Class is fascinating to us as a culture. I never check my baggage. I cant stand that wait, baggage area. Its good to laugh at it, to get it all out on the table youre going to have to go back to your seat. You know, our goal should be a Society Without classes if we didnt laugh about social class in the United States, we would engage in class warfare. Do you realize the people up here are getting cookies . mmm that is not a show about nothing. Oh, come inside. So, to the left we have the bar, to the right we have the bathroom. Oh, we have bathrooms upstairs, downstairs, many, many bathrooms. I do still believe that for all the things going on in our Current Society in america, you can come from anywhere and end up any place you want. Immigration . Revenue. [ screams ] ive been gutted its crazy, people are just, like, taking our stuff. But the American Dream is not the reality for most americans. Ill tell you, boys, life is crazy. All these doors open up for you, except theyre not really doors. Theyre trap doors. The american sitcom is how we tell stories about class. Youre thinking, is this all i have to my life . Not you, kids. I love you kids, but come on, the house its crap so, when the sitcom makes its way to television, you already see that with The Honeymooners. The honeymooners whatre we gonna do . Whatre we gonna live on until this layoff is over . Suppose it does last a month . Well, we just got to face it. Just have to cut down, cut out this high living. The honeymooners was an example of the idea of class and struggle and what it was like to be a family who didnt have a lot. You dont know how to handle money of course i dont, i never had any practice. These were people born with blue collars. Lower middleclass people that could do regular things but didnt have a lot of money. In the 1950s, you had a major push to move out to suburbia. And consumerism you have all these perfect family sitcoms with these housewives in it and new nice gadgets in the kitchen. Now oh but The Honeymooners lived in a tworoom little, coldwater flat. People were so worried that they couldnt afford curtains. They kept sending curtains to the soundstage. Jackie gleason was always hoping to have the getrichquick scheme. Come on, orton, i only got two days to learn how to play golf. Wait a minute. When Ralph Kramden learns how to golf, he is hoping to ascend his social class position. Plant your feet firmly on the ground and address the ball. But as many of us know, golf is really reserved for another class of people in america. What do they mean by address the ball . Hello, ball. When people are struggling and they see an underdog, youre rooting for that guy. Who is our next guest, please . Mr. Ralph kramden the Name That Tune episode is so potent. I intend to go straight on, forge ahead to the 99,000 answer. Oh, ill go on a game show and i will have enough money to get some Breathing Room to finally achieve my dreams. Who is the composer of swanee river . Hummanahummahummahumma. Whos the composer . Times running out. I felt so bad when he would set up some scheme and it was about to fall apart. Terribly sorry, mr. Kramden, no, the correct answer is steven foster. But thanks so much. Youve been a. Time and again, hed do everything possible, only to be torn down to his basic frailty. Do you wanna go to the moon . Do you wanna go to the moon . really . Youre going to hit her . Thats a husband whos trying to rage and be the boss of his wife. He was what we would call borderline abusive these days. Get my supper but it never bothered me as a kid because she was not afraid of him. Get it yourself the guy was clearly buffeted every day by things but held up always by this love he had with this wonderful woman. I learned something tonight, too. I dont even mind growing old, as long as you and i grow old together. That was an American Experience that 100 Million People could identify with. Baby, youre the greatest. We like to think of ourselves as a classless society. And in postwar america, that was more true than ever. But at the same time, there are all of these little tells. Theres obviously your job. What kind of house you live in. What kind of clothes you wear. What kind of car you drive. Hey, gomer hey, o but one of the biggest tells for class was actually a Southern Accent. Can i use your hose . [ Southern Accent ] help yourself. Water in theres free. We do make a charge for gas, though. And that north south divide became an inspiration for all of these rural sitcoms. [ the Andy Griffith show theme plays ] the whistled theme to the Andy Griffith show, coupled with that bucolic image of andy and opie makes you think of smalltown americana in a simpler time. Anybody ready for some lunch . Oh, we sure are. The Andy Griffith show, that was another whole camp. There you are. The Comfort Food Aspect of sitcoms. You do like pickles, dont you . Oh, sure who dont . Andy griffith was a smalltown sheriff. Didnt have a lot of money, and they were kind of, like, simple. Im going to enter the