The Evolution of portrayals of family in television

The introduction of television after World War II coincided with a steep rise in birth rates, mortgage rates, and the growth of mass-produced suburbs. In this social climate, it's no surprise that television was conceived as being a family medium. The public often assumes that television's fictional representations of the family have a strong impact on actual families, because of this people have often assumed that these fictional households should mirror not just family life …

…among different programs and genres that we begin to get a view of the range of possibilities. Those possibilities have, of course, been limited by larger social ideologies such as the racism or homophobia which effects the quality and quantity of shows depicting non-white and non-heterosexual households. Despite these on-going exclusions however it is evident that the family on television is as full of mixed messages and conflicting emotions as it is in real life.