Death of the Reader

Aesthetic value between the different components of television definitely is portrayed well in Death of the Author. When it states “multiplicity of meaning has collapsed into complete absence of intersubjective meaning” (Sandvoss 28-30) is a perfect way of summarizing the problem that is run into by fans. Fandom sites and text written by them is a great way to have interpretation of texts and television shows. It definitely gives people a lot to talk about and think about. However, on the other side of this, it can be extremely problematic. This quote is stating how the many different responses actually begin to demean and demolish an original meaning. After all the analyzing of a certain concept in a book, what the author meant gets extremely lost in all of the thoughts and opinions that were thrown around on these sights. While the aesthetic values enhance the readership of these authors and can really entice other readers, many components are in danger of losing their original value.

The relationship between the text, author and reader is a very delicate one. If the readers do not get very into the text, there are no responses or bustle about the work. The bustle and hype about these works is what gives the authors such great success. The more the authors work gets out, the more readers want to get their hands on the work. So the readers, essentially, are a huge part of the authors success. Word of mouth and these fans interacting will create a love for the work that an author cannot create. So, if there are a lot of fan sites and discussions, an author should be ecstatic.

The author needs to watch not to overindulge these different theories that are being placed on the internet. While authors should not hinder this activity, they should also not egg it on. Too much of this can ruin the authors chance at a future book. Sometimes if the original meaning gets lost, the fans forget that they are not the authors. Then, when the next piece of work comes out, if the outcome is not what they expressed on these sites, the fans take it personally. J.K Rowling and her Harry Potter series is a perfect example of this. Many fans were talking about certain characters that should be together, such as Snape and Hermoine. The fans would also make certain predictions about what characters were going to die off, and how the ending was going to go. These fans are die hard and take these comments very seriously. The original meaning of some of the text was lost in all of the analyzing on these sites. So, when the final books came out, many readers were upset that what actually happened in the book was “wrong” because of what was talked about on these sites.

So, I feel that the relationship between reader, author and text is crucially important to the survival of books and reputation, it can also be the downfall of its future.

Sandvoss, Cornel.  “The Death of the Reader: Literary Theory and the Study of Texts in Popular Culture.” Fandom: Identities and Communities in a Mediated World.  Ed. Jonathan Gray, Cornell Sandvoss and C. Lee Harrington.  New York: NYUP, 2007.

Essay 3 Topic

I was not sure what I was going to write about for this essay because I felt like there are so many different ways to go. There are a lot of shows that I would enjoy to write about and research on. I decided to start with some fandom websites and see what feedback I could find. As discussed in class, I found that the website Televsionwithoutpity.com was very resourceful.  I loved this site because it had a plethora of responses from people, as well as a diverse selection of scenarios from each series.  This website had background information on the shows and took a lot of different angles on conflicts and situations seen throughout each show. Not only was this show not biased, but the information provided was honest and true. I loved having all the feedback from different people and their different opinions. No one had the same exact thought so it made me think about each show.

When I started to look into what show I wanted to follow, I was a little overwhelmed by the amount of choices. After a lot of searching, I went with Pretty Little Liars for a number of reasons. I know this show very well and therefore I could easily be able to contribute to the feedback of others and understand what the fans are talking about. This is very important so that I know I am not lost. I would, of course, enjoy this assignment because I enjoy the show. Another reason I chose Pretty Little Liars is because there was quite a bit of information and forums on it. I didn’t feel like I was trying to find something. A lot of viewers were very involved in speaking their mind and that made it much easier to really be able to follow.

I think Pretty Little Liars is a show that can be analyzed very well and creates a lot of controversy. In many ways, controversy can be a bad thing. However, I feel that for this assignment, controversy is very appealing. This makes the forum much more interactive and more involved. Pretty Little Liars has the reputation of not solving all of its secrets by the end of its seasons, so the lack of conclusion is an additional bonus for this show. This leaves the forum of “what will happen next” very open with many opinions flying everywhere.