competition after all. Yes, sir, im going to enter these pickles. These . These . These . These. That was like a fantasy of a world and an america in which race and class just kind of didnt exist. Ms. Jennifer, ms. Clarivel. It was probably the whitest show on television. I mean, there are no black people in mayberry. If they are, theyre passing through, and if you blinked, you missed them. Theyre okay, pa, they all flew off okay. Guess i did a good job huh, pa . You sure did, son. The show immediately hit the top 10. It rated higher in the rural parts of the country. The main producer, sheldon leonard, famously said, you can take new york, you can take la, you know, give me the corn belt. This blue collar vs. White collar class divide extended to the critical reception that shows received in the 1960s. The Dick Van Dyke show, theyre wearing suits, theyre in the big city. Got a trunkload of emmys, and the Andy Griffith show got almost none. You cant live up to your potential here. In a big city, you have room to grow and live a different kind of life. And that right there shows you the class divide in america. How can life be that much different if youre happy . You pour your heart into everything you do, which is a lot. So take care of that heart with lipton. Because sippin On Unsweetened Lipton can help support a healthy heart. Lipton. Stop chuggin. Start sippin. Classical Piano Music in terms of the hate crimes. I think there is so much more work to be done to make that choice, to continue to love. This administration declares unconditional war on poverty in america. In the 1960s, youre seeing a lot of conflict between the north and the south, issues of economics between the rich and the poor. And you see television using a show like The Beverly Hillbillies to really comment on these things that are happening in society. Come and listen to a story bout a man named jed. The poor mountaineer barely kept his family fed. I remember the opening sequence to that show. Then one day he was shooting at some food, and up through the ground come a bubblin crude. The premise itself was so funny and smart. The first thing you know ol jeds a millionaire. Kin folk said, jed, move away from there, said california is the place you wanna be. So they loaded up the truck and they moved to beverly. Well, here we are. I hope youre going to like this place i picked out for you. Like hitting the lottery, its like that idea that we all kind of wish life would happen for us. Uncle jed. Guess what. There is a whole nother house up here. Absolutely love The Beverly Hillbillies. The typical fish out of water. Granny . When wes done washing, can i go swimin here in the cement pond . Of course not. The beverly hillbillies is a commentary on upward mobility and the consumerism that comes with it. Yes, sir, mr. Drysdale, i finally took your advice and put some of my money into stock. These hillbillies, even though they might come across as lower class, theyre happy with the way that theyve been living their lives. I couldnt believe how frustrated i was. They had that stupid old car that blew smoke and im going, get a better car oh, im gonna cook up a rabbit stew, soon as jethro shoots me one or two. One episode involved Granny Mistaking a kangaroo for a giant jack rabbit. Howdy, mr. Jack rabbit. And she wanted to cook it. Would you like to step into my kitchen . It is, to this day, the highest rated halfhour episode of television. Middle america fell in love with The Beverly Hillbillies. It spawned another Television Series with cbs. Da duh da da. Da duh da da green acres is the place to be farm living is the life for me you are my wife goodbye, city life green acres, we are there its just absurd and ridiculous. Look at that floor. Thats solid oak. Green acres was about a man and a woman living on fifth avenue, and he decides hes going to be a farmer. Oliver yeah . There is someone here to see you from the state department. Ill be right down. Darling, mr. Kimball would have waited. You should have used the ladder. Green acres, its the kind of show america loves. And cbs thinks, well, we can do more of these rural characters. Yeah, the rural comedies. Petticoat junction. Petticoat junction. I mean, some really, really silly, funny stuff. Heehaw heehaw but the characters were caricatures of rural people. It became very hokey. Youre looking at people sitting in their highrise offices in new york showing the north what they thought people in the south were. They all had pretty high ratings, and cbs became known as the country broadcasting system. But in the late 60s, ratings and demographic tools improve significantly. Networks are able to see the ages, the education level, what kinds of jobs the people who were viewing the shows have. So, the more they could refine that, the more the advertisers wanted young, professional, wealthy people. In 1970, cbs begins what is both affectionately and derogatorily known as the rural purge. They canceled all those shows that had huge ratings on cbs. And norman