| In more than six decades of television situation comedies, very few programs have featured working-class characters at their center, even though more Americans claim working-class occupations and backgrounds than middle- and upper-class status. In addition, very few animated sitcoms tackled the working class issue until the FOX network introduced two of the most familiar working class men to the public, Homer Simpson and Peter Griffin. The current historical study sought to understand how working-class characters are represented in television sitcoms, focusing on two long-running adult-oriented, primetime animated programs, The Simpsons and Family Guy. This thesis traces the evolution of Homer to Peter and the elements that influenced this change in portrayal of the working class man. Four themes involving stereotypical images presented in these series seminal first three seasons were examined and described. They were then analyzed to show this progression of animated working class men and their impact on the working class image as portrayed on television. The results suggest that be it animated or live-action---the working class male has a place in TV history...and its future. |
