Rachel Mercer

(This is part of the weekly television column I write over at Input/Outcast. You can find the original post here.)

Now when I say "feel-good" TV, I'm not talking about your traditional situational comedy and variety shows meant to entertain and make you laugh. Recently, I've been noticing an increased number of television shows that are trying leave the viewer  with a warm and fuzzy feeling when the credits roll. This is something that we frequently see in the movie business, all the little strings of the storyline are pulled together to make a nice, pretty little package for the contented viewers to go home with. Television has started to pick up on this, and shows like Modern Family and Glee reflect the fact that , hey now, they've started to pay attention.

Glee speaks to people that, like the rest of us, can recall the awkward state that was high school. Sure, the nerdy ones of us were able to get the hell out and fly the hell out of that town with our middle fingers raised high in the air. But many of us (who weren't the members of that 5% social elite) can certainly relate to these events. We were down in the dumps, ostracized by everyone else -- but wait, here in this show we're presented not only with a smidgen of hope, but it's coupled with song, dance, and pep! Though Glee presents some similar dramas to those that we initially encountered in high school, each episode closes with a clean and clear messages -- I have friends, I have people who support me, social status doesn't matter -- it's your friends who count.

Modern family similarly presents this idea. Many of us can easily relate to the narrative of the show because of the awkwardness and actual reality that it presents (for me, this was encapsulated in the scene where the quirky son gets his head stuck in between the banisters of the stairs). Much like Glee, each episode closes with a heartwarming message. Characters talking directly to the camera, stating reasons why their family works, and why they love them. In the end, it shows you that despite how infuriating or aggravating you find your family to be, they're still the best friends that you'll ever had. 

I find this transition in television to be interesting, and in some ways more stimulating than the traditional narrative of television. Maybe this is because I've never found the traditional sitcom to be thoroughly entertaining (I've always been more attracted to Sci-fi storylines), and perhaps I tend to be more attracted to these "warm and fuzzy" storylines because I'm of the (oft quoted as) "more sensitive" gender. Who knows? What are your opinions on the advent of these kinds of shows? Will we re-enter a sterile period like the 50's and 60's? Will more shows move in this way? Will it not last because the lack of drama will fail to attract our interests?