While we're seeing a lot of TV shows from yesteryear being rebooted, many new ones are appearing as well. And they reflect the current state of the world, our changed attitudes, political correctness, and more.
The way things have changed so dramatically over the last few years means that some characters that were popular in shows from past decades really wouldn't fly today.
Who exactly? Here are some from the '80s.
A bartender who is both a recovering alcoholic and a notorious womanizer? Both of these things would be frowned upon these days. Some might say that Sam working in and owning a bar would be triggering to his alcoholism.
Meanwhile, his treatment of women on this iconic show would be considered just wrong, along with the storyline that Diane only decides to pursue her dreams when he encourages her to do so on their wedding day. Really?
A young man moving in with his best friend to help him raise his three young daughters after his wife unexpectedly passes away leaving him a single father is a lovely story. However, that man still living in the basement well into his 30s when the kids are now teenagers could seem suspicious.
Some people these days don't want to see dad's best friend give a teenager girl advice about dating. Nosy neighbors would have confronted him about this.
Tony himself is a great character, but a male housekeeper working for a powerful female executive isn't groundbreaking today like it was when this show first debuted in the late '80s.
The show was progressive for its time but today, the character wouldn't shock anyone. And Angela as the wealthy and hard-working single mother is pretty much ubiquitous today.
This series, which aired in the '80s and '90s, was about a lower-to-middle-class family just trying to get by. The dad, Al, was a shoe salesman who was presumably depressed about his life, mourning his glory days of high school football.
Aside from his treatment of his wife and two teenage kids, Al insulted just about anyone he could, including customers who came into his store. His favorite targets were overweight women, and no way some of the things he would say on the show would be allowed in a sitcom today.
It isn't so much Jack who wouldn't fly today as it would be the entire concept of the show. A young man named Jack who needed a place to live moved in with two young women, and the only way the conservative landlord was okay with the arrangement was because he was told Jack was gay. He was, of course, not gay at all, and in fact a pretty big womanizer.
Jack having to pretend he was gay and "act" gay throughout the series led to plenty of high jinks. But the character just wouldn't fly today.
Aside from the obvious fact that the character was designed to make fun of foreigners, the over-the-top portrayal would be considered totally offensive today.
And so would Balki's ridiculous outfits, naivety, and total cluelessness. It's one thing to have a language barrier, but Balki made it seem as though small-town people from other countries had zero idea about American culture.
It's a wonder how they ever thought an elderly man would be able to adopt a young girl back when this show aired, but it is even more unbelievable now.
On the late '80s series, Punky is being raised by her foster parent, an elderly window who decides to try and adopt her. Even though the show portrays the struggle for Henry to gain custody of the abandoned child who showed up in his building, chances are slim that a man of his age would ever win custody of a random young girl.
The whole idea behind this show would never fly today. Two single men are struggling with their careers and decide to disguise as women so they can afford an apartment together.
Sure, it was hilarious but viewers would look down on a show where two men pretend to be women in order to gain an advantage in life.
George was a successful businessman who first appeared in the '70s sitcom All in The Family. It's a nice rags to riches story, and it touched on a lot of cultural and racial topics that was groundbreaking at that time.
Today, the character, however, wouldn't be so groundbreaking. Plus, viewers would be angered that a successful African-American man leading a sitcom also had to be rude, bigoted, and not very intelligent, despite his career achievements.
Can someone imagine a family hiring a random young college student to live with them and, in exchange for room and board, he is tasked with caring for their children? People aren't as trusting nowadays so this would never happen.
It's a shame since the series, which aired from 1984 through to 1990, was really great and showed how a young man could mature quickly after having to care for children. But today, no sane parent would ever be okay with such an arrangement.
