From wise to foolish: The portrayal of the sitcom father, 1950s-1990s

An exploratory content analysis of family-oriented sitcoms shows modem tele vision fathers and working class television fathers are more likely to be p ortrayed foolishly than fathers of the past or fathers of higher socioecono mic classes. A sample of long-running and top rated domestic sitcoms from t he 1950s through the 1990s is examined. A theoretical argument is made that the portrayal of sitcom fathers can be linked to changing social climates in which certain jokes become "fairgame. ".