Why are husbands always made to look like idiots in TV shows and movies ?

Weasel McWeasel

It's funny, isn't it..? Back in the 50's and 60's.......men were king, and all the tv shows, the Father was this all knowing wise man......... Leave it to Beaver Ozzie and Harriet Father Knows Best My Three Sons. Even Happy Days.......shot in the 70's......but about the 50's....... shows the loving, smart parents. then somewhere around "All in the Family" and Archie Bunker...... Dads suddenly went to loutish know- nothing buffoons....... flaming racists, and idiots. then you got to the 80's and 90's.........with Al Bundy, and "Everyone Loves (Childish , Moron) Raymond, with the ever patient long suffering, smarter wife........treating him like a child. Then Friends and Seinfeld tried to re-balance things again by showing both males and females as being stupid and shallow.................and then that was followed by a decade of cop shows, where both females and males all have these exciting and interesting careers, and are all smart as whips and can solve puzzling cases, with half an eaten cheese sandwich......and a quarter of a thumbprint on a nickel they found in the gutter. Not sure where things are going next............perhaps "Young Sheldon" where the KIDS know more than both parents.

westville sal

Not always. Just like women aren't always portrayed as scatter-brained and dumb.

yimi

I think you mean WHITE husbands. White straight men are the ONLY group it is acceptable to make fun of /criticise / portray as bad or stupid. Try making a show where the stupid person is a woman /gay /muslim / black /jewish / chinese etc and see where it gets you.

Otis

I think you mean WHITE husbands. White straight men are the ONLY group it is acceptable to make fun of /criticise / portray as bad or stupid. Try making a show where the stupid person is a woman /gay /muslim / black /jewish / chinese etc and see where it gets you.

lili

It sounds like you choose to watch shows where they're targeting the lowest common denominator for the audience. I can't think of a single show I've seen where the husband is portrayed as an idiot. Maybe you should expand your viewing horizons.

JUANA

Because people eat that sh*t up like it's candy. Give the *ssholes what they want.

Melissa

Because people eat that sh*t up like it's candy. Give the *ssholes what they want.

susan

I'm not sure, but I'm probably older than you, because I can tell you it's been going on for longer than 20 years. Someone pointed it out to me about 32 years ago, and I've hardly seen any exceptions since then. The show West Wing featured quite a few smart male characters, but most of them were single. Even in that show, when there were couples, the woman was typically just slightly more "woke" than the man. Humor is made from women knowing better than the men. I don't know why this is funny, but even I admit that it is, in a smartly written show. In a stupid show, you can't expect much of anything to be funny.

Cogito

Maybe you just have bad program-makers in the USA. In the UK our TV series aren't like that.

Herr Geisteskrank

It's an SJW thing. Men/ males are dumb and/or evil, so must always be shown in a negative light. There would be a huge media uproar if a show like "I Love Lucy" were made today showing a ditzy, conniving, housewife.

Anonymous

It sounds like you choose to watch shows where they're targeting the lowest common denominator for the audience. I can't think of a single show I've seen where the husband is portrayed as an idiot. Maybe you should expand your viewing horizons.