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Hannah Trump
Professor Martin
SCOM 110
5 February 2023
My Favorite Medium Then & Now
Watching television shows has always been one of my go to past times, sitcoms being my
favorite. They have always attracted my eye and are all faithfully watched in my household. I
love the action, the drama-filled story lines, and the pull of the heart strings. As I grew up, old
sitcoms were always playing on our living room TV which is why I chose to compare The Andy
Griffith Show produced in 1960 and New Girl crafted in 2011. The Andy Griffith show features
Sheriff Andy Taylor and his son Opie living in a small town called Mayberry, where virtually no
crime lives. Most of Andy’s time is spent in the Sheriff’s office with his goofy cousin Deputy
Barney Fife. New Girl, on the other hand, follows newly single Jess as she moves into an
apartment loft with three other guys who are just as unusual as she is.
Situation comedies can have a lot in common. They mainly involve a cast of characters
often of different personalities all thrown together occupying a shared environment. Their
episodes often depict different situations unique to that episode. This relates these two sitcoms
together. Both have a cast of characters with different personalities that help make the show
interesting. For example, The Andy Griffith Show has Sheriff Taylor who mainly is responsible,
humble, and teaching a lesson in each episode. There is also Deputy Fife who is the comedic
relief because he is always getting into trouble that Andy has to help him out of. The same
applies to New Girl as Jess is the main character who is always helping the boys as well as her
best friend CeCe out of trouble. They both depict a new problem or storyline every episode as
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well as have a main environment that is shown in every episode. In New girl, it is the apartment
that everyone lives in, contrary to the Andy Griffith show which is mainly the Sheriff’s
Department. There is always a lesson to be told or learned in each episode, which ultimately
means each episode ends on a positive note with the problem being solved.
Although these two television series do share a lot in common, there are definitely
differences between the two sitcoms. The main difference being that the first half or so of The
Andy Griffith Show is in black and white while New Girl is all in color. This made the acting
different between the two. Things that would be noticeable in New Girl weren’t in The Andy
Griffith Show, so they had to add certain lines that helped the audience know what was going on.
For example, knowing if it was night time or day time during the episode. When The Andy
Griffith Show was released, it was during a much simpler time. American values were still very
sweet and pure. The types of jokes told were noticeably different because sitcoms are normally a
reflection of what is happening in the current world. It was a lot more family friendly then what
we are used to now. There was no foul language in The Andy Griffith Show or sexual humor.
Another main difference when comparing these two shows is that New Girl did introduce and
lose a multitude of characters throughout the seasons, while The Andy Griffith Show kept more
to the characteristic of a fixed set of characters really throughout the whole show.
The Andy Griffith Show quickly grew in popularity as the New York Times did in an
article on October 4, 1960 commenting on the show’s “Homespun humor and an occasional
heart-throb (1).” In the article, it talked about each character and their role. One description that
really caught my eye was describing Frances Bavier as a “baffled housekeeper” just because I
feel like you would not get that character description as much today in a sitcom. One thing that I
did not agree with was the ending statement of the New York Times article which was “The
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Andy Griffith Show appears to be only mildly entertaining (1).” I would just have to disagree as
this was one of the most popular sitcoms as it is even still watched to this day. The Baltimore
Sun newspaper describes the show even better as it comments on Andy’s involuntary humor
saying “he is relaxed and gentle, avoiding slapstick and gags, not trying for big laughs but
getting some anyway (2).” I really loved this sentence because it just perfectly describes the vibe
of the show. There is also a funny wording in this article that I feel like you would not see as
much these days and that is how the article first describes Andy as a “widower.” As I researched
more into that, I found that The Andy Griffith Show was one of the first television series to come
out with the lead being a single parent. That was definitely a bigger deal back then than it is now.
The Tribune Business News did a review on the first impressions of New Girl and I
believe that they described Jess’s character perfectly. They described her as the “brilliantly
blue-eyed brunette” who is “too-cool-for-school” with those “smooth tones that are nearly
hypnotic.” I liked how they included that feature because she does sing a lot on the show which
is one of the key comedic features. They also describe the plot of the show being “These men
will help her get over her breakup and have absolutely no idea how their lives will be changed by
this pixie woman (3).” I included this quote because of the word pixie, meaning fairy and a
usually petite vivacious woman which I thought was so fitting for the character.
Overall, there is a clear difference between “then” and “now” when talking about
television, specifically, these two sitcoms. The fact alone that sitcoms are made to reflect the
current world or society is how these two shows differ. It was just a different time when The
Andy Griffith Show took place which affected everything from the environment, the costumes,
the jokes, and what is scandalous and what isn’t. I would have to say that the overall difference is
morals and values because you can tell when you watch these two shows how The Andy Griffith
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Show does have a more family friendly environment which was normal for TV back then.
Looking at it now, it is more common to see sexual humor, foul language, and immodesty in
“family” television shows. That is really what sets these two shows apart.
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Works Cited
(1) J.P.S. "Andy Griffith show'." New York Times (1923-), Oct 04, 1960, pp. 86. ProQuest,
https://www.proquest.com/docview/115141865/fulltextPDF/3BE2B6A917CE42C7PQ/1?
accountid=12085
(2) "Look and Listen with Donald Kirkley." The Sun (1837-), Oct 14, 1960, pp. 1. ProQuest,
https://www.proquest.com/docview/542194308?pq-origsite=summon
(3) Sherrow, Rita. "Deschanel Stars in New Sitcom 'New Girl'." McClatchy - Tribune
Business News, Sep 20, 2011. ProQuest,
https://www.proquest.com/docview/892572325?pq-origsite=summon
The Andy Griffith Show. Created by Sheldon Leonard, CBS Network, 1960-1968.
New Girl. Created by Elizabeth Meriwether, 20th Television for Fox, 2011-2018.
