american TV shows Archives - DU Beat - Delhi University's Independent Student Newspaper

Problematic Characters We Have All Loved

By Amrashree Mishra December 2, 2019

When the story unravels, a new episode comes out, your favourite actor plays the character, often the best of us make the wrong judgement and internalise these problematic characters from our favourite movies and TV Series. Here is a piece deconstructing and splitting the problematic image of the character away from the actor.

A tragic past, a bright mind or a great sense of humour are a few of the many things that blind us when it comes to characters from one’s favourite TV shows, series or novels. They are highly relevant to the story; their charming grin or the caring attitude almost makes one forget their problematic behaviour. The constant reaffirmations that they receive from the other characters of the show help hide their sexist, condescending or manipulative behaviour. It then becomes extremely important to question one’s love for the character and see them with a fresh and woke perspective. Here is a list of how the behaviours of some of the most popular characters are the most problematic ones.

Barney Stinson, How I Met Your Mother

Barney Stinson is probably one of the most loved characters of the series. He’s charming and quirky. His bro-code and tricks almost make him too likeable. However, it must not be forgotten that he was a sex-obsessed womaniser who treated women like objects, who tricked and mislead them into sleeping with him. Even when he and Robin (another character from the show and his wife later on) were together he lied to her under the guise of good intentions and romantic gestures. It’s amazing he didn’t have multiple rape charges against him.

Carrie Bradshaw, Sex and the City

The leading character of Sex and the City was a selfish, manipulative and condescending friend. However, her writing the edgy fashion column makes us love her so much. The entire series revolve around four independent women in New York City and their strong friendship, however when her friends tell her about intimate and celebratory events in their life like pregnancy, miscarriage or cancer, she somehow made the situation about herself. Let’s not even get started on how badly she treated Aidan when he forgave her again and again.

Chuck Bass, Gossip Girl

The tragic past of Chuck Bass and the pseudo-character development shown by the writers perfectly hide the fact, that Chuck Bass was a rapist. The worst part is that he’s marketed to young girls as a “hot bad-boy type” and we all bought into it.

In the episode premier, he first tries to force himself on his drunk friend, Serena and then on a 14-year old freshman, Jenny. He even calls Serena a “slut” for stopping him to molest Jenny.

Chuck Bass is womaniser, who treats women like trophies and all that matters to him is the chase. He takes Blair’s virginity in the back of a limo mere hours after she breaks up with his best friend. However, he’s always saved by how Blair appreciates him and eggs him on.

Are we supposed to believe that Chuck was just going around assaulting women because he hadn’t yet found the right one? That he just needed someone who could challenge him, and he would see the error of his ways?

Ezra Fitz, Pretty Little Liars

When you think about it, it’s gross how he’s celebrated as a great writer and literature professor and so justified for having an affair with his student, a minor.

His vocabulary and grammar syntax act as a perfect medium to hide how he acts all innocent dating a teenage girl. He never once shows remorse for his actions and expects to be appreciated for his epic love story and blames everyone else who finds a problem with his affair.

Edward Cullen, Twilight

The dream man of all teenage girl is well very problematic. The guy wanted to possess his girlfriend and control every aspect of her life. Few of the things you might’ve ignored were, the idea that Edward was initially attracted to Bella because he wanted to bite her, his teenage mood swings and how scares Bella to woo her. Not romantic, but creepy how he watches Bella while sleeping when he barely knew her. He follows her everywhere around and underestimates her in every situation. One must realise that love is not supposed to be a prison with your partner as the guard, isolating you from everyone else in the world.

Patty Bladell, Insatiable

All the characters are problematic as hell, but she is on another level. She tried to break up the marriage of her coach who was 20 years older to her and was the father of her crush. She kidnapped a girl, exposed a gay relationship, killed a guy, and when she had a teratoma she thought she’d eaten her twin. She was not some girl we pity for being bullied — she literally destroyed the lives of everyone around her.

