This week in class, we started to discuss how television was broadcasted. The 1970’s was when all sorts of different shows were introduced. Roots became one of the first shows depicting an all black cast of actors, representing the way life was when the main character was taken and sold into slavery, eventually making his way to America. Other shows that came out were M*A*S*H, Happy Days, The Partridge Family and more. This was the decade where sitcoms were introduced, setting time aside to watch the family’s favorite show together. Saturday Night Live was introduced in this decade as well. The show broadcasted improv actors performing multiple skits making fun of real life events, or simply original skits to performed at that time. With the Vietnam War going on in this time period, Americans looked for an escape and found it through TV. M*A*S*H was a show that depicted the Korean War in a more humorous sense and became a hit instantly.

Another big part of the 1970’s and television was the involvement of Rod Serling and his use of screenwriting and more. He often portrayed ideas to the public that were seen as political but also controversial. His ideas included shows that included racism, censorship, war and more. One of his famous tv shows was The Twilight Zone, a science-fiction tv series. Rod was a WWII veteran and often portrayed what he experienced through his screenwrites. His involvement in WWII however, took a negative toll on himself. He often had nightmares and flashbacks of his time in the war. It was said that it kept happening up until his death. Rod’s career had tremendous accomplishment though. He was the winner of six Emmy awards, and even helped write roughly 250 scripts for screenplays and shows.

In today’s society, everyone waits until the weekend to go out, party with friends and enjoy societal events. Back in the 70’s, people waited until the weekend for something more simple: To watch the new episode of their favorite show with their families. This was a time where a different style of tv was broadcasted compared to previous years. It became more cutting-edge, in the sense that people weren’t used to shows that showed political events of current and past times. Women got more involved. The Mary Tyler Moore Show showed a single woman as the star of the show, struggling in the workplace. The Walton’s was show that depicted how days were during the Great Depression. TV used to be really simple and not so controversial. The 70’s showed that it’s okay to broadcast events that happened in real life whether they were good or bad.

Jason Berardicurti