With the website forum being so colorful and open about their topics and following a show that has a lot to discuss, makes a very interesting few weeks. I think that I could write a very educated and very well researched paper with these two components. I worry a little bit that there will be too many different angles to focus on and that it could be difficult to zero in on just one topic. If I do not focus on one, my essay could get scattered and a little too broad. However, if I can make sure to not let that happen, it could be a very fun paper to develop, and hopefully, to read.

Blog 13: Genre Overview

A genre is a class or category of a certain literary type, in this case television (Aber.ac.uk). That is the literal definition of genre; however, genre is so much more than what is defined in terms of a dictionary. A genre is a way of categorizing television shows into their own elements so that they can express themselves in their own way. A genre has a broad topic and can be split into subgenres like a sitcom is split into domestic sitcoms and workplace sitcoms (Aber.ac.uk).

Studying genres is crucial to understanding shows and its deeper meaning. Knowing the genre and its components can tell you a lot about what each show really means and where it originated from. This is important to a show because it gives it a purpose (Aber.ac.uk). A genre is an analytical way of breaking down the individual elements of a show that make that show different and unique. Having a better understanding of genre and how to define it can give a viewer a deeper understanding of the characters and its scenes. And by really understanding the genre, the viewer can appreciate the shoe show and, thus, enjoy it so much more.

People don’t realize how much they can truly learn from studying genres. After reading so many articles and really researching the idea of a genre, I have such an appreciation for television shows individually now. I look at them completely different. A television show is more than just a group of characters interacting; it has different arcs, and plots (Aber.ac.uk). It has certain components that make it interesting. But knowing the genre of the show, I can see the different relationships of characters and how the scenes play out. Knowing different elements such as the fourth wall, and styles of camera sage, I find myself noticing little details. When I watch shows I automatically listen for a soundtrack and look at story arcs. As “nerdy” as this may be, I really feel like this is important to students. We can learn a new element to television and understand that it does more than just entertain us. Television shows appeal to different people and have a wide range of audiences. Genres make television diverse. By knowing more about genres and educating myself on the topic, I can broaden my own personal horizons with television and watch shows I wouldn’t normally watch. I can actually appreciate the work and elements that went into it. I feel like this is important for scholars and younger people. Broadening your horizons and not staying in your comfort zone of what is personally appealing is what makes you diverse and really opens a whole new world of knowledge.

While I could definitely see the perspective that a genre can be deceptive, I don’t agree that that should mean we do not study it. As we have seen, some genres can easily mold into one another and overlap. And this can definitely present problems of inaccuracy, but studying genre enhances the television studies and is not the only element used in defining television (Aber.ac.uk). I can see how someone would portray a genre study as deceptive because of some gray area that the definitions present, but despite that, I feel as though a genre is a great way to enhance a scholar’s knowledge of television. However, in many aspects, each genre is their own and has very different elements about them.

 

“Introduction to Genre Theory.” Aber.ac.uk. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Mar 2011. <http://www.aber.ac.uk/media/Documents/intgenre/intgenre.html&gt;.

Blog 12: Procedurals

I believe that in terms of the procedural dramas, all of these aspects addressed by Tait and Lee are intertwined into one. All types of procedurals, forensics, television police, and medical, include a body and some sort of conflict about this. There is always a slight emotional appeal, and all have the romanticism of the body at some point. Procedurals vary to a degree in terms of how much these aspects are expressed, but there are many themes within procedurals that are common throughout. So, with that being said, “Lamb to the Slaughter” has a broad range of the aspects by using many terms we talked about in class. While this episode does not show the examination of the body because of the hospital atmosphere, the idea of romanticism with the body is portrayed. The episode does not focus on the dead body or necessarily the aspect that is no longer alive. “Lamb to the Slaughter” has an angle that focuses more on the aftermath of the death (fancast.com). There was emotional appeal more so than the forensic procedurals. This episode revolves around the mother of this gang member who died. The audience really feels something about this character no longer living (fancast.com). This is much different than what we observed in CSI episodes.