Ross Geller, Friends

Ross Geller coming from the beloved show Friends often is saved because of the love he receives on screen from all the other cast members. If seen in a different way perspective, here are few things he has done. He lied to Rachel about getting their marriage annulled, for his own satisfaction. He tried to kiss his own cousin, and said, “she wants the same things you do” just because she requested to open a bottle of wine. Not only this, he’s extremely dismissive of Rachel’s career and in the last few episodes even convinced her to give up on a great opportunity. It’s ironical how his pervert nature of making his and Rachel’s sex tape without her consent, is applauded by his friends to act as an evidence. He doesn’t value consent, and feels that Rachel being naked is an invitation to him for sex. He’s a jerk who made us internalise “she was asking for it”.

With this article, there’s a hope we become more receptive to the kind of content we receive and consume. Let’s call out what’s wrong and problematic. We’ve had enough jokes on the identities of people.

It’s time to make everyone aware.

Stay woke, friends!

Feature Image Credits: What Would Bale Do

Chhavi Bahmba

[email protected]

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Reviews

Making it as Midge

By DU Beat December 23, 2018

The second season of ‘The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel’ started another uproar for the critically acclaimed portrayal and characterization of the titular Mrs. Maisel. But what makes Midge Maisel the poster-girl of making a stand-up position in the hearts of the audience? What is different about this ‘smart, funny, and beautiful’ woman of the 1950s? In an episode where a drunk man heckles Miriam Maisel while she is performing on stage, he says, “Women aren’t funny,” and the marvelous Mrs. Maisel laughs her signature laugh while telling the man that his wife must have a sense of humour because she sees him naked every night. Then, he calls her a “dumb bitch” and she amuses him, and the audience, by asking, “Who told you?” The fashion in which Mrs. Maisel handles her heckler is a revelation, an out-there-message for the viewers in the real world, and her audience in the Midge-verse that she is not scared or intimidated in a man’s world. There is an undeniable air of hostility around women who engage in humour. For instance, women in India in the twenty-first century sit around and witness their fathers joke about alcohol, cigarettes, and women with their sons, even in seemingly progressive households. Yet there is silence- an unsaid usher of understanding- about making the same jokes with the daughters. Daughters and wives are not allowed the leniency to joke about the same thing, because good girls are not supposed to know enough to joke. Their piousness is confined to their closed legs, closed mouths, and closed minds. So, in the 1950s, a woman telling off men by amusing their stereotypes is not only unconventional, it is also a sign of raging strength. But is that all Miriam ‘Midge’ Maisel is about? The courageous, unconventional, overlooked wife shining after the foil of her husband leaves her for good; this is not a story summing up the theatrical complexities of Miriam’s womanhood in the mid-decade of the twentieth century. When a booker refuses to pay Midge and locks her manager, Susie, in an attempt to dismiss her because she is a woman comedienne fighting it in what he sees as a man’s territory, Midge does not hesitate to ring her former husband. She tells Susie that one needs a man to navigate in a man’s world some times. Michelle Obama, in her book, Becoming, wrote of her experience in the classroom while she was pursuing her undergraduate degree, stating that many men who dominated the debates and discussions had a false sense of self. She wrote that they believed themselves to be smarter than her and some other women but were “simply emboldened, floating on an ancient tide of superiority, buoyed by the fact that history never told them anything different.” Midge Maisel is the person whose smarts gain her husband slots for his stand-up performances, and he tells her that she does not know the way the world of comedy functions. Her identity as the missus of Joel Maisel is not an affirmation of her qualities as an individual, the series iterates, but it is a mask Joel constantly hides behind to escape his own inefficiency. Then, the right way to assess Midge Maisel is not as a paragon of rebellious, empowering values. In fact, Midge Maisel is not straight-edge, and she is more than willing to weasel her way in by playing the stereotype to her advantage. This is what makes her stand out. We are accustomed to looking at women characters as archetypes. To assert power, for instance, women must be like Claire Underwood- ruthless, uncaring, and willing to go to all lengths that a moral soul would question. To make us love them, women must be all saints, always trying to do the moral, the ethical thing so that they deserve our sympathies. The categorization of our women is not a new trait, and it is absolutely not one reeking of modern feminism. The series shows Midge Maisel as a human being, treading not dubiously on the path of the virtuous and the more virtuous, but struggling and cutting lanes to make it big. The final stamp of approval for the portrayal comes when one thinks of Serena Williams and Virat Kohli in the present-day light. Williams, a far more experienced and accomplished player in the world of sports, became a ‘bitch’ overnight for her outburst while Kohli’s anger issues on the field, rebuked by the umpire, are accompanied by “but he is the best batsman”. The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel is not the story fighting for women’s rights, but it is the story of a woman using her rights to fight her way towards her goal. On the way, she makes people angry, she makes people proud, but her individuality is not something she owes to their pride, their ego, or their anger. The final episode of the second season makes the point, loud and clear, as Mrs. Maisel goes to her former husband, Joel, to have one last fling with the man “who loves her”, for she knows the cost of her dreams in the real world. She recognizes that she may not have people or love in the passenger seat of the marvelous ride, but she actively wants to enjoy the journey- opinions be damned. Image Courtesy: Mashable Image Caption: Miriam struggles to make it big, instead of winning the limelight by giving uncanny rants and speeches which do not work in the real world. Anushree Joshi [email protected]]]>

