Bring Back Mrs. Bunker!

Photo of Housewives of Atlanta courtesy www.freddyo.com.

I heard tonight that a new reality TV show is premiering soon called "The Housewives of the Trailer Park".  We can already tune in to The Housewives of Atlanta, Orange County, Beverly Hills, New Jersey and Lorne Park, to name a few.  Haven't we had enough of the housewives?  Haven't we had enough of reality TV?

Whatever happened to lighthearted TV?  Or how about historical programming?  We used to watch TV to get away from our problems; now we watch TV to hear about other people's problems.  TV used to be innocent.  Now it has to be so hard-edged.  Rather than shows like Murder She Wrote which focused on solving the mystery, we have murder shows which glorify death.

Whatever happened to characters that had flaws but also redeeming qualities?  Now we have characters which have nothing but flaws; they are people that we have a hard time liking.  They are completely interested in themselves and no one else.  They spout lines to get a laugh out of the audience, but they are not genuine or believable. 

I miss classic TV shows like "Little House on the Prairie" and "Happy Days" and "All in the Family".  These programs had a simplicity and a genuineness that today's shows lack.  I would take Mrs. Ingalls or Mrs. Cunningham or Mrs. Bunker any day over "The Housewives of Atlanta".


Photo of All in the Family's Mrs. Bunker and Mr. Bunker courtesy http://tvseriesfinale.com.