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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?

[–] AmeriGirl26 (14488) 5 years ago

Family-oriented shows with no gay people or left-wing politics. The American public would love it, but the SJW groups would scream blue murder about how "-ist" or "-phobic" it was.

[–] [deleted] 5 years ago

For sure! Even shows set in communities that would naturally be 100% or very close to 100% white need to have non white characters because I wouldn't be surprised if there is a law stating such.

[–] actionkamen (23176) 5 years ago

There are no laws stating such. Those people are just above the laws!

[–] [deleted] 5 years ago

OK I did actually wonder, not American so not sure as it seems every show has a "diverse" cast whether it is needed or not. Black people also are often cast in leadership roles to the point where it seems like there has been some kind of revolution over there and blacks are now masters with lots of white people as their underlings.

[–] Mustang (5447) 3 years ago

Same with all white casts even if the show is set in a time or place where there really would only be white folk.

[–] [deleted] 5 years ago

There was an episode of Medium where a male teacher is falsely accused of molesting a female student by the female student. In the #metoo era I cannot see the story flying anymore the teacher would have to be guilty as sin and the student the epitome of victimhood.

Lolita inspired stories would also be off limits.

[–] mikethemartian (6779) 5 years ago

Lolita would definitely be taboo. When they remade it in the 90s they were barely able to get it released in the theater.

[–] actionkamen (23176) 5 years ago

I think that was because lolita complex is a Hollywood staple. No, not in movies, but real life Hollywood. Doing lolita type movies would hit too close to home.

[–] Mrmojo4700 (21542) 5 years ago

I’ve been on an Italian 70,s Eurocrime Poliziotteschi marathon for at least a month or so and i am certain none of these could be made today. In nearly every one the hero slaps a woman if she gets out of line and most of the time the victim is ok with it. Frequently women don’t survive to the end of the movie and gays are always made fun of. Heck, even little kids are run over by cars or shot all the time in these movies. Another odd thing is everyone drinks like fish and ninety percent of the time it’s J&B for some reason.

If they remade any of these movies I’m thinking they would be on the softer, gentler side.

[–] [deleted] 5 years ago

I love Film Noir and women are slapped around a fair bit. The women are tougher than the women in films now too, they tend to hit back or do something sneaky to get their own back.

If they remade them now it would be pointless I agree.

[–] [deleted] 5 years ago

Going by the Tolkien film religion, particularly Christianity isn't comfortable for Hollywood anymore as religion was an important part of the author's life yet not mentioned in the film.

[–] AmeriGirl26 (14488) 5 years ago

They're perfectly fine with showing every religion....except Protestant Christianity. After the 70s, Hollywood developed a severe aversion to it. The closest to that they show are Catholics. They even show satanic followers and pagans with blood-soaked ceremonies; but they don't dare show good, honest Christians who follow their faith. All they can show are priests who are child molestors, hypocrites, and annoying street preachers, or Christians who are violent hypocrites and fanatics. Usually when they are shown, they are shown in the wrong, and the main characters are usually agnostics or atheists.

In fact, it's not a sci-fi movie today without at least one person showing off how smart and "humanist" they are and how "wrong and bad" Christians are in some insulting, self-gratifying speech. They act as if the only people who will reach the stars are atheists and humanists. Wrong.

[–] [deleted] 5 years ago

Yeah I get sick of the Atheists are genius angle as well as the crazy Christian who molests kids in the dark after preaching peace and love etc. If you portrayed Muslims like that you would have a fatwah on your ass.

[–] [deleted] 5 years ago

Aww poor Christians. You guys have it so rough. Atheists have to put up with stupid Evangelical Christians shoving their ridiculous faith down our throats and put us down for how we are worthless to the human race as well as radical Muslims that think that and also want to kill us for not being Muslims. Oh, but Christians are the real victims. Give me a break.

[–] [deleted] 5 years ago

If you bothered to do some research you would find that even the United Nations have Christians listed as the most persecuted religion.

And as if Atheism isn't a religion unto it's own anyway.

[–] [deleted] 5 years ago

The only thing atheists have in common is that they don't believe in fairy tales. To suggest I belong to some evil cult just because I refuse to buy into that crap is so very Christian of you. That's one reason I'm not a Christian among many others.

[–] [deleted] 5 years ago

You do belong to a cult.

[–] [deleted] 5 years ago

Oh really why? And you wonder why people fucking hate Christianity. You're not even trying to change my mind about Christianity. You're just reinforcing my hatred for the religion. So bravo for proving my point.

[–] [deleted] 5 years ago

Atheists behave much the same as the religious people they hate so much.

You are quite dull to converse with by the way.

[–] [deleted] 5 years ago

Yeah well the Christians started it by being annoying in the first place so it is their fault.

[–] Wint3rFir3 (7188) 5 years ago

I think it only really bothers me when the film is supernatural or demon-centred, but the Christian character/s can somehow never win against the demons/evil spirits. Only some witch or something can defeat them.

[–] [deleted] 5 years ago

Hogan's Heroes wouldn't go today. A comedy based in a German POW camp with that kind of lighthearted, slapsticky humor depicting the Germans as kind of lovable scamps.

Yeah, no.

[–] [deleted] 5 years ago

Neither would a lot of the Mel Brooks jokes about WW2 and Jewish people. In fact you could pretty much wipe out a whole generation of insult comedians Don Rickles etc.

[–] mikethemartian (6779) 5 years ago

Supposedly they are making a Hogan's Hero sequel TV show where the modern descendents of the original characters go on some treasure hunt. Seems extremely bizarre to me.

[–] dajband (118) 5 years ago

cheesy action flicks like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and the like...

[–] nyctc7 (43720) 5 years ago

Coluimbo. Too bad because I love the concept of the quirky, rumpled detective outsmarting the famous guest star.

[–] db20db (17297) 5 years ago

The proliferation of forensics in crime solving has forced his old school methods far into the background. Columbo was very crafty, ensnaring his suspects through their vanity and assumed superior intellect.

[–] nyctc7 (43720) 5 years ago

Yes, very well stated.

[–] mikethemartian (6779) 5 years ago

The War of the Worlds premise that an advanced alien species wouldn’t have planned for diseases they would be exposed to on a foreign planet. It was a great idea for Victorian readers because they were less familiar with microbiology.

[–] [deleted] 5 years ago

and yet it was remade recently with Tom Cruise , and again just now on the BBC

[–] mikethemartian (6779) 5 years ago

I thought one of the complaints of the Spielberg movie was that it would be unlikely that a space faring race would not be prepared to deal with the microbiology of a foreign planet.