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DUB Speak

Why the T.V Show ‘Friends’ was Problematic on Multiple Grounds

By Muskan Sethi September 22, 2018

F.R.I.E.N.D.S has forever been one of the most loves shows on television, always celebrated for its inclusion and liberal spirit. However, this year, on the 24th anniversary of the show, DU Beat brings to you the other part of the conversation about the who’s weak, abysmal portrayal of the LGBTQIA+ community and communities of colour.

F.R.I.E.N.D.S. has been one of the most loved shows in the history of television since 1994. In its journey of 10 seasons, the show traces the journey of six reckless adults living in Manhattan and their lives revolving around love, friendship, and family. Today, as we celebrate its 24th anniversary on 22nd September, 2018, we bring to you a few shades of the show that were left uncoloured.

Throughout the 90’s, TV shows introduced gay characters, culminating with Ellen’s coming-out episode in 1997 and Will & Grace debuting in 1998. The first gay kiss happened on TV on LA Law in 1991. TV commercials also started showing pairs of men/women who could be viewed as couples.

Friends, thus became a part of the movement by offering more LGBTQIA+ characters, though problematic in their representation. The show reflected the reality of gay characters, to a certain extent, but avoided all forms of direct physical intimacy between gay characters. For instance, the episode featuring Carol and Susan’s wedding did not have a kiss.

Season 1, episode 8, where everyone thought Chandler was gay

However, the show’s representation of minority communities and their portrayal through its characters does become highly problematic. Every time, Chandler says the word, “gay”, we can hear panic and shame in his voice. The show was also identified as largely homophobic with its anti-gay jokes and portrayals.

There were various instances in the show where we could blatantly see the anti-gay sentiment. Ross aggressively asks a male nanny if he is gay. Monica judges Chandler for knowing songs from all musicals. Joey complains about queer women not sleeping with him and there is an entire episode where Rachel remembers making out with her university friend, Winona Ryder, and then pities herself for thinking about that, with romantic interest.

Unfortunately, it’s characters like Chandler and Ross who are most disturbed with queerness, despite having gay family members. There is also an entire episode on Ross freaking out about his son, Ben playing with a Barbie infront of his queer co-parents.

“Their lesbianism and Ross’ discomfort with that was definitely something the show used as a punchline. The people from minority communities were mainly side characters, not one main character was queer. Chandler and Joey made homophobic jokes continuously. The show fed into the discomfort and stigma around men doing things that are not masculine so the whole Nap Buddies episode, with Ross and Joey sleeping together,” says Akanksha Rao, a third year Economics student of Jesus and Mary College.

