Assignment: Persuasive Essay

Are today's shows as groundbreaking as 60s and 70s TV?

In They'll Never Put That on the Air: An Oral History of Taboo-Breaking Comedy, Allen Neuwirth examines the early battles to push the envelope of 60s and 70s comedic television. He illustrates the ways in which groundbreaking programs, such as Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, All in the Family, and Maude, faced uphill battles to break the mold of sitcom television. As a result, a bolder style of television emerged, one that believed audiences were sophisticated enough to handle relevant social issues (e.g. war, race, abortion) in a TV comedy. Today, these shows are the progenitors of some of our edgiest comedies, such as Seinfeld, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Glee, and Weeds. But have contemporary shows followed through on the promise of provocative and insightful comedy? Do today's comedies seek to challenge viewers in the same way? In a concise essay, argue whether the legacy of these 60s and 70s sitcoms is being fulfilled today. Do we see the benefits of their hard-earned victories in our comedies, or has contemporary television simply slid into a competition to shock viewers? Cite specific evidence from They'll Never Put That on the Air to support your thesis (you may also draw from any classic or current television show).

Requirements:

• MLA Style, including parenthetical citation
• 3-page minimum
• Include a Works Cited page

The best papers will:

• Have a clear argument outlined inside of a concise thesis
• Stay within the parameters of the prompt, examining the legacy of groundbreaking 60s and 70s programs in television today
• Clearly support their thesis utilizing solid evidence presented in a logical structure
• Properly cite evidence from the above articles using MLA's in-text parenthetical citation method
• Conclude with a summation of the argument, as well as main points
• Be formatted according to MLA Style 

Due: Tu 2.21 (Sec. 05) Draft 1—Bring 3 copies* / Fr 2.24 (Sec. 49) Draft 1—Bring 3 copies

*Sec. 05: Since Blogger was down for the better part of the weekend, I will not expect you to have a completed first draft. Instead, come in with as much of your essay as you can get done before Tuesday.