Procedural Realism was seen in all types of the genres this lesson. However, procedural realism is how a show flashes back, and the degree to which it makes the audience feel as though the events actually occurred. In my opinion, the forensic procedurals have less procedural realism than do the medical procedurals. In CSI, the audience was exposed to what is known as the “CSI effect.” The CSI Effect is the view of the bullet going through the victim’s body. This takes away from the Procedural Realism within the show. No one would actually be able to see such a view, but this allows the viewer to feel more involved. In the medical procedural, there are fewer views taking the “CSI Effect”, and more of a realism approach (Ojp.gov). This leads to the idea that shows such as Chicago Hope, have a higher procedural realism.

Psychic reassurance was mentioned by Tate and Lee within their article. Psychologically, these procedurals are all highly involved with the mind. The fact that these procedurals are all involving some form of human interaction, and a problem among them contributes to a high level of psychiatric aspects. Medical procedurals have more of a scientific (due to the hospital environment) and an emotional approach (the fact that the audience is connected with the family) (fancast.com). The forensic and police procedurals have a higher aspect of the psychological side. This, in my opinion, is simply due to the fact that these types of procedurals focus solely on the body and the mystery involved in it.

Even though each type of procedural has a different level of qualities, this is what makes them each a little different. This is also what allows all of these different types of procedurals to be on the air at the same time, and all be successful.

“Chicago-Hope.” fancast.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Mar 2011. <http://www.fancast.com/tv/Chicago-Hope/62617/1059259879/Lamb-To-Slaughter/videos&gt;.

“CSI Effect: Does It Really Exist.” Ojp.gov. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Mar 2011. <http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/nij/journals/259/csi-effect.htm&gt;.

Brainstorm Ideas Blog

I was brainstorming the genre of comedy. I really wanted to use the Reality television genre, however, I feel as though it will be done too frequently. I think that comedy is a good alternative choice because it is used to so frequently on so many different fronts. I know that it can be a bit of a broad genre so I was thinking about narrowing it down to sitcom comedy and focus more on shows such as Roseanne, Friends, Seinfeld and Everybody Loves Raymond. I know that these shows are widely enjoyed by their audiences and have an element about them that makes them timeless. I am intrigued to really study this and go more in depth into the genre.

In addition to sitcom comedy, I also thought about doing live comedy shows such as Saturday Night Live.  I feel like this would be a very different genre to explore and could be very interesting as well. I know there are a lot fewer of these types of shows and that’s the reason I would love to explore them. This genre combines the reality television and the broad comedy genre, and forms into one.

Both of these options were very intriguing to me. I am starting to do deeper research on each subject to figure out which one I want to really dive into.

Blog 9: Serial Narratives

Pretty Little Liars is a primetime series. It utilizes the important conventions that are stated to define a serial narrative. There is a certain degree of closure in each episode; however, new questions arise each time (muse.edu). There is a mystery left at the end of the show, and with the new found clues and info brought about, a bigger mystery is presented. Who killed Allison is the main questioned that is trying to be resolved throughout the season (TV.com). Yet, each of the four friends have their own mysteries that need to be resolved. The season runs starting in fall and then ends in the springtime with a major spring finale, which ultimately leads into the next season.

In episode 19, “ A Person of Interest”, there are 6 beats per act with about 4 acts. This makes for a total of 24 beats throughout the whole episode. The beats recap on a lot of things that happen throughout the episode. At one point in the episode the police come to search through Spencer’s room. Spencer, who was one of Allison’s best friends, is now a suspect in her murder case(TV.com). This forecasts a lot of upcoming events that could potentially happen. This shows that in the future there is going to be a lot of turmoil that is going to occur.

