemianroxie (2478) 5 years ago

Yeah and it ended up happening. But it didn't end well...and not because of Hood (the impersonator).

[–] R_Kane (15828) 3 years ago

Geez, deleted, it’s called paying fucking attention. The narrative CLEARLY identified Job as the #1 hacker target for the FBI. And Banshee was not “okay.” Banshee is fucking GREAT. When was the last time you saw a story about Amish organized crime?

[–] AnubisRaydeen (7897) 3 years ago

The problem with Banshee is that it is about Amish organized crime.

[–] AmeriGirl26 (14495) 5 years ago

A male main character and a female main character, who are in love, getting married at the end of the film.

[–] [deleted] 5 years ago

And raising a large family who are happy and content as well as moral.

[–] AmeriGirl26 (14495) 5 years ago

I was talking about the end of the film, not the happily ever after part.

[–] TheLovelyAnomaly (619) 5 years ago

The Net (1995). When this movie was made, the internet was an up and coming thing. Hacking and identity theft do happen, but not the way they're portrayed here.

[–] [deleted] 5 years ago

It was a little before it's time I think and even though played to an extreme and metaphorical it was a good film and example of things to come I agree.

[–] Wint3rFir3 (7188) 5 years ago

Any positive portrayal of anti-capitalism is quite rare. Even the most humble hero is either super rich or super consumerist. There are no shows where people forsake excessive materialism in some way and live simply - even HBO shows, where things are more gritty and realistic, don't show simple living.

[–] [deleted] 5 years ago

That's true and people even when they do have working class type jobs seem to also live in comfort. Even when they are complaining about a lack of money there seems to lots to go around and everyone is dressed well etc.

[–] Wint3rFir3 (7188) 5 years ago

It reminds me of how movies and tv shows try to convince us conventionally attractive people are "ugly" or "losers" - in the same way, people with no serious money problems who live in above average housing with access to literally every convenience are "poor" or "struggling" because they can't afford an unnecessary $3000 item once in the entire film/series.

[–] [deleted] 5 years ago

Yep it is all the rage now to cast less attractive (usually women) in roles which would once have been the domain of far better looking women. The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina is a good example, she isn't ugly but far from the hottie you would expect.

I don't think there are any truly poor families in sitcoms and tv shows anymore. Not like what you might see on "Good Times" and even then JJ always seemed to have money for paint etc.

"This is Us" had an ep where they did a flashback to one of the characters childhoods. The father was going die and she was enrolled in top notch ballet school. The mother asked the Dean of the school how many of their students actually got employment in this field. It was a very small percentage. So of course she took her daughter out of the school because it would have been obscenely expensive and fair enough too.

The daughter never gets over it of course oh boo hoo. So the moral of the story isn't that her father is dying, money is tight, it is all about unfulfilled dreams.

Then we see the now adult woman dance and it is the most ordinary shit you have ever seen in your life!

[–] Furienna (3348) 3 years ago

I don't believe that I ever watched that show.
But I can't believe that you agree with that mother!
Really, that was freaking child abuse and I really sympathize with the daughter...

[–] [deleted] 5 years ago

Hogan's Heroes

[–] [deleted] 5 years ago

Films about Australia, Canada, America etc being discovered and settled. As far as I am concerned the idea that Europeans were able to build ships powered by the wind to sail large distances and discover new lands then settle them so far from home is rather amazing.

But nope, tsk, tsk, no can talk about that.