lear arrived to take their place with realistic shows about workingclass people in the big city. Your father lost his job today. Oh, there goes the old ball game. All in the family was able to deal with some stuff that was going on in contemporary society through the lens of comedy. When the going gets tough, they say thats when the tough gets going, and thats me, tough, right . Yeah. Yeah, right, alright. So whats the problem . So, what are you going to do daddy . Well, thats the problem. Norman lear is interested in class as a primary driver of storytelling in american life. This is an eviction notice. Aint nothing to worry about, mama. What are you talking about . They said they are throwing us out today. We have a recession at the beginning of the 70s. The working class, now more than ever before, are facing the crunch of economic anxiety. You worked all night and all day and all they paid you was 6 . Mnhmnh. They paid me a lot more, but after they got finished taking out the federal withholding, the state withholding, the unemployment compensation. You know something, baby, if i had worked for them a few more hours, id end up owing them 10 bucks. He was doing anything he could to work and make money to pay the rent and put food on the table. Then, in the mid 70s, things began to shift with the jeffersons. Well, were moving on up. Moving on up. To the east side. Moving on up. Jeffersons was groundbreaking. Successful black man. I never really saw that. Hello la, la, la, la, la it was an explosive thing for norman lear to say, wake up. Now this. Both of yall live here . Uhhuh, some place, aint it . Yeah, i didnt know the jeffersons had a couple. Couple a what . A maid and a butler. You two. Were talking people who are living above their station. Hold it, diane. We are the jeffersons. You right, louise, he is a great joker. Hes not joking, diane. Really, aside from wardrobe and in the places they lived, they were still black. Because no matter how much money you have, no matter where you live, blackness is its own class. How can you afford to live in a place like this . You aint tall enough to be no basketball player. Your future isnt gloomy. Youre overlooking a simple solution thats so obvious that im surprised you havent thought of it yourself. Well, child, lay it on me. In the 1970s, if youre a woman, the optimism is eroding in america. Tell her, helen. Well, maybe you could win a lottery. Or something. Youre aware that the Equal Rights Amendment still has not passed. I would like to know why the last Associate Producer before me made 50 a week more than i do. Oh, because he was a man. So i think the 70s is a Reality Check on whether or not the American Dream is available for women. Early to rise early to bed come on, youre going to be late for school. Wait, i havent figured out your tip yet. Well, figure this, 15 of nothing is nothing. Goodbye, i love you. Until alice, there hadnt been a single mother in a lowincome job. Mel, i know this is asking a lot, but i need 10 bucks a week extra to pay for tommys braces. You know the refrigerators on the blink. Ive gotta come up with 800 just to replace it. Fighting for healthcare. Fighting for benefits. The refrigerator comes first. Because if i close down, youre going to be out of work, and if youre out of work, you cant buy food. In which case, tommy doesnt need teeth anyway. Theres a particular episode where mel decides he wants to hire a guy to be a waiter. Mel is paying him 2. 60 an hour. We only get 2. 35, dont we . Well, that makes me good and damn mad. And alice wanted to be right and she wanted to be strong and she wanted to be the leader. We work here. We do the same work. Ah, dont give me that womens lib junk. Junk. Well, in that case, you can run it without me and flo and vera, because we quit. And he tried to run the diner without us. Im going over to barneys burger bar and getting some Decent Service but what about these eggs . Dont you and it wasnt possible. On behalf of alice, vera, and myself, Kiss My Grits hey, hey, what do you say . when i was invited to speak for the votes that were being taken to pass the Equal Rights Amendment, i thought, how do i do this . So it occurred to me to wear the alice uniform because they knew her and they were her. I hope that all of the alices who work unprotected will carry the message to their bosses that we want and we have earned our economic rights. In the 70s, you can talk about the womens movement. But in the 80s, youve got reagan. Government is not the solution to our problem. Government is the problem. Youve got family ties with alex p. Keaton as, like, the ultimate reagan fanboy. Whats taxes . A tax is a terrible, hairy, liberal monster. The only thing that can stop the terrible tax monster is a republican. America was taking a conservative turn in a big way. And networks were chasing that kind of highgloss, aspirational fantasy. And you see that reflected in Something Like a fresh prince of bel air. Yo, this place is huge, man next time i go to my