Each girl has her own plot that is within this show. There are multiple ‘A, B and C’ plots within this episode.  Spencer is made out to be one the suspects within the murder case and therefore she is coping with getting her room searched. On top of this, she and Toby, one of the previous murder suspects have sparked a love interest. Aria is coping with her parent’s splitting up but trying to figure out their suspicious behavior. She is sneaking around with the love of her life, Ezra Fitz, who is currently the English teacher at Aria’s school. Although, Aria has a secret she has to reveal to Ezra about Jenna, his new favorite student. She knows this could greatly alter their relationship. Paige and Emily, who are swimming teammates, discover that they have a passion between the two of them. Hanna’s mom discovers that Caleb has been staying in their basement and gets infuriated. And while all of this is going on, the girls are trying to maintain their friendship and solve the mystery of their friend’s murder. Jenna, who is Caleb’s sister, seems to be playing a role in everything mysteriously happening, and the same with Ian, Spencer’s new brother-in-law (TV.com). Each character has their own plot, but as the episodes come together, it is obvious that each individual plot affects another plot (muse.edu). This whole show is about the snowball effect and shows how one person decision can change the entire direction of a show.

As of episode 19, none of these storylines are truly resolved. For instance, whenever Ian was a suspect, in the next episode, things would appear to be resolved and incriminating evidence is held against him. Yet, right when the viewers think they have it solved, the next episodes give a complete twist of events. As the storylines are left unresolved in this episode, it makes the audience create their own solution and try and solve Allison’s murder. It makes this series so much more intriguing for everyone to watch. If the major problems get resolved one by one, these shows would be less and less appealing. There are still so many different directions that this show can go, and so many different suspects. These elements of suspense are what keep Pretty Little Liars so wildly popular.

In terms of this show and specifically, the current episode, there is more deferment for the smaller problems and no closure for the major problem. The deferment is proven through examples such as Emily come in touch with her own personal realization that she is gay (TV.com). This is a problem that never had a closure, because she has coped with it, and thus the problem is no longer there. Emily is still gay and there is nothing that has been solved but rather something that no longer has to be dealt with. As the whole series comes to an end, the murder closure will bring the whole series to a closure. Just as mentioned, the balance between narrative closure and serial deferment is what composes a primetime serial show (muse.edu).

Act I setup involves Pretty Little Liars, episode 19 setting up the new set of problem within this episode. The overall problem is already set in place, but as “A Person of Interest” unfolds, each smaller plot starts to unravel and reveal itself. Each of the girls has their issues come to light, and by Act II and III the plot for this episode is revealed and the complication sets in. for example, Hanna’s mom has found out about Caleb and her mom is upset. Hanna and her mom are furious at each other and at this point, Hanna has left for the night and her mom does not know what to do about it. This plot is lingering in the air, along with all the others (TV.com). Towards the end of Act III everything has come to a climax and now Hanna’s relationship with her mom and Caleb is at stake. At this point in the episode, everyone has something to lose and something else to possibly gain based on stakes that have been raised. The mysterious character “A” has made his/her presence known and threatened the girls in some way. Around this point, the viewers are on the edge of their seats because there is so much that could be lost. By Act IV, the resolutions and deferments of this episode have come to a conclusion. Things have started to fall into place. And even though the main mystery of things have climaxed to the top and even more questions are in the heads of the viewers, things start to seem a little at peace with the lives’ of the girls. Hanna’s mom has accepted the idea of Caleb and let him stay at their house in the guest room. Her mom and she are great and she and Caleb are even better(TV.com).

