All in the Decade

About this course:

In the nine decades that make up the history of television, none involved more change to the business and its programming than the 1970s. Dramas turned dark. Comedies turned serious. Movies and miniseries smashed taboos. Conventions were overturned. Representation soared. Reality programming arrived. Sports in prime time and HBO and Showtime were born. And controversy was often as explosive as some of the ratings. TV, in other words, got real, because a rapidly changing America demanded it. In this course, we explore what 1970s television explored—realism, feminism, individualism, commercialism and escapism. From projects like All in the Family, Roots and MASH; to people like Lorne Michaels, Fred Silverman, Norman Lear and Richard Pryor; and to industry issues like The Family Viewing Hour, The Kojak Trial and HBO v. FCC; we examine seventy things that turned a decade into a prime-time revolution. This course uses the Hybrid (Flexible) format which allows students to participate remotely and/or in the classroom. This course will be recorded. Students will have access to videos for the duration of the course