room, imma take some breadcrumbs. A young kid thrown into wealth. Its great bed for comedy and conflict. We promised your mother that youre here to work hard, straighten out, and learn some good oldfashioned american values. Dad, i need 300. So, the 80s were really associated with excess and with wealth. But roseanne would upend this Fantasy Vision of upper middle class life. Wait a minute, my cereal at home is the name brand. No, see, its just the name brand box, and ive been refilling it with the cheap stuff. Since 1985. One of the things that is extraordinary about roseanne is that in many ways it mirrors The Honeymooners. Its a very simple show. Main set is the kitchen. Its somewhat gritty and somewhat dark and it has extraordinary acting. Bull, bull, bull. Youre always picking at me and making little cracks. We always make little cracks, we always make little jokes. Thats how we are. Thats why we get along so well the roseanne show was about a closeknit family set in lanford, illinois. Are you ever sorry we got married . Every second of my life. Juggling three growing kids, juggling jobs. Well, you little ladies enjoying your lunch . Well, the veal is tres bien. And how was your swordfish, sis . As usual, the food is to die for, but the ambience stinks. That show was so fully in regular, normal midwestern life. Phone bill. Roseanne was reflective of the average american family. It was masterfully done. So what . So youre messing up my system, roseanne. What system . You pay the ones marked final notice, and you throw the rest away. She wasnt educated, she couldnt fit in. I think of an episode where roseanne got a new job. Yes, we use the tangerine 3. It can do anything. Well, good, maybe it can teach me how to use a computer. You mean you never worked on a computer at wellman . I worked on my feet at wellman. She was fired, and she had to go back to just being a waitress. Its really a sad Look At Life In The 80s where the roseannes of the world are just left behind. I did let my family down, and you know it and i know it. That hurts. It hurts real bad, dan. Because of whats gone on with roseanne recently, i think people tend to forget she changed the idea of what a woman could be on television, what a mom could be on television, what a wife could be on television. She changed that. Hey. What . Get a job. Because sippin On Unsweetened Lipton can help support a healthy heart. Lipton. Stop chuggin. Start sippin. Who have sickle cell disease. Everyday tasks can be filled with pain. Each attack could lead to irreversible organ damage. You cant see our pain, but please. Believe it. We all know why im here. Your old man cant be left alone for 10 minutes without falling on his ass, and frasier got stuck with me. Isnt that right . No, no. In the 90s, we saw a lot of sitcoms geared towards whole family viewing, and they shied away from the more political nature of the 1970s. Every item here was carefully selected, this lamp by korbo, the chair by eames. But because social class is a part of someones identity that everyone can relate to, its one of the ways that sitcoms can reach the broadest Audience Delivery for martin crane. Oh, in here the idea of Class Structure in frasier. Wait a minute . Was about a father that had been alienated from his sons because they were so unlike him. Wheres the tv . Its in that credenza. Point it at that thing. What about this chair . There was a great sort of social commentary on Class Poking Fun at all that pomposity and social Class Structure. This from the gourmet who dumped my cornish yard cheese down the disposal. It was covered with mold. It was supposed to be frasier could be an intellectual snob. So could his brother, niles. Id like a petite filet mignon, very lean. Not so lean that it lacks flavor, but not fat that it leaves drippings on the plate. People would ask the question, how did these two sons come from a cop like that . You had martin and daphne at one level, and then you had frasier and niles at this sort of rarefied area. And it was daphnes job to sort of burst their pompous balloon. You think im pretentious . Oh, youd eat a worm if i gave it a french name. A lot of episodes focused on niles and frasier trying to get into this elite club or that elite club. Im sorry, sir, youre not allowed through there. Please remain in relaxation grotto. Once they did get into that club, did it make them any happier . I am determined to see where they think i dont belong. Niles and frasier always find out that there was one better, or you open another door and theres a better room. Take me with you. Healing warmth and light. It must be a magnificent solarium. Thats really the American Dream about wanting more than what you have no matter where you are. Its beautiful, its beautiful yes this is where we belong. I think the reason people responded to frasier is he is pompous but hes recognizable. But they see in him a guy that cares. Lets see some smiles, people. Its a party, not a shareholders meeting. [ Sirens Wailing ] prepare to be