90s TV

Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
The Simpsons
Seinfeld
Friends

Most likely due to the whole incident with Bill Clinton, television shows began to become more open and liberal about what they would say, portray, and imply. This clearly showed a connection between decade events and the content of shows. One prominent example is the show Friends, which dealt at length with sex and relationships and the like. Americans felt that if our president was talking about and partaking in sexual activities then it must be okay for shows and movies to start doing it as well. Another clear example of this is in The Simpsons, which had sexual innuendos abound. Additionally, The Simpsons used a lot of political satire that was relevant at the time and other slightly taboo material that was somewhat questionable as to its appropriateness for TV. But if the President could partake then so could every American! Seinfeld presumably had a lot of these same features but the episode we watched focused on frozen yogurt and its debatable fat content. This slightly inane conflict (which lasted the whole episode) showed that Americans were starting to watch their weight and perhaps reduce the gluttony and greed that had exploded in the 80s. These sitcoms also changed from past decades because they didn't emphasize the importance of a structured family such as in The Cosby Show or All In the Family, but instead stressed the importance of friendship. Lastly, the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air represented the African-Americans' contribution to 90s television. Jumpstarting Will Smith's career, the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air represented the 90s take on a fish-out-of-water story. Very similar to Beverly Hill-Billies, this show adapted the concept and turned it into something fresh and original that 90s viewers would enjoy. The real question is whether its theme song is better than Beverly Hill-Billies.