The Popular TV Shows: Political and Social Topics

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The 1960s and the 1970s were difficult times for the United States. The country participated in a war in Asia and had internal struggles due to racial tensions and the Civil Rights Movement. The television during this time focused on the post-World War II films and westerns, which were a part of the mass culture (Lloyd, 2018). This paper will analyze the popular TV shows that tried to incorporate controversial political and social topics into their plots.

The Laugh-In and The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour make counter-cultural ideas more accessible to Middle America by acknowledging the racial tensions and the Vietnam war, unlike mainstream television. For example, in the “Very interesting and super serious” episode, the two characters are seen in military clothes in a jungle. This appears to be a reference to the Vietnam war. By including this topic in a comedy sketch, the authors made their ideas more accessible to Middle America. The show was watched as entertainment, and the inclusion of a serious topic implied simplifying it. Through comedy and simplification, the viewer could see a hint of a serious political problem.

A similar approach was taken by the writers of The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour. The show was staged as a conversation between the two brothers and provided a combination of entertainment and enlightenment to the viewers. The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour often used music. For example, they rewrote the lyrics of old tunes to create comedic songs that touched on issues of race, for example: “there are every race and nationality in the land” (MyyyClips2, n.d.). There are differences in the approaches that the two series take since The Laugh-In are designed as short episodes that do not directly voice a social issue in question. The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, on the other hand, were longer episodes and included not only comedy sketches but other forms of entertainment, such as songs.

The Mod Squad exemplifies the move towards relevancy and the socio-political threats of the 60s and 70s. This show is designed as a TV series with several characters and a plot progression. The episode14 of the third season is titled “A short course in war,” and the main characters begin to protest in their college building. Similar to the Laugh-In and The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, this episode is designed to highlight the issues that exist in American society. These include the riots and protesting moods of the youth and the war that can get out of control. By showing these topics, this show becomes relevant to the audience, and they see the issues they discuss, such as the Vietnam War. On the other hand, the series does not voice any of their opinions directly through the characters. For example, episode 14 is written to portray the US’s involvement in the war in Asia, but the show only shows a conflict between the students and the college administration.

In summary, mass television programs during the 1960s and 1970s avoided portraying controversial topics. Some shows, however, showed the issues of war and racial tensions. The Laugh-In, for example, used comedy to portray the war in Vietnam. The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour includes comedy sketches and tunes that point to social and political issues. Finally, The Mod Squad highlights social problems indirectly by showing protests or riots in a college.