A core member of “the big 3” in
network television, CBS has long been a powerhouse in all aspects of
television, especially when it comes to sitcoms. The network has gotten its best ratings from
their comedy series, dating back to shows such as The Beverly Hillbillies and The
Andy Griffith Show in the 1960s.
Today, it continues to lead the big 3 in ratings of sitcom and comedic
programs. So “what’s the problem?” you
might ask. While CBS has the ratings,
they lack the wit and innovation of their counterparts.
First and foremost, it is the last
major network to rely on a laugh track to accompany its sitcoms. To be fair, both ABC and NBC have had sitcoms
that do the same, even as recently as the early 2000s. The difference is, TV sitcoms have changed in
the last ten years. For the most part,
they are smarter, edgier, and bolder than many of their predecessors. CBS however has yet to join its competition
in raising the bar and moving beyond techniques and technology of the days of
yore, or at least the days of 1970. This
choice in sitcom style has larger implications as to the type of shows the
network produces and backs as “comedy”.
Here in lies the real problem: its content. In recent years, CBS has been accused by viewers
and critics as being sexist, homophobic, and even racist at times. What year is it? Oh right, it’s 2014. The fact that network television can still
have the gall to makes jokes about any of these topics is absurd. I thought maybe using women as the butt of a
joke was supposed to end when Tina Fey became the first female head writer of Saturday Night Live. I guess not.
Let’s
start with How I Met Your Mother (and
please do not ever compare it to Friends
again). The character of Barney, played
by openly homosexual actor Neil Patrick Harris, is perhaps the most popular on
the show. Barney’s main role in the show
is the token male stud that sees women as sexual objects for his conquest and
is not only admired, but cherished by friends and audiences alike. How cute.
Similar to Charlie Sheen’s character on yet another stereotypical CBS
comedy, Two and a Half Men, Barney is
considered a real man for his objectification of the females he
encounters. In an article about sexism
in modern network television, Melody G. writes of Barney, “[Barney] can be seen
lying to women as a means of ensuring a sexual victory and rarely
second-guessing [his] casual-sex lifestyle” (Melody G, 1). Her analysis of him is spot on. He is yet another pop culture figure that sees
seducing and sleeping with women as a sport.
It
is not just How I Met Your Mother
that has stirred waves of controversy for CBS.
Another powerhouse sitcom, The Big
Bang Theory, is guilty as well, but of something other than just
sexism (because it’s sexist too). Another sitcom revolving around a group of
friends muddling through life together, TBBT
is now notorious for its problematic and racist sentiments regarding the Indian
character, Raj. While he is in a
supporting role, and therefore often fodder for central characters like Sheldon
and Leonard to make jokes, their jokes go beyond character or personality and
cross over into race and ethnicity in a derogatory fashion. When speaking about his group of friends,
Sheldon exclaims, “Koothrappali is the foreigner who tries to understand our
culture and fails. No matter how
successful you get, Indians are always the outsiders, the also-rans”. In
another episode, Amy says to Penny, in a conversation about Catherine the
Great, “She engaged in inter-species hanky panky and people still call her
great. I’m sure your reputation can
survive you shagging a little Indian boy” (“The Skank Reflex Analysis”,
2011). Two prime examples of problematic
talk regarding the sole Indian character in the series. Not only is he explicitly labeled an outsider
based solely off of his race, he is also degraded the equivalent of an animal
when Amy suggests Penny having sex with him could tarnish her reputation
similar to when Catherine the Great engaged in bestiality.
Last
but certainly not least, there is the latest scandal with CBS sitcom Mike and Molly regarding transphobic
language and plot lines. The show
originally was slammed for repeatedly using the word “shemale” in its episodes,
and most recently has been targeted again after an episode aired in which Mike and Molly meet a transgender
individual. This character is constantly
mis-gendered and asked about their genitals by the characters (“The First and
Last Ride Along”, 2013). Classy. The LA times picked up on this story and
revealed the CBS comedy has had representatives of GLAAD work with it to make
it more “inclusive of LGBT people, or at least try not to overtly mock them”
(Lang, 2). How is it acceptable that a show in this day and age needs to have
an outside organization work with them to be more accepting of minorities,
essentially asking them to not explicitly mock them?
Here’s
the thing. I get it. Comedy is edgy and can push boundaries. The difference between CBS and other networks
is their blatant disregard for equality and respect when it comes to any social
group other than heterosexual, white males.
Women, diverse races, and any individuals of non hetero-normative sexual
orientations are nothing but a joke to these shows, and therefore to the network
as a whole. Comedy has to be taken with
a grain of salt, but I do not think there’s a grain of salt big enough to save
these “sitcoms” and others like them on CBS from their immature and
unintelligent content. Hey CBS, it’s
2014, put down your copy of “How to Be More like Chuck Lorre” and come join the
rest of us in the real world. And Chuck
Lorre, stay at CBS.
Works
Cited
“5 Reasons Why Big Bang Theory is
Racist”. MTV. September 11, 2013 http://mtv.in.com/blogs/love-relationships/urban-cupid/5-reasons-why-big-bang-theory-is-racist-50441978.html
“The Big Bang Theory”. IMDB. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0898266/?ref_=nv_sr_1
“CBS Corporation”. Britannica
Online.
“CBS Takes Early Ratings Lead.” Wall
Street Journal. September 28,
2010.
Grossman, Ben. “All Eyes on CBS”. Broadcasting
& Cable Vol. 139 issue 8.
February 23, 2009.
“How I Met Your Mother”. IMDB. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0460649/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1
Lang, Nico. “Don’t like transphoic
‘jokes’? Stop watching these CBS comedies”.
Los Angeles Times. November 23, 2013. http://www.latimes.com/opinion/opinion-la/la-ol-cbs-comedies-transphobic-jokes-20131122,0,6987011.story#axzz2xNiBj7su
“Mike
and Molly”. IMDB. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1608180/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1
I never realized all this sexist and culturally racial implications on these shows on CBS. I understood that programs on CBS are not as edgy because it is a network channel, but your example unveils that these shows do not promote the best qualities and characteristics of people. I really never noticed the way the Raj is treated so poorly in "The Big Bang Theory, but Barney in "How I met your Mother" is a total sexist dog. Great Blog!
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