boarded. Prepare to be boarded. Thats the securities and exchange commission. In the early 2000s, in the wake of 9 11, we see a Stock Market Crash and a rise in unemployment that really has us all thinking about Income Inequality in a way that we hadnt in a long time. Delores, listen to me, empty the accounts with arrested development, we jumped to something a little darker. There was a lot that i wanted to explore about entitlement, power, and the fragility of the 1 . Lindsay, you have to cut back on everything, okay . Im even selling the corporate jet. And then, suddenly, they have nothing, but they go on pretending that they do. So now we dont have a car or a jet . Why dont we just take an ad out in im poor magazine . Thats the thing thats very astute about that show, is that the rich can never entirely become unrich. They always have a line to some money. There is 250,000 lining the walls of the banana stand. What . Cash, michael. Another setback for the once prominent bluth family, as their frozen banana stand burns to the ground. Of course, it was absurd. But the idea was if you could make it seem realistic enough, then you could carry the audience with you. Why didnt you tell me that . How much clearer can i say, there is always money in the banana stand . no touching no touching no touching no touching no touching no touching arrested Development Began to make fun of the rich, sort of, you know, expose them for everyone to see. Luce, that coat costs more than your house. Oh, thats how we joke. She doesnt even have a house. Because a lot of really wealthy people have gotten in their positions by stepping on workingclass people. Im sorry, we cant afford to live lavishly anymore. Drink your milk. Its lumpy. Then chew it. By the 21st century, americas shaky economy begins to shrink the middle class, and we see that represented in sitcoms like foxs malcolm in the middle. Weve had to economize before. Remember last year when we were saving up for disneyland . Were going to disneyland . No. Its like that. Except this time, were just trying to keep the house. Malcolm in the middle is a fascinating show in terms of class because it is about trying to give your kids a good life even when youre not sure you can pay for it. Malcolm is this genius, and he does not want to be a genius. Now, malcolm may not look different than the rest of us, but he is very different. In his brain. Despite all that craziness going on in that house, Malcolm Living Up To his potential was one of the greatest dreams his family had. I got accepted into harvard. We dont know how were gonna pay for it, but we got to find a way. Its my dream school. Its 2,000 miles away from mom. Scholarships, Financial Aid cover 26,000, plus the fleish grant, the hanelin fellowship, the 220 scratcher your dad won. Thieving harvard bastards the fact that that kid coming from that situation gets into the ivy league is beyond a dream come true. But hes working as a janitor to make his way through that school. Ive already got three shifts in the cafeteria and mopping the dorms at night. Then his Brother Reese tries to set off a stink bomb at malcolms graduation. Oh but instead, it goes off in the car. Whats that noise . Oh, my eyes my eyes what is this . this is appropriate now my life looks exactly how i feel. Im sorry, malcolm, but you dont get the easy path. Malcolm really gave people, i think, the opportunity to think about what they were struggling with in their families. Oh, really . We laugh at them and relate to that. You know what its like to be poor and you know what its like to work hard. Now youre going to learn what its like to sweep floors and bust your ass and accomplish twice as much as all the kids around you. And it acts as a reminder that the American Dream is becoming more and more elusive to so many americans. Youll be the only person who will ever give a crap about people like us. You look Me In The Eye and tell me you cant do it. Tonight, breaking news. Your future, my future, our future at stake. A meltdown on wall street, Tens Of Billions of dollars lost, Tens Of Thousands of jobs gone. Bernard madoff was charged yesterday with securities fraud. It was a ponzi scheme. Do i need to hear this . Why did you have to give it all to that crook madoff . I dont know. How could you be so fiscally irresponsible . Madoff . Madoff once Bernie Madoff goes to jail, and after the events of the great recession, Sitcom Characters are winking to the audience, like, this system is rigged. There is vast Income Inequality. Have you had a chance to think of my zinger . Well, its almost thanksgiving, everybody, and i know what this crowds giving thanks for estate tax reform. [ laughs ] in 30 rock, jack donaghy, whos this corporate goon, basically, is so rich that he really doesnt even understand how regular people live. Damn, i wish this event were tonight. Its not tonight . When is it . February. Jack donaghy is in the 1 , and liz is just solidly middle class. Why are you wearing a tux . Its after 6 00. What am