The character arcs are more overall throughout the show, not mainly within the episode. While during the episode little things make a viewer feel like they are getting to know the character better, but it is the same characters throughout the show (muse.edu). For instance, Jenna is blind and we knew that, however, in episode 19, we discover there was a fire that made her blind and was maybe not an accident like was assumed. We figure out that she has a side of sneaky secrecy that may link her to the murder (TV.com). However, with her quiet innocence, no one can guess this except for the girls. You see a deeper more sensitive side of Spencer who is typically just a geek. She starts to fall and become emotionally involved with Toby, and we see her start to let her walls down. She seems invincible, but with one little factor in this episode; we get a deeper idea of who Spencer is. Aria has always seemed like the girl who is the rebel and fearless. She begins to breakdown and cry in front of Ezra (TV.com). This shows such a compassionate side that was completely unexpected. The revealing of these characters can help the viewer get a better idea of who will be a suspect in the overall problem. These characters keep us guessing as viewers and helps in the unrolling of the final plot. This leads up to the final moment f the finale like we have all been waiting for.

“Pretty Little Liars: A Person of Interest.” TV.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 8 Mar 2011. <http://www.tv.com/pretty-little-liars/a-person-of-interest/episode/1373311/summary.html?tag=ep_guide;summary&gt;.

“Pretty Little Liars: A Person of Interest.” Hulu.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 8 Mar 2011. <http://www.hulu.com/watch/219040/pretty-little-liars-a-person-of-interest#s-p1-so-i0&gt;.

“From Beats to Arcs.” muse.jhu.edu. N.p., n.d. Web. 8 Mar 2011. <http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/the_velvet_light_trap/summary/v058/58.1newman.html&gt;.

Frontier House

Frontier House is a show that showed multiple different families go from their normal lives to a farm that represented culture and values of colonial times. They changed the way they lived and gave up all modern technology (TV.com).  In terms of reality television, this show has met the fact that a lot of this unscripted. It is really just the fact that these characters are being taken down a road that keeps coming up with surprises. When one family discovered their milk cow, the one thing gave them the majority of important goods, has gotten crucially sick, they do not know what to do. You can tell that these emotions of being dumbfounded and the fear that they had were completely real (TV.com). In this aspect, the reality television point was clearly made.

Throughout this show, you can tell that certain things were heavily masked. A lot of the moments that were probably of the kids ENJOYING this life were masked. This would be a part of the “conceit of real”. There is a clash of truth and actuality among these types of shows. The producers want to create a show that the audience wants to watch, and in order to do that, it needs to be interesting. And in order to do so, things have to cut. Therefore this can give the illusion of a reality that is not there.

In addition to there being a fake reality, some of the situations are planned out and therefore, the idea of reality is tampered with. There is a scenario of these “colonial families” going out on the road. Here, they are forced to camp and plan for multiple weeks (TV.com). If this scenario had happened in real life, most likely, it would have been a little more unnerving, and they would not have had the support of the producers like the colonists did here. Because of the planned aspect of this trip, the idea of reality is slightly skewed, and it brings up, once again, the conflict of truth and actuality, as well as actor and authenticity.

Frontier House has the qualities of a documentary rolled into it. A documentary is a show where the characters report to camera to attempt to get a candid and pure thought of the actors/ characters. There was a camera placed in a room where the families can go and report their feelings. This makes the audience feel as though this is real, but there is a catch (TV.com). The producers can easily edit these feelings, and cut out parts that are not going to make this show interesting. You can clearly see how some of the characters begin to turn on each other, and this is documented by the characters. For the audience it makes us feel more engaged in their life, and we almost feed off of this false reality presented to us.

I believe that each type of television is partially met to a certain degree. The reality television is shown through the idea that the families do not know what is going to happen and are on their own. However, reality television genre is not fully met because the cameras are not just a third party the whole time. They make themselves known throughout the show which takes away much of the candid aspect.

A documentary is shown through the idea of there being a camera in the Frontier House episodes. This is the most obvious way it is a documentary. However, according to Merriam-webster.com, the definition of a documentary is presenting facts objectively without editorializing (Merriam-webster.com). This obviously did not happen throughout the Frontier House. Therefore, this is only partially a true documentary. Yet, even though the Frontier House is not fully a documentary, or a reality television show, combining the best ideas of both genres really made this show interesting to watch.