Chandler’s attitude towards the LGBT community becomes very problematic as all his references towards his father are full of contempt and mockery. Chandler’s transgender father is often referred to as her birth name ‘Charles’ rather than her new name ‘Helena Handbasket’. Incorrect labels are used when the cast are talks about her and lots of jokes are made about her gender.

“They tried to show chandler as ‘feminine’ and that’s why he always had a problem getting girls, as people thought he was gay,” says Jayita Pande, a second year student of B.Com. (Hons.) at Jesus and Mary College.

Since people assume Chandler to be gay, he gets overly sensitive about them thinking of him as too feminine. In the show, being gay is also portrayed as something to be ashamed of. There’s an entire episode about Chandler finding out that people assume him to be gay and he comes of as scared and ashamed. This brings him across as an extremely homophobic character, constantly feeling the need to prove his ‘manliness’.

Apart from this, it becomes increasingly difficult to believe that these characters, despite living in Manhattan, do not encounter queer people or more people of colour in their lives. Unfortunately, the show creators centred the story around six white, heterosexual characters who conform to the norms at every chance possible. There really wasn’t any multicultural diversity in the show. The closest they got to it was through Ross’s Asian girlfriend, Julia. The only prominent black character throughout the series was Dr. Charlie Wheeler, who was also portrayed in a very negative light.

The show has always has major influence on teens all over the world and while adults, continuously surrounded by discourse about making the environment more queer friendly, are able to understand that the gay panic was a part of the period and the storyline did not mean to cultivate an anti gay sentiment, the impressionable kids watching the show still get swayed by the skewed representation and the faulty portrayal.

The question, however, does remain whether the homophobia that reflected in the show was a product of an anti-gay sentiment within the production or a genuine effort to start a discussion revolving around different gender identities.

Feature Image Credits: Vox

Muskan Sethi

[email protected]

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Arts & Culture

An Emotional Roller Coaster with F.R.I.E.N.D.S

By Riya Chhibber November 10, 2016

Stories are written, characters are portrayed, love stories happen, but sometimes they can become so deeply entrenched in your life that everything changes and how unimaginable it may sound if I were to say that a TV show has the power to do that!

Aired in 1994, F.R.I.E.N.D.S is one of the most iconic shows of all time that has continued to win the hearts of people, generation after generation. But let me tell you, watching this show is not healthy because you end up in a vicious cycle of tantalising, and ever so obsessive temptation for the show, that once you have plunged into this ocean, there is no swimming back. Here the characters become your friends, their problems become your problems, their smile gives you a reason to smile and their happiness becomes a reason for yours. Joey’s warm hugs, Monica’s dominating yet amiable demeanour, Ross’s silliness, Rachel’s immaculate sense of dressing and gossip, Chandler’s awkwardly loveable and desirable humour and Phoebe’s sassy nature with a big heart are traits that all fans wish to imbibe.

Addiction to this show is unavoidable. It becomes the medicine for you when you are ill, sad, low or even happy. Regardless of the emotion, it acts like that sweet syrup you are ready to gulp down your throat without any reason at all.

The emotional void caused, when you haven’t been able to see the episodes for a long time, (long time here means like a couple of hours ) is incomparable. You end up giving the show and its characters more room in your heart (even bigger than Monica’s apartment) and doesn’t bother you, rather it gives you a sense of peace.

This timeless TV series is a temptation that teaches us that love is friendship and it is all about ‘sharing and receiving (Joey did explain that well!) Sometimes the gamut of sentiments are so overwhelming that they often roll down your eyes, sometimes there is silence and sometimes they just erupt in the form of a loud roar of laughter. Trust me, you will not be the same person anymore after watching this series and your outlook towards the world will change with the blink of an eye.