i, a farmer . In the episode the tuxedo begins, jack donaghy is mugged. My assailant was a middleaged white man wearing a buttondown shirt and dockers. Dockers were on the verge of a class war. He fears that the middle class would rise up and take back what is theirs from these multibillionaires. My attack was a wakeup call. The rich need to defend themselves. The tracy jordan character is also a kind of super rich character whos made millions and millions of dollars off of movies. Yo, i need you to grab me some lunch. Absolutely, what can i get for you . I want nachos. Yes, sir. From yankee stadium. Yes, sir. 30 rock is about milking the utter divide between the superrich and the rest of america. Especially in an era of really intense economic inequality, class is the great invisible force in both American Culture and in the american sitcom. Hey, dad, how did you decide what you were going to do for a living . I applied for a bunch of jobs and i took every one that hired me. So, ma, howd you decide what you were going to be . Well, when your father decided that he wasnt going to be rich, i decided to get a job. America likes to believe that the poorest person born into the most abject poverty could, with enough gumption, become the richest person in america. Hey, everybody, america is the land of opportunity. I stand before you stop give me that. You know, the idea that you can pull yourself up by your bootstraps, and yet, as we know, not everyone is able to achieve the American Dream. Okay, by saying that america is the land of opportunity, you are implying that everyone has the same opportunities. Im not implying it, im saying it. If you live here and you work hard, you can succeed, thats how this works. Thats what ive always done in my comedy. I want to say in as few words as possible something that means a lot to me. Fine. Its your story, but its not true for everyone. I think that a sitcom is one of the best places to explore those Difficult Conversations revolving around class in an honest way. Its the greatest tool in the history of humanity to create empathy. Its always sunny in philadelphia explores the state of the American Dream in a little bit of a different way in that these characters, they really believe that they are worthy of and entitled to so much more, but dont want to work hard for it. You guys cant get welfare. Uh, yeah, we can. No, you cant, they dont give it to any jackass that walks in here. Weve got it covered, okay . Dee, your bicycle helmet. Its about four friends who run a shitty, shitty bar in philadelphia. And they are four of the worst human beings you have ever witnessed. Im a recovering crackhead. This is my retarded sister that i take care of. Id like some welfare, please. The storylines are pointing out that the meritocracy in the United States is maybe not all its cracked up to be. Heatwave, heatwave, heatwave im sorry about that. Can i help you . Yeah, two, checking in for the pool. Check us in. In the episode white trash, theres a heatwave and the gang tries to get into a country club. But im sorry to tell you, fellas, that membership is currently at capacity. [ burps ] were in the middle of a terrible heatwave and you happen to be at capacity, for us. And when they cant, they just behave like absolute degenerates. Were outta here, lets go. You [bleep] you dont have to oh, sir so, charlie and mac go to their old childhood pool. There she is. This is what im talking about, bro. Man, the old. But it was drained and empty. Im saying we fix up this pool. One, two, three and then we cant get out of the pool. Oh, shit. Are we stuck in here . I think were stuck. Help we thought it would be interesting, from a metaphorical standpoint, to suggest that maybe, just maybe, there are people out there who dont even have bootstraps. Hey hello hey. You guys order a pizza . Hey, bro, why dont you just toss down that hose, then you can pull us up. Thatd be good, yeah. Yeah, yeah. And every time they try to go up the ladder. Oh, thats perfect. Someone rips it away from them. There it is. Oh oh, dude dont go pull us up dont go oh or as many times as they put the ladder up, the ladder falls down. You ready, bro . Aah aah oh, man. [bleep] dude. Goddamn it. I get powerful, effective and safe relief. Salonpas. Its good medicine. Classical Piano Music in terms of the hate crimes. I think there is so much more work to be done to make that choice, to continue to love. You pour your heart into everything you do, which is a lot. So take care of that heart with lipton. Because sippin On Unsweetened Lipton can help support a healthy heart. Lipton. Stop chuggin. Start sippin. Hey, thanks. We could not have held this all together without you. Well, thats why im here. I know roseanne would want me to step in and watch over the family. No, it would kill her. But shes already dead, so carry on. One of the things that i love about the sitcom is that it is necessarily a reflection of the atmosphere in which its made. And so, leaving aside roseannes repugnant views