|
Post by dewdroppatron on Sept 2, 2021 20:44:23 GMT -5
It is funny to think of one of the reasons the Waltons was so popular was the nostalgia factor for many. Even in the 1970's when this show originally aired, everything about the Waltons was so old fashioned and strange compared to "modern" 70's life. Even more so when watching from 2021. But imagine writing a show today about life 40 years ago in 1981. There would not be nearly as much difference in life compared to the Waltons and the 70's. I know that some of the evening scenes in the Waltons showing people gathered around the radio, or playing checkers and doing knitting or embroidery were done to show a contrast with the fact that everyone was gathered around the TV eating "TV dinners" in the 70's in the evening. But when we watch today, it still resonates as my older kids are staring at their phones and responding to social media all night. But a show set in 1981 would show a family staring at the TV all night. So not as dramatically different. What do people think?
|
|
|
Post by ellaroo on Sept 2, 2021 21:20:03 GMT -5
It is funny to think of one of the reasons the Waltons was so popular was the nostalgia factor for many. Even in the 1970's when this show originally aired, everything about the Waltons was so old fashioned and strange compared to "modern" 70's life. Even more so when watching from 2021. But imagine writing a show today about life 40 years ago in 1981. There would not be nearly as much difference in life compared to the Waltons and the 70's. I know that some of the evening scenes in the Waltons showing people gathered around the radio, or playing checkers and doing knitting or embroidery were done to show a contrast with the fact that everyone was gathered around the TV eating "TV dinners" in the 70's in the evening. But when we watch today, it still resonates as my older kids are staring at their phones and responding to social media all night. But a show set in 1981 would show a family staring at the TV all night. So not as dramatically different. What do people think? It's funny because around the time, the rural purge was happening. You gotta thank the Waltons and Little House on the Prairie for bringing back life in the country or mountains. I forget that 40 years ago is now 1981 and soon the whole 80s decade is gonna turn 40 😲😲😲 I thought the earlier seaons did a good job in depicting the Great Depression era. Even in some movies and TV shows set in a different decade, you can tell there's some modern elements such as make-up, hairstyles, etc. Hoping there's a show that starts off in 1981 one of these days
|
|
|
Post by Easton on Sept 2, 2021 21:54:37 GMT -5
I think it was the nostalgia factor that brought in most of the fans. Those who hadn't lived during the depression undoubtedly knew people (possibly parents but more likely grandparents), but I think it was the story lines and characters who brought in the younger viewers with Richard Thomas being the major draw.
Now were in the Boomer years. For us, nostalgia is the post-war 50s. We can still relive those years with shows like The Andy Griffith Show, Leave It To Beaver, Superman, I Love Lucy, The Lone Ranger, Rifleman, and so many other such programmes. There is no need to make new nostalgia shows. We already have them.
The biggest problem is the competition. With so many stations and online streaming, you would need something to draw in the audience needed to make a go. The Waltons pretty much had 3 stations to compete with. That doesn't exist today. I'm afraid that new show featuring the 50s would never make it to air, and, if it did, it would never succeed like The Waltons.
|
|
|
Post by pinkbaker07 on Sept 3, 2021 18:28:43 GMT -5
It is funny to think of one of the reasons the Waltons was so popular was the nostalgia factor for many. Even in the 1970's when this show originally aired, everything about the Waltons was so old fashioned and strange compared to "modern" 70's life. Even more so when watching from 2021. But imagine writing a show today about life 40 years ago in 1981. There would not be nearly as much difference in life compared to the Waltons and the 70's. I know that some of the evening scenes in the Waltons showing people gathered around the radio, or playing checkers and doing knitting or embroidery were done to show a contrast with the fact that everyone was gathered around the TV eating "TV dinners" in the 70's in the evening. But when we watch today, it still resonates as my older kids are staring at their phones and responding to social media all night. But a show set in 1981 would show a family staring at the TV all night. So not as dramatically different. What do people think? It's funny because around the time, the rural purge was happening. You gotta thank the Waltons and Little House on the Prairie for bringing back life in the country or mountains. I forget that 40 years ago is now 1981 and soon the whole 80s decade is gonna turn 40 😲😲😲 I thought the earlier seaons did a good job in depicting the Great Depression era. Even in some movies and TV shows set in a different decade, you can tell there's some modern elements such as make-up, hairstyles, etc. Hoping there's a show that starts off in 1981 one of these days The Goldbergs is set in the 80s but they never tell us what year they are in.