So understand one thing, when life is always stuck in second gear, and when it hasn’t been your day, your week, your month, or even your year, this show will be there for you, because with F.R.I.E.N.D.S, nothing is off the table.

Riya Chhibber

[email protected]

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Small Screen

T.V Shows every Superhero fan must watch

By Nidhi Panchal July 31, 2016

It seems like a Particle Accelerator has exploded on the small screen because – it’s raining Superheroes and Super-villains! The Marvel, DC and the comic universe have come to life like never before and they have something for every fandom! From Gotham and Constantine to The Flash and Daredevil, and not to forget – Supergirl and Jessica Jones, both of which are breaking gender stereotypes; all these shows and more are here to bring all your superhero fantasies to life.

On Indian Television, Superhero craze has just started gaining momentum. It started with Arrow on Star World. Now, Colors Infinity and Zee Café have joined the league with airing Legends of Tomorrow, The Flash, Gotham and Supergirl! So without further ado, we bring to you a list of some Superhero T.V. shows that you should not miss!

Arrow

For me, it all started with this show. This show is the cornerstone and it has made the Superhero Universe into the landscape that it is today. With a back story of a Billionaire-turned-Superhero when hit by a tragedy, it all sounded pretty Batman-ish to the viewer. Though after watching the first few episodes, any thoughts of comparison flew out of the window and the adventures of the ‘Emerald Knight’ sucked us into its fun and interesting story-line. Oliver Queen became the new hotshot vigilante-billionaire-scarred-hero of the modern times, saving his Starling City by shooting arrows!

Arrow has a solid foundation with season 1 and 2. With an introduction of too many new characters and major deaths, season 3 and 4 have slightly lost focus and become a lot more crowded. However, the show is still promising and one can expect amazing stuff from coming seasons.

Catch season 4 of Arrow from 2^nd August, 2016, Monday-Friday on Colors Infinity at 7 PM, in India.

*Image Credits: http://www.wpaperhd.com/*

Supergirl

If you love Superman and his Kryptonian genes then, Supergirl is bound to attract you. This is a show tracing the story of Superman’s younger cousin, Kara Danvers. Mellisa Beniost as the titular Kryptonian, is the best live in action Supergirl ever. Though season one has been a little low, it had its high points with some great villains straight from the deep end of the comic universe and a Flash crossover. Hang onto this show because it’s gaining momentum and has a lot of potential for future seasons with it entering the Arrowverse from season 2!

Catch season 1 of Supergirl, Monday-Friday at 10 PM on Zee Cafe, in India.

*Image Credits: http://cdn.playbuzz.com/*

Daredevil

Daredevil is Netflix’s first foray into the Superhero Universe. A show which has both shocked and thrilled the audiences with stellar performances by the actors, Daredevil is one show which is unafraid of venturing into the darkness of Marvel Universe. Also, it has created some unforgettable fight scenes and monologues in any superhero TV shows till now!

Moreover, Daredevil has helped to kick off Marvel’s Netflix expanded universe, which includes Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, and a team-up series – The Defenders. It offers a grounded team of superheroes dealing with more everyday street level problems, and less in the sphere of inter-dimensional alien invasions or metahumans!

*Image Credits: http://netflixlife.com/*

The Flash

The Flash started off as a spin-off of Arrow but it quickly escalated and became the best Superhero show. A show which is totally committed to the most out-of-the-world elements of its comic book universe, The Flash features multiple universes, time travel, and a villainous psychic gorilla and Shark man!

Despite its cheesy, cliché elements and humour, it’s a superhero show to its very core. Flash remarkably tackles the serious themes of grief, loss, pain, separation anxiety and shows us that the almighty Superheroes aren’t bereft of their share of struggles and personal tragedies. The show is unafraid to delve into darkness with events of the murder of Barry’s mother or wrongful conviction of his father but, it resurfaces with hope. Barry retains his humour and humanity amidst all the chaos.

