To loathe these sexist American sitcoms?

[Scarletohello]

Ok so these are the culprits,

Everyone loves Raymond
Two and a Half Men
How I met your mother
Rules of Engagement

They are all different but the themes are pretty
much the same. Demanding women, guys that are players, unreasonable women, tacit acceptance of treating women like shit. Crazy women, empathy with the guys, point of view. Just sick of them, I know that they are supposed to be lighthearted and humorous but just feel that the drip drip mysogony infects the culture and makes it so much harder for women
To argue against this entitled behaviour by men as it is so normalised and if you argue against
it you are deemed to lack
A sense of humour, be demanding, neurotic etc..,

Do other people know what I'm saying or is it just me...??

yes, there's one, in Happy Endings Butch Jo from Scrubs & the Wayans boy!
they were a good pair.

shame the show got cancelled

Oh I LOVED Happy Endings!

OK DH will be happy. You lot have convinced me to give Brooklyn 99 another try.

Amra Turk and Carla were in an interracial relationship. She is Latina. There were a few episodes where JD was dating a black woman. On 30 Rock, Jack dated Condoleezza Rice! He also dated a Latina (Elisa).
In my experience, interracial relationships aren't uncommon in the United States, but they are more common in the UK. Are they more common on UK sitcoms? I don't watch TV here (don't own one).

Liz also went on a date with a black man on 30 Rock.

Your comment got me thinking Amra I did a Google search and found and interesting article on the topic: www.npr.org/blogs/codeswitch/2014/02/15/276526212/love-in-technicolor-interracial-families-on-television

Completely OT, but the President of the United States is mixed race. His mother Stanley Anne Dunham was a white woman from Kansas. I don't know why this topic has struck such a chord with me. I will now stop posting about it .

I really fancy both players out of himym and roe!!!
Op have you watched the middle?

I liked HIMYM initially, but it's become awful. Or maybe I've just become aware of how awful it is. Ted really is a giant hateful dick. I watched it through to the end, just to finish it out. It just got more and more irritating.

The same applies to TBBT. Liked it at first, can't even stand to watch it anymore. The women are all such dreadful stereotypes. Penny, being the 'attractive' one is a shallow ditz. Amy, being intelligent, is a frumpy, desperate nerd. Bernadette is spared the embarrassing treatment that Amy is subject to, but is still portrayed as shrill and annoying. Sheldon's Mum, the stereotypical southern bible-thumper, Howard's Mum the overbearing Jewish matriarch, and Leonard's the cold, clinical career woman. Just endkess misogynistic stereotyping.

Parks and Rec is good, as is The US Office, and The Mindy Project (though I may be biased re that as I just adore Mindy Kaling, and think she is brilliant).

Its interesting to look at the older comedies through an adult lens too.
Not American but does anyone remember Brush Strokes. Its currently being repeated on Drama.
when it started in 86 the 13 year old me found it hilarious Especially Lionel the boss of the decorating company.
Now at 40 I still find him funny but can see what a total SHIT he was to his wife.
Its funny how your perception can change after life experiences and you see things you wouldn't have noticed as a young girl even though it was in plain sight all along.

I'm watching Parks and Rec on Netflix now, and it occurs to me that there have been interracial relationships on there. Tom is Indian, and his wife Wendy was white. He also dated Anne, and the actress who plays Anne is biracial, so I assume Anne is, too? Regardless, she's not Indian. He also dated that girl from the bar, and Jean Ralphio's sister.

On The (American) Office, Stanley was married to a white woman. Darryl dated Kelly, and Kelly dated Ryan.

Steff, you should definitely watch The Mindy Project, if you like the US Office. Mindy Kaling (who played Kelly Kapoor) started as a 24 year old writer (and the only female on a team of men), then ended up writing and directing many episodes, then wrote a book, and a sit-com. She is fabulous and hilarious.

Community had a relationship between Troy (who is black) and Britta (white), and Abed has a white on / off girlfriend.

I like Parks and Rec, and Corner Gas (not sure if US gets that one) and The Fosters is a good show, about an interracial lesbian couple who are raising a family of bio and foster children.

There are lots of examples on Community. Shirley had a ONS with Chang and he was the suspected father of her baby. Pierce was going to marry the Chinese woman (and his previous wives were non-white). I'm sure I can think of more if I try.