|
|
|
Post by ellaroo on Sept 3, 2021 19:22:26 GMT -5
It's funny because around the time, the rural purge was happening. You gotta thank the Waltons and Little House on the Prairie for bringing back life in the country or mountains. I forget that 40 years ago is now 1981 and soon the whole 80s decade is gonna turn 40 😲😲😲 I thought the earlier seaons did a good job in depicting the Great Depression era. Even in some movies and TV shows set in a different decade, you can tell there's some modern elements such as make-up, hairstyles, etc. Hoping there's a show that starts off in 1981 one of these days The Goldbergs is set in the 80s but they never tell us what year they are in. That's one of my favorite shows and one of the better-made sitcoms of today
|
|
|
Post by goodnight on Sept 4, 2021 8:48:10 GMT -5
The Goldbergs is set in the 80s but they never tell us what year they are in. I've watched that a couple of times. I think the show Young Sheldon is set in the late eighties and then early nineties as the time period of the show progresses.
|
|
|
Post by dewdroppatron on Sept 5, 2021 19:11:12 GMT -5
Well, "Stranger Things" is right out of my era, but it is mostly because all the friends meet up and get everywhere on BMX bikes.
But take away smartphones and you could still have the 80's today. Definitely not as similar as the Waltons to the 1970's.
Just think of how much music changed from the 1930's to the 1970's. And then think of how music has changed from 1981 to today. Not as big a change.
|
|
|
Post by ellaroo on Sept 5, 2021 19:17:31 GMT -5
Take away social media or reduce the web to only emails and forums, bring back roller rinks, arcades, and it's back to the 80s-90s.
|
|
|
Post by patriciaanne on Sept 7, 2021 9:27:27 GMT -5
I was thinking not too long ago that when Happy Days came out, they were portraying an era only 20 years prior. I was about 10 years old and born in the early 60s, so it seemed a world away for me. But now I realize it would be like coming out with a show now that portrayed the late 90s or early 00s. As everyone has said...not much of a difference.
|
|
|
Post by Easton on Sept 7, 2021 10:15:50 GMT -5
^ The only time there is a difference is when older TV shows are rebooted, and they end up being reboots in name only. They bear little resemblance to the original and all the nostalgia is lost.
|
|
|
Post by journaler on Dec 7, 2021 15:25:24 GMT -5
But imagine writing a show today about life 40 years ago in 1981. There would not be nearly as much difference in life compared to the Waltons and the 70's. Another current show that looks at the 1980s: This is Us. It's often called The Waltons' successor. It deals with a multigenerational family from 1980 to the present and uses flashbacks to explain the characters' current situations. In the flashbacks, the 80s seem "modern" -- things back then don't look "dramatically different" from the present. The 80s scenes flow well with the 2021 scenes. While reading some of The Homecoming reboot's reviews, I thought about your thread. Some have commented that the reboot looks and sounds a bit too clean, polished, and "modern" for 1930s America -- the modern-looking home, modern language, more progressive gender views and race relations. After reading your post, I think some new, younger viewers might appreciate the "updated" aspects within the Depression setting. They might find the reboot's more modern-looking images and themes appealing and relatable to their own experiences and expectations (ie, not "so old fashioned and strange"). (Easton, I remember you once used an interesting Start Trek analogy to suggest that 1970s viewers might've connected with the Walton women's "modern" Charlies Angels hairstyles and designer jeans, even if the styles clearly did not fit with the time period.)
|
|
|
Post by carol on Dec 15, 2021 21:07:19 GMT -5
It is funny to think of one of the reasons the Waltons was so popular was the nostalgia factor for many. Even in the 1970's when this show originally aired, everything about the Waltons was so old fashioned and strange compared to "modern" 70's life. Even more so when watching from 2021. But imagine writing a show today about life 40 years ago in 1981. There would not be nearly as much difference in life compared to the Waltons and the 70's. I know that some of the evening scenes in the Waltons showing people gathered around the radio, or playing checkers and doing knitting or embroidery were done to show a contrast with the fact that everyone was gathered around the TV eating "TV dinners" in the 70's in the evening. But when we watch today, it still resonates as my older kids are staring at their phones and responding to social media all night. But a show set in 1981 would show a family staring at the TV all night. So not as dramatically different. What do people think? Like the Waltons season one opening credits I can just see an 80's show opening credits. Everyone is smiling and laughing and gatherng around dad who brought home a VCR and an Atari game console. I can see an entire episode devoted to waiting for the Dallas episode revealing who shot JR. The family and friends are all guessing who did it and at the end of the episode they are all gathered around someone's TV watching the infamous Dallas episode.
|
|
|
Post by carol on Dec 16, 2021 14:32:09 GMT -5
30 years from now a show about a 2020 family will show everyone in masks locked down in their homes and staring at cell phones.
|
|