“Frontier House.” TV.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Feb 2011. <http://www.tv.com/frontier-house/show/18876/summary.html&gt;.

“Documentary Definition.” Merriam-webster.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Feb 2011. <http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/documentary&gt;

Blog 7

The term schadenfreude is a German word used when humor is made by making fun of someone else. It is almost expressing the fact that, by finding flaws and being mean to others, the audience will be entertained.(Merriam-webster.com)  Probably more so than if just “average humor” was used in these shows. In the show Americas Most Smartest Model, is an extremely well developed example of this term and the idea of humiliation humor. As the contestants openly displayed how unintelligent they were, the show got more and more entertaining.(Imdb.com) I don’t know if it is the fact that when we, the audience, sees the flaws as funny, or if it is just that we feel better about ourselves. Shows that only have humor that is romantic or simple jokes gets old in the minds of society. When other people are seriously worse off than we are, it brings a smile on our face. Not necessarily because we want the worst for these people, or because we LIKE to see people fail. But rather, it makes us feel more justified in our life and thus we smile. Some people may be laughing because they can see themselves in the character, or just because they cannot believe how terrible something. In Americas Most Smartest Model, I got embarrassed for the characters on the show. I was personally humiliated by the things they genuinely didn’t know. I was laughing out of pure astonishment. I feel like this show does an excellent job of portraying the humor that America finds funny. And while it is slightly exaggerated, it is dead on in terms of how ignorant people CAN be sometimes. And such shows are so healthy to our mental sanity. On shows such as Americas Funniest Home Video where these are strictly clips of people being humiliated, is another show that is testing these limits.(Imdb.com)  These shows almost give us permission to laugh at things that would normally be socially unacceptable. When we are going through our daily lives, if someone trips, we are not supposed to laugh. We help them up and move on. In the kinds of shows that use the concept of “schadenfreude”, it is okay to laugh. We are SUPPOSED to laugh. This gives us an outlet to let these, otherwise restricted actions, come out. As terrible as it is to laugh at other people’s expense, it is almost human nature to do so. Obviously, there is an extent at which crosses the line to just plain mean, however, everyone gets a slight urge to laugh at such things. So, these shows are somewhat healthy to our mental sanity. It is not healthy to hold in all your feelings. If things get bottled up, it builds up and will drive us insane. So in a roundabout way, these shows are quite beneficial to society. People need to let loose somewhere and somehow. These shows are real, and feel like we are in the situation. As we watch these people get humiliated, we laugh and are allowed to do so in the comfort of our own home. This idea is intriguing and very attracting to us.

“Schadenfreude.” Merriam-webster.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Feb 2011. <http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/schadenfreude&gt;.

“Imdb.com.” Americas Most Smartest Model. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Feb 2011. <http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1055400/&gt;.

Mittell “Cartoon Realism”

In Mittells Article Cartoon Realism, he discusses the idea about The Simpsons and how it is animated. A paragraph on page 7 of this article really intrigued me when I was reading. It talked about how The Simpsons was the first animated show since The Flinstones in 1966 (kirkart.com). This really interested me considering the idea of animated adult shows is not rare. There are animations such as “Family Guy” that are wildly popular among many people. Flintstones may have started the idea of animated cartoons for an older crowd, but Groening set the pace for a whole new type of animated shows. He showed that cartoons were not limited to children by any means.

Groening obviously had to take risks and it says in the paragraph that “He was given a chance primarily because Brooks had a good track record…” (kirkart.com) Therefore, The Simpsons was obviously a show that people were uneasy about, and the payoffs that came out of it were wildly unexpected but welcomed with open arms. Before the show ran, Groening appeared characters form Simpsons on The Tracey Ulman Show. Then afterwards, the show appeared on Sunday nights in a primetime slot (kirkart.com).