With introduction of multi-universes, the show is more promising with endless possibilities. The adaptation of ‘Flashpoint’, a pivotal ‘Flash’ storyline with Tom Felton joining the show as CSI Julian Dorn in season 3; It seems like this ‘scarlet speedster’ is here to stay and hell-bent on flashing on our screens for long. May the speed force be with The Flash, always!

First Look trailer (Season 3, The Flash): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5LGQRbPERaU

*Image Credits: https://images7.alphacoders.com*

Further Recommendations: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D, Agent Carter, Legends of Tomorrow, Gotham, Constantine and Jessica Jones.

Feature Image Credits: http://media.comicbook.com/

Nidhi Panchal

[email protected]

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DUB Speak

5 Best American Sitcoms of 90s that Still Remain a Classic

By Shagun Marwah June 18, 2016

During the first few days of a post-exam relaxation phase, it’s obvious that binge watching becomes an irresistible choice of indulgence. So after getting tired of sleeping for hours, I decided to turn to my television’s aid as a cure to my remaining exam hangovers. As I lay curled up in bed, flipping from one channel to another to find the most perfect show in a maze of television series, I immediately stopped at a place which relaxed the motion of my hand instantly.

Despite watching each episode more than a hundred times and owning a set of all its seasons to increase the numbers even more, I still knew I’d be unable to find any show better than FRIENDS to give me the solace I needed. That’s when I was drawn to a realization that despite being addicted to numerous shows throughout my teenage years, I always found myself coming back to those few all-time favorite classic American series which not only possess a power to cheer us up within seconds, even today, but also make us relive a bundle of golden memories that we hardly get time to remember and cherish in our busy lives.

So while some are still being aired in India (luckily), and some aren’t (unfortunately), here is a list of the TOP FIVE American Television Sitcoms of 1990s that we never seem to get enough of – and neither do we ever hope to!

1. FRIENDS (1994-2004)

With more than twenty years of its release, it remains till date, undoubtedly, the most loved and sought-after show ever produced in the history of television. Centered on the lives of six friends in Manhattan and their impetuous ups and downs, this show makes one generation after another laugh uninhibitedly and teaches the older ones that some addictions (or almost all jokes of this show) never get old. From Ross’s professed love for dinosaurs and Phoebe’s unique ice-breaking song collections to Monica’s neurotic enthusiasm and Chandler’s biting sarcasm, there was something hilariously charming in each one that glued us to them forever.

Whether it’s Joey’s “How you doin’?” to his utter refusal for sharing of food or Ross and Rachel’s “We were on a BREAK” fiasco to Phoebe’s signature composition- Smelly Cat, there’s always something one can easily find to smile or laugh about in all its episodes which almost make us oblivious to our problems in life, as long as we’re in their presence. As time passes by, these six friends in ten seasons of happiness are bound to “Be there for you” for life.

(Currently being aired from Monday-Friday at 9 pm on COMEDY CENTRAL, India)

Image credits: www.stylearena.net

2. Full House (1987-1995)

There is something magical about this very name which brings a wide smile across anyone’s face who has ever been lucky enough to watch it. Contrary to the popular belief, this American family revolutionized the family culture in the most real and sweetest way possible. The awesome trio of Danny Tanner, the Father (the sensible one), Uncle Jesse, his brother-in-law (the handsome one) and Uncle Joey, his best friend (the dorky one) showed how raising three little girls- DJ (the tomboy one), Stephanie (the mischievous one) and Michelle (the coolest one) under one roof was no piece of cake, and yet, in their most cracking sense of humor handled every single dilemma from their very first steps, school days to boyfriend dramas in an unbelievably adorable way.

Apart from Jesse’s ‘Elvis’-ness and Joey’s goofiness, what made this show even better were the comical ways in which the sisters never left a single chance to mess with each other. DJ and Stephanie’s arguments on the most random issues being complimented with baby Michelle’s priceless reactions were served like an icing on top of the cake.