as an individual person, i think the show that was rebooted by abc is really about how do you make ends meet in the 21st century . I hope everyone is enjoying the movie. Im having a Blast Sitting on this hard chair paying bills on a plastic tray stolen from hometown buffet. One of the reasons, i think, that the conners works in, like, the 2010s is because Income Disparity is an even bigger deal now than it was in the 1990s. I am completely financially unprepared to have a baby. Im screwed. The conners themselves are still dealing with the same issues of a bluecollar Family Living smack dab right inside the American Dream. Look how much money youre saving by not drinking while youre pregnant, whats that . Theyre not cognizant of it, and i think people can appreciate that these characters are being honest about what they are going through. This is ridiculous. These people are just trying to have a better life. He was here illegally, darling. Oh, so you dont have a problem with whats happening . I have a big problem. I like the guy, my daughters about to have his baby, and he may be getting dragged out of the country. You think i want that . In the 2010s, sitcoms became increasingly aware of all of the horrible inequalities that our society was built atop. Its emilio, right . I will find a way back to you and our baby after a short time in chihuahua. The city, not the dog. And some of these shows have gotten back to the idea of race and class and the ways that all of these issues intersect. Its friday night. Family dinner time. Come on, lets go, elena this meat was heavily discounted, so i need to cook it before it turns. So you start to see the workingclass sitcom reemerge in Something Like One Day At A Time or the upshaws because a good chunk of america lives below the poverty line. I gotta be there for my kids. My dad was no good, so he made me do some messed up stuff back in the day. Back in the day . [bleep] you did some ignorant shit this morning so, you need stories where people are understanding theyre not bad people necessarily because they dont make a certain income. The last og deals with class and race through the lens of this person who is incarcerated. [ prisoners chanting trey ]. And is now back in this gentrified neighborhood. Damn, papis is gone, too. The last og is in brooklyn. Thats where i was born and raised. Yall little [bleep] slinging me . Chasing that paper . I used to be just like yall [bleep] man, just like yall. Tracy is blue collar, old school, but all the things that he considered normal are now completely different. Yall little [bleep] actually, sorry to interrupt, were just waiting for our friend. Oh, aah lets go to brunch, bitches aah come on, bitch what the [bleep] happened to brooklyn . brooklyn the struggle is real. And thats what these shows show. Every foolass convict come through that door think that they Laurence Fishburne in boyz in the hood, then they find out the hood gone. But we as the people on the ground, we got to do the groundwork. We got to help one another. The whole time, i was surrounded by old women. Johnny rose. Roland schitt. Oh, youre the mayor were supposed to meet. Thats right, im the mayor. So, if youre looking for an ass to kiss, its mine. The premise is a wealthy family that lost everything. The only asset we have is this town that my dads character bought as a joke for my birthday. Oh, excuse me, i dont think my sheets have been cleaned. They smell like cigarettes. No, thats just the way they smell. I think that the concepts of class are sort of simmering under the surface of every show. On our way here, we drove through a town, not a word of a lie, called shitsville in an episode where a couple from johnny and moiras past meet them for dinner, they run into roland and jocelyn what do you do, roland . Something in agriculture, by the looks of it. You then start to see the judgment that upper class has on lower class. Roland is actually the mayor of our town. Oh. Not shitsville i hope. What do you even call someone from shitsville . A shitter . Okay, you know what . And that sparked a change in johnny rose. Were not going to side with our wealthy friends. You wrote us off, don. Not a phone call, not a nickel. Roland and jocelyn here could not have been more generous with what little they have. Were going to stick up for the town that we live in and own our circumstance. And that town you passed through, its not called shitsville, its called Schitts Creek, and its where we live. Over time, Schitts Creek ends up being a really optimistic comedy about class because it acknowledges that class doesnt have to be a permanent divide. Oh, my god. Oh, my god. Okay, this is not okay. What are you guys doing here . Tonight, we are dancing as a family. What is happening . We never wanted the town to be the butt of the joke. In fact, thats why we made this town so accepting. The town is the goal. Its the family that had a lot to learn. Good morning, everyone. Merry christmas and happy holidays. Welcome to this specia