Although this paragraph was not very hard to breakdown and was not the densest of information, I feel like it really was thought provoking for the idea of what television is today. We all think of The Simpsons as a typical show that is funny and always been around. I don’t believe that people realize just how much influence some shows have had on the world of television. Cartoons were for kids only, and the notion that cartoons could be for adults was unfathomable. However, it took one show to turn around perspectives and influence numerous shows that are on our televisions constantly today.

I feel like this paragraph is explaining the idea that many shows we have nowadays are more new than we think. And more so than that, there a numerous mini genres we don’t think of. In class we were discussing how Twin Towers started a genre of its own, yet as students between the age of 18 and 23, it did not even occur to us that such a genre used to NOT exist.  I believe this was the idea behind this paragraph. Showing how nervous the producers were to air the show because this new genre of adult cartoons was something that they couldn’t imagine being successful. Yet, now, that genre is hugely popular and still growing.

This whole article was full of information and it was hard to breakdown only one paragraph. However, later in the article, it states how they (producers) are still trying to find explanations as to why this appeals to such diverse audiences. In my opinion, I think that people are becoming more open minded to concepts and ideas, especially the ones shown on television. And as this paragraph explained and gave a glimpse into the process of starting a newer genre, different ideas should be tried on society. As we grow, and as more and more ideas expand through mediums such as television, people will be looking for newer and more stimulating ideas.

Mittell, Jason. “Cartoon Realism.” kirkarts.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Feb 2011. <http://kirkarts.com/wiki/images/6/60/Mittell_Simpsons.pdf&gt;.

Blog 5 Golden Girls

Golden Girls is a sitcom that ran 1985 to 1992. It was a show about 4 previously married women who moved to Miami and found companionship with each other. Golden Girls, being an older show, had intense laugh tracks (IMBd.com). At every part with a joke or a sarcastic comment, serious laughter came from these tracks and this influenced to watcher to laugh a little harder. Laugh tracks have dwindled out in use nowadays. However for shows, such as Golden Girls, this element was crucial to filling space. Shows did not have awkward silences like present day. That type of sitcom had not come into play in American society yet.

The concept of four women living together was humorous in itself. However, when the audience gets each characters back story and see the way they all mold into one another’s life, things get even more humorous. There was a plot to each episode, but not for the overall sitcom. If the audience knew the history of each character, the episodes would be easier to understand. But, at the same time, one did not need to know all the episodes in order to enjoy this show. For the audience, this was a great mindless show to sit down to. This show could have been influenced by previous shows such as I Love Lucy. These types of sitcoms were purely episodic and thus gave viewers the flexibility of schedule. If an episode was missed, it was not a big deal. Golden Girls provided simple humor that could bring laughs to anybody. The issues talked about were fairly conventional and basic. Dorothy was dealing with her mother and trying to make it in her career. Rose was just a simple minded woman who loved life and was trying to move on from her deceased husband Charlie. Blanche was constantly battling with her age and trying to regain her youth (IMBd.com). Each character represented a little piece inside each woman of that time. While some issues were touchy, they were portrayed in classy ways. In one episode Blanche finds a man who she is crazy about. She finds out later that he is blind and then is not sure how she feels about him. Instead of this issue being stated in a crude way, Blanche and the girls sit down with a cheesecake and talk things out (TV.com). Aside from the idea of four single women living together, there was nothing out of the ordinary in Golden Girls. Golden Girls had a way of appealing to the audience by easing their minds with less intense issues. Around this time is when shows such as Roseanne were coming out. These shows had issues that took America by storm, and made television intense to watch. In a way, this was nice for the audience. Golden Girls could be watched freely around the house, and did not have to defend the show at all. This show still plays today and is thoroughly enjoyed. With or without the laugh tracks, Golden Girls has laughter surrounding it.

“Blind-Date.” TV.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Feb 2011. <http://www.tv.com/the-golden-girls/blind-date/episode/4610/summary.html&gt;.

“Golden Girls.” IMDb.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Feb 2011. <http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0088526/&gt;.