Michelle Tanner, the youngest, funniest and cutest of the three siblings in Full House.

Image credits: www.cdn3.teen.com or www.lovelace-media.imqix.net

3. That 70s Show (1998-2006)

Set in the spirit of 1970s- the decade of love and rock ‘n’ roll, this is one show that dials up every possible level of craziness and gets you fixated on the most ridiculously flawed group of teenagers after only one episode. The major plot revolves around Eric Forman, a typical geek with a forever-confused look, born to Red and Kitty Forman, a father who lived for the joy of his son’s embarrassment and a vivaciously cool mother whose wittiness was incomparable to that of any teenager.

With Eric’s consistent chaos with his sensible girlfriend, Donna and the pretty rich brat, Jackie’s clash of views with her incredibly dim-witted boyfriend, Kelso, were the two relationships which formed the foundation of a never-ending amusement. Fez, a young ambiguous foreigner and Hyde, the indifferent sarcastic king of the group further completes their entire entertainment package with a kick. The influence of the gang remains as strong as it ever was as I still find myself grooving to their title song, nodding my head along with them and singing its lyrics; and finding a comfort like no other.

(Currently being aired from Monday-Friday at 8:30 pm on FX)

‘Cheap Trick In The Street’- the theme song of That 70’s Show. Caution: Highly Addictive. Listen at your own risk.

Image credits: www.8smash.com

4. Seinfeld (1989-1998)

All those who’re aware of this show know exactly just how amazing it is to reminisce some of its best moments with another Seinfeld fan/s, especially since one gets to live such moments quite rarely. Being aired only for a brief period of time in India and then rerun with a couple of episodes few years back was not enough to do the show justice. While the trend of the 80’s fashion or payphones may have been outdated, the jokes certainly haven’t.

Be it Elaine’s goofball complexity and quirky attitude towards life or George’s hilariously adorable “paranoid, totally inadequate, completely insecure” character’s relatability, Kramer’s epic entries, wackiest expressions and static hairdo to Jerry’s alluring charisma, everything in the show just blended perfectly well together. Like every true Seinfeld fan, I would have to say, “That’s gold, Jerry! Gold!” and so it shall always remain, with all the present sitcoms in comparison to it being simply “Yada Yada Yada…”

Seinfield’s Jerry, Elaine, George and Kramer- the coolest group of friends television has ever witnessed.

Image credits: www.img.buzzfeed.com

5. The Simpsons (1989-2016)

The very fact that a show of the 90s has been able to garner such an endless amount of love and appreciation that its story continues till date, reaching a peak of 27 seasons is more than enough to mark its appeal in the world. Set in the town of Springfield, the Simpsons are an exceptional, one-of-a-kind family that every child wished to be a part of. The humorous affairs mostly concentrate on the lives of Homer Simpson’s atypical anti-father/husband figure running on the ambition of unproductive-ness, endless donuts and laziness, his wife Marge, an ideal housewife and a caring mother who tries her best to keep her family as remotely sane as possible with their three kids- Bart, the impulsive troublemaker, Lisa, the vegan, smarty-pants and Maggie, an infant of the family.

Over the years, after having witnessed a plethora of animated shows, it has been proved that none of them have been able to come anywhere close to this pure comedic brilliance of animation and achieve the replacement of a family as dysfunctional and idyllic as the Simpsons.

Homer and his wife, Marge Simpson- the most EPIC couple of the animated world of television.

Image credits: www.i.imgur.com

I sometimes wonder how life would have been had these shows never been produced. Well, certainly not the greatest one, that’s for sure. If only I could go back in time and watch each one of them all over again, for the very first time, I would. So while these sitcoms continue to remain close to my heart, I’d suggest those who have never watched some of them (or any, God Forbid!) to take out some time in these holidays and experience the nostalgia of 1990s along with happiness and laughter on a whole new dimension.

Happy Holidays!

Shagun Marwah

[email protected]

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