Also Earl's ex wife and her husband on My Name is Earl.

And Ross and Aisha Tyler on Friends. And Aisha Tyler and Archer in Archer (yes I know it's a cartoon )

HIMYM makes my jaw drop with its sexism. Barney is hideous - women just aren't human to him, just conquests, and can be deceived with impunity. And the main female characters just chuckle tolerantly, because that's good ole Barney.

I like TBBT, aside from the odd cringey moment (especially how Sheldon treats Amy). As a pp said, it annoyed me in Friends whenever Ross's friends would feign sleep whenever he started talking his job, and I like the way TBBT says it's okay to get excited about ideas.

While I agree you can find sexist elements in TBBT, I think it's interesting to see how Howard has grown, for example. He started off as a sad wannabe version of Barney, but he's become someone who has a much more equal relationship with Bernadette.

The writers don't seem to know what to do with Penny any more though.

I don't think Howard has an equal relationship with Bernadette, I thought the joke was supposed to be that he has basically married his mother. She shrieks at him constantly and controls him financially. Although Howard is definitely more likeable these days, he isn't as sleazy and is quite insightful. He has improved while the others (except Amy) have gone downhill.

Tondelayo by Jove, you're right. How could I have forgotten Shirley / Chang ??

I may be being dense but I don't see the sexism in TBBT. In fact I think the women are the stronger characters. Yes a little stereotyped, but wouldn't it be dull if they weren't? That's the whole point of sitcom characters.

In HIMYM, yes barney is a player, but is that not balanced out by the other 2, Marshall who has been with his first love and no one else since college, and ted who is constantly seeking the love of his life? And barneys flaws are the result of some deep seated issues and insecurities and he does turn a corner in the end and falls in love, with both Quinn and robin. (Still wading through the difficult last season so hope I'm not going to be proved wrong on this one)

I do see the point about modern family, and the gender stereotyped roles of the housewives, but I still love it (and Claire has started work now!)

2 broke girls is a bag of poorly acted shite.

I miss don't trust the b.... Love Dawson!

I'm a big American sitcom fan, can you tell?

Most U.S comedies consist of "cool" characters constantly making ultra - slick, wish-I'd said-that, wise cracks. So the writers are called upon to write so many one-liners where someone is made the butt of the joke. I much prefer comedy that comes naturally from situations people find themselves in. Where people lie, are honest when they shouldn't be, get understandably anxious about silly things. Try to be liked and end up looking idiotic. British comedy seems to work that way more. However, 'Curb Your Enthusiasm' (Though can be a bit hit and miss)., is very funny and quite unusual for U.S comedy.

I'm glad somebody else said Don't trust the B...nobody I know seems to have seen it, and it's such a funny show. Also a fan of Cougar Town, Brooklyn 99, the first couple of series of New Girl, though I'm not such a fan of the latest series. TBBT, although I again prefer the earlier versions. Happy Endings is a very easy to watch show, funny but not over the top. An older one which can be a bit sexist but I love is Two guys, a girl and a pizza place- young Ryan Reynolds and Nathan Fillion, yum.

For less comedy based programs, I'm currently watching Marvels Agents of Shield, Elementary, and Castle is good too.

Oh, and Cougar Town, as much as the name sounds crap, stops being about 'cougars' after the first few episodes. It shows a mixture of friends, males and females all socialising together, some women are professionals, some men are, one womans a stay at home mum, one man is normally unemployed and lives on a boat. Courtney Cox financially supports herself, her son and her ex husband. It's just you don't notice all this stuff going on, as they aso drink lots and say funny one liners.

Yeah cougar town is ace. Anyone know when it's coming back? Please don't say it's been cancelled!!!

I now want to watch Cougar Town because Abed in Community is such a fan...how meta...

Is it a sitcom though or an hour long dramedy? I only do half hour shows...

I quite liked The Mindy Project but did find it a bit odd that Mindy, who was a successful doctor was obsessed with finding a partner, in an obsessive,teenage kind of way. I felt it demeaned her to act like that and promoted the idea that a woman needs a man to be fulfilled despite a great career, friends, flat in New York etc. The male doctors were hot tho...! :)