MovieChat Forums > The Cosby Show (1984) Discussion > The men in this show were a bunch of pus...

The men in this show were a bunch of pushovers

posted 2 years ago by VectorOfTheMoon (176)
4 replies | jump to latest

Going back to watch this show, does anyone else feel like a lot of the men were a bunch of pushovers with their wives? Cliff with Clair, Elvin with Sondra, etc.

Especially the episode "It Comes and It Goes" where Cliff and the other men are in the living room talking with Elvin about how they're all in the men's club where they can't do anything right with their wives at all. While the women are having a man bashing party in the kitchen. With Cliff walking in the kitchen at one point and the women just stare at him like "....why are you here?"

I bet someone's going to respond in typical fashion by saying that I'm "threatened" by strong females in media or something ridiculous like that. But whatever.

[–] Furienna (3330) 2 years ago

Really, I'm a woman and must agree with you.

[–] Who (5146) 2 years ago

That was the style of almost every 89s-90s family/couple sitcomb. Bumbling husband and snarky shrewd wife.

Mad About You - I felt so bad for that guy. Every episode looked like he was groveling to his wife. Like he had to pay her eternal thanks for being an average guy who “married up” to this slightly above-average woman.

The King of Queens - complete bumbling husband tiptoeing around his eye rolling wife.

Cheers - Diane / Sam dynamic. Although there was back and forth, she was mostly seen as the smart one though misunderstood in that group. Even educated Frasier was made to look like a fool first to Diane, then Lilith, then a string of failed romances with women on his own show. His colleague Roz even walked all over him.

These are just a few. Films had that dynamic too.

[–] FilmBuff (6862) 2 years ago

It's a reflection of reality. I don't know any married couple in which the dynamic is not similar. It's exaggerated on TV for humor, but the reality of marriage, and long-term relationships, is that men are ever seeking to do right by their woman, and women are forever trying to "fix" their man.

[–] Who (5146) 2 years ago

I know many couples who do not fit that stereotype. Sadly a few of those are dysfunctional though.