4 ms·

Yeah that stood out to me as well. There’s a kind of reverse-bechdel test where you can ask yourself to find any portrayal of a husband that doesn’t include moc

Yeah that stood out to me as well. There’s a kind of reverse-bechdel test where you can ask yourself to find any portrayal of a husband that doesn’t include mockery of some kind. And you can actually go back pretty far with it - it seems like that general trend began in the 70’s. Like you have I Love Lucy, which was a bit of a sexist show in its own right of course, but the husband wasn’t portrayed as incompetent. I can’t think of a more recent example, aside from Bluey.

yellowstuff 2y ago
I believe that Happy Days started the trend in the 70s, with Mr. Cunningham being portrayed more realistically than earlier TV fathers. Allegedly (I can't find a source) an executive said "He doesn't look like a father. He looks like my father." https://allthetropes.org/wiki/Bumbling_Dad https://allthetropes.org/wiki/Bumbling_Dad However, in the 80s there were still examples of mostly competent fathers, like The Cosby Show and Family Ties.
- danielvaughn 2y ago
  Yeah fair, and there’s actually some I can think of from the 90’s, like Family Matters and Full House.
eru 2y ago
> There’s a kind of reverse-bechdel test where you can ask yourself to find any portrayal of a husband that doesn’t include mockery of some kind. Are you restricting yourself to family sit-coms? If not, there's plenty of characters in all kinds of media that just happen to be fathers and/or husbands and are treated normally. But I agree with your general sentiment. That's one of the reasons I hate Peppa pig with a passion. You might (or might not) like the treatment of Hilda's dad in the third season of the animated series.
spectralglitch 2y ago
Hal from Malcom holds up pretty well, quirky and flawed of course, but all in all a great father and husband. though it’s admittedly been a while since I went through it.
- stefs 2y ago
  not sure about that. hal is definitely a bit of a bumbling idiot, especially next to his wife.
majormajor 2y ago
"Any portrayal of a husband" on TV? Comedies often have some mockery built in, and comedies aimed at kids in particular like to take shots at authority, but there are a lot of examples I can think of in just the general-TV-millenial-vibe-y things I've watched over the past couple of decades. More than the "bumbling dad" type, I'd say, from things I've seen in the zeitgeist (I guess one recent super typical example is Rick and Morty, though everyone sucks there): * Arrested Development: Michael is the most competent of the bunch. His father was also quite competent, if an asshole and eventual criminal. But, you know, that put the "sit" in sitcom... * Luke from Gilmore Girls is pretty consistently more sane than Lorelai, turns out to be a good dad too IIRC; other fathers include a loser and a number of very successful businessmen, teachers, etc. * King of the Hill: doing his best, often the most sane of the bunch * Bob's Burgers: haven't watched a ton of this but from what I've seen Bob is a goofball but respectable and wholesome, kinda a Hank Hill. Not a lazy Homer * Parks and Rec: Ben Wyatt is a pretty positive character * Brooklyn 99: Terry is practically a superman of competence and seems to hold is own with his wife and kids. Holt is a supremely competent husband. Boyle is a goofball generally and in dating, but that does not really extend to his eventual marriage and child, where he seems to be doing quite well. * Schitt's Creek: Johnny is the competent center of the family surrounded by comically exaggerated crazy wife + kids Dramas seem even further away. Where do Breaking Bad or the Sopranos land?
- mikepurvis 2y ago
  Add Keith from Veronica Mars to the list— he’s an absolute rock for her and manages well the balance between being protective while also letting her go her own way.
Boogie_Man 2y ago
I think Tim Allen's character from Home Improvement was unique in that he was a father who frequently made comedic mistakes, but that they resulted from over ambition or carelessness rather than standard stupidity, and his "pig headed machismo" was often a bit of an act rather than who the character really "was" as evidenced by his ability to be thoughtful and sensitive after he learned lessons.
- sylens 2y ago
  This is a great point - behind the TV persona as the Tool Man, Tim’s character was a pretty competent and genuine father

yellowstuff 2y ago

I believe that Happy Days started the trend in the 70s, with Mr. Cunningham being portrayed more realistically than earlier TV fathers. Allegedly (I can't find a source) an executive said "He doesn't look like a father. He looks like my father." https://allthetropes.org/wiki/Bumbling_Dad https://allthetropes.org/wiki/Bumbling_Dad However, in the 80s there were still examples of mostly competent fathers, like The Cosby Show and Family Ties.

danielvaughn 2y ago
Yeah fair, and there’s actually some I can think of from the 90’s, like Family Matters and Full House.

eru 2y ago

> There’s a kind of reverse-bechdel test where you can ask yourself to find any portrayal of a husband that doesn’t include mockery of some kind. Are you restricting yourself to family sit-coms? If not, there's plenty of characters in all kinds of media that just happen to be fathers and/or husbands and are treated normally. But I agree with your general sentiment. That's one of the reasons I hate Peppa pig with a passion. You might (or might not) like the treatment of Hilda's dad in the third season of the animated series.

spectralglitch 2y ago

Hal from Malcom holds up pretty well, quirky and flawed of course, but all in all a great father and husband. though it’s admittedly been a while since I went through it.

stefs 2y ago
not sure about that. hal is definitely a bit of a bumbling idiot, especially next to his wife.

majormajor 2y ago

"Any portrayal of a husband" on TV? Comedies often have some mockery built in, and comedies aimed at kids in particular like to take shots at authority, but there are a lot of examples I can think of in just the general-TV-millenial-vibe-y things I've watched over the past couple of decades. More than the "bumbling dad" type, I'd say, from things I've seen in the zeitgeist (I guess one recent super typical example is Rick and Morty, though everyone sucks there): * Arrested Development: Michael is the most competent of the bunch. His father was also quite competent, if an asshole and eventual criminal. But, you know, that put the "sit" in sitcom... * Luke from Gilmore Girls is pretty consistently more sane than Lorelai, turns out to be a good dad too IIRC; other fathers include a loser and a number of very successful businessmen, teachers, etc. * King of the Hill: doing his best, often the most sane of the bunch * Bob's Burgers: haven't watched a ton of this but from what I've seen Bob is a goofball but respectable and wholesome, kinda a Hank Hill. Not a lazy Homer * Parks and Rec: Ben Wyatt is a pretty positive character * Brooklyn 99: Terry is practically a superman of competence and seems to hold is own with his wife and kids. Holt is a supremely competent husband. Boyle is a goofball generally and in dating, but that does not really extend to his eventual marriage and child, where he seems to be doing quite well. * Schitt's Creek: Johnny is the competent center of the family surrounded by comically exaggerated crazy wife + kids Dramas seem even further away. Where do Breaking Bad or the Sopranos land?

mikepurvis 2y ago
Add Keith from Veronica Mars to the list— he’s an absolute rock for her and manages well the balance between being protective while also letting her go her own way.

Boogie_Man 2y ago

I think Tim Allen's character from Home Improvement was unique in that he was a father who frequently made comedic mistakes, but that they resulted from over ambition or carelessness rather than standard stupidity, and his "pig headed machismo" was often a bit of an act rather than who the character really "was" as evidenced by his ability to be thoughtful and sensitive after he learned lessons.

sylens 2y ago
This is a great point - behind the TV persona as the Tool Man, Tim’s character was a pretty competent and genuine father