Sitcommentary

July 22, 2019
Robinson (The Disney Song Encyclopedia) delves into the social and cultural changes that have stemmed from 40 influential sitcoms in this solid history. This compendium uncovers how fictional characters changed American’s perspectives on serious topics— sex, race, politics, depression, war, gender roles—through humor. Coverage of each show, from 1950s and ’60s classic such as I Love Lucy and The Dick Van Dyke Show to today’s Modern Family and Black-ish, runs around half a dozen pages, so these aren’t comprehensive histories or analyses. Instead, Robinson focuses on the element of each show that made it groundbreaking, such as in 1968’s Julie, which “centered around a black widowed female who juggled parenthood and a career.” In other cases, Robinson touches on smaller aspects such as the concern that the pants Mary Tyler Moore wore on The Dick Van Dyke Show “wouldn’t create any panty lines or noticeable crevices or creases in the wrong places”; the show—one of the first to show women wearing pants—sparked a trend in pedal pushers. Though sometimes leaving the reader wanting more detail, Robinson’s astute history of groundbreaking sitcoms will likely have readers searching out reruns.

September 1, 2019

Comedy has been a staple of television since its inception, with situation comedies drawing families together around an ever-expanding TV screen. Robinson (The World of Musicals) highlights 40 sitcoms that demonstrate that TV can be more than just escapist entertainment--viewers of these shows witnessed America's evolution on social issues set to a laugh track. Organized chronologically, the book spotlights groundbreaking series: the taboos they broke, the controversies they generated, and the reception they received. Readers can easily skip to their favorite programs or dig into some of the lesser-known offerings, but those who read the volume straight through will be rewarded with a narrative that shows how we moved from The Amos 'n' Andy Show to Black-ish, from All in the Family to Modern Family, and from One Day at a Time (1975) to One Day at a Time (2017). Robinson's encyclopedic knowledge of television history and enthusiasm shines through but don't prevent him from addressing problematic elements of the shows (or troubling behavior by their casts). VERDICT A useful and readable guide to social issues as seen through sitcoms. Beyond its scholarly use, this book will be appreciated by nostalgic readers.--Terry Bosky, Madison, WI

Copyright 2019 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 15, 2019
Robinson takes a look at the social relevance and progressivism of popular sitcoms airing over the last 70 years, beginning with Mary Kay and Johnny in 1947, which starred a real-life married couple and took the big step of showing them in bed together. Other early pioneers pushed boundaries by showing a pregnant woman (I Love Lucy), a woman wearing pants (The Dick Van Dyke Show), and a blended family (The Brady Bunch). While many of these examples seem quaint by today's standards, others are remain timely, such as when All in the Family depicted a harrowing attempted rape or when, in Maude, the titular character made the difficult decision to have an abortion. Robinson looks at progressive contemporary sitcoms, including Black-ish, which addresses the issue of racism against Black Americans, from police brutality to a lack of representation in children's toys; and Mom, which follows characters grappling with alcohol addiction and other substance abuse. With short, pithy chapters, this is an excellent, pointed look at the impact and relevance of popular entertainment.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)