Marriage in TV Dramas: The New Moral Code of the 21st Century

The early days of American television saw traditional 1950s morals and ideals played out on screen in lighthearted sitcoms. As television became a more popular medium for entertainment purposes, producers and creators began to play with the idea of expanding the type of content television shows dealt with and provided for consumers.

Lucy and Ricardo had their differences, but ultimately followed strict 1950 gender guidelines for behavior.

The Leave it to Beaver family represented traditional roles in their marriage: the husband came home from work and his wife had dinner on the table. 

A popular show in the 70s, The Brady Bunch family held on to almost outdated notions of gender and marriage roles.

In 2014 there is a TV genre for everyone: science fiction and fantasy, crime, hospital, nature, cooking, and reality programming. However, one the most popular television genres is the drama. Usually a sweep at awards shows, television dramas are the ones that receive the highest primetime ratings, the most reviews and promotion both in online and print media, the largest propensity for "binge-watching", and the largest amount of cultural currency.

Sue Thornham and Tony Purvis theorize in Television Drama: Theories and Identities that the shift in popularity from sit-coms to dramas came as a result of a growing global society. Sharing entertainment with other cultures and being made more aware of economic and political scandals has increased general audience dissatisfaction with fluffy or light entertainment. Instead, viewers want their television shows to put more emphasis on narrative, character development, and real-world connections (Thornham). Because dramas are the most watched type of programming on television, they have an extraordinary platform to comment on social issues and political ideals. Their portrayal of life comes the closest to examining real-life issues that many Americans face on a daily basis (more so than science fiction or reality shows), and can have the power to influence the way viewers think and act. Though the television drama attempts to connect with audiences through realistic and harrowing portrayals of the hardships of life, there is a lack of representation of happily married couples on American television dramas, and dramas centering on secure married couples receive lower ratings than rival shows of the genre. However, the overwhelming representation of poor marriages on TV is actually helping reinforce traditional values on the institution, by centering the marriages on unlikeable spouses whom audiences would not want to emulate.

Mad Men follow corporate advertising executive Don Draper, who struggles to remain faithful to his wife and family

A prime example of this comes from Vince Gilligan’s critically acclaimed Breaking Bad. The show follows the life of high school chemistry teacher Walter White, and his reaction to finding out he has cancer. In order to provide for his family, Walt decides to join forces with an old student of his and together the two agree to make a rolling meth lab. Walt goes to extremes to keep his drug making hidden from his family, and must do several illegal things to remain safe from rival drug lords and kingpins. A central part of the story in Breaking Bad is the deterioration of Walt’s marriage to his wife Skylar. Even before Walt’s diagnosis, the two have a one-sided relationship, with Skylar taking control of family activities and decisions. She insists on Walt working at more than one job so he can provide for their family, while she stays at home at tries to continue her career as a writer, which has never been successful. When Walt is diagnosed he immediately turns to making meth without even telling his wife about his illness. Later, he employs a series of lies and elaborate stories to keep Skylar from finding out about the meth, and is shocked that she does not approve of his involvement with drugs when she eventually uncovers the truth. With back and forth arguments, and threats of divorce, the pair never come to a compromise. Each party uses manipulation and guilt to get what they want from the marriage, and very rarely do anything that is for the benefit of the other, even though each insist they want the best for their family. Audiences are not supposed to like Walt or Skylar, as the way they handle very real, everyday situations (cancer diagnosis, disagreements in marriage, struggles with finances), are so irresponsible and far from the norm that everyday Americans cannot relate to their relationship with one another.

Walt and Skyler's relationship remains built on lies, cheating, and lawlessness.

Another popular example of the dissolution of marriage can be found in Shonda Rhimes’ Scandal. Part political drama, part romantic drama, the show begins with a central focus on the relationship between President Fitzgerald Grant and his press secretary-turned mistress Olivia Pope. In the beginning seasons of the show, viewers are meant to root for Olivia and Fitz because Fitz’s wife Mellie is seen as such an abhorrent character. However, as the show progresses, background information is given on Mellie, and viewers come to learn that her tragic past was overlooked by her husband. As a sympathetic character, Mellie holds the power to turn audiences against Fitz and his philandering. The two are constantly fighting, and like Walt and Skylar, employ cheating, guilt, and blackmail to get what they want politically and emotionally. Even the quasi marriage of Olivia and Fitz, which original draws in audiences, becomes tiresome and loathsome to watch as the two constantly ruin friendships and trusts with others to satisfy their selfish need to be with one another. Similarly political advisor Cyrus and his husband James are constantly untruthful with each other and so selfish in their desires, that one of them dies because of their horrible marriage. Because the married characters in this show are such terrible people, Rhimes is helping lay a foundation of what marriage is not supposed to look like in the twenty-first century, thus giving power to traditionally happy marriages.

Scandal's Fitz and Mellie have little to no respect for each other, and constantly fight to get what they want.

Fitz puts all of his trust with Olivia, and promises her things that will never be a reality.

Other popular dramas like Mad Men, Orange is the New Black, and How to Get Away With Murder deal with infidelity in marriage and poor communication from partners. These shows portray the after effects of a poor marriage in almost every discernible form. When the marriage of two lead characters is unhealthy and unstable, loss is suffered in general character happiness, the behavior of children, performance at work, and general morality. The early sitcoms of the 1950s and 1960s often portrayed marriage as an overly simplistic part of life. These shows were meant to uphold cultural morals of the necessity of marriage and the importance of conforming to traditional gender roles to remain happy. When the married couples in these shows strayed in the slightest bit from the norm of gender roles, every possible thing that could go wrong did. In this way, early sitcoms were doing their part in ensuring that Americans understood the importance of happy, traditional marriages. While television dramas portray life in a more realistic and grounded way, they also exaggerate the relationships between spouses just as old-school sitcoms did. Because many of the husbands and wives in popular dramas use deceitful strategies to get what they want as individuals, rather than a unified team, audiences are shown that extreme individualism and the expectation for intense gratification in marriage is wrong and undesirable. In this way, television dramas are fulfilling consumer desires for more emotionally captivating entertainment, while taking on the traditional duties of sitcoms by making a case for the importance of stability, communication, and unity in marriage.

Called the greatest TV couple of all time, Friday Night Lights' Eric and Tami Taylor show that couples can work out their problems without resorting to cheating, manipulation, or lies. Sadly, the show received low ratings throughout its 5 season run.

Works Cited

Thornham, Sue, and Tony Purvis. Television Drama: Theories and Identities. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, 2005. Print.