Family

I don't know if everyone has TV shows that seem a part of their lives, but I do. In the seventies there were two shows that I could not live without, Family and Maude. To this day they both still push my buttons and make me feel at home, all at the same time.

Family was finally released on DVD this month (see above link), something I have been waiting for for many years. Maude may be out later in the year, but they have promised that before. I won't hold my breath.

When I ordered the DVD, after not having watched the series since it originally aired from 1976-80, I wondered if it would stand the test of time. Often times shows that I loved back then seem insipid and empty now. Not so with my beloved "Family". It moved and entertained me as much now as it did then. I had not seen any of the first mini-season before (six episodes), so I was delighted to see that even the early shows were well written.

That sense of home that I felt then still comes through today. These are people you want to know, folks you want to spend time with. Not just because my own family was rather dull, but because the world they all lived in is so full of love. There is never any doubt, even during the biggest argument, that they will all be there for each other, no matter what.

Maybe it was this certainty that drew me to the show? But that can't be all. So many TV shows had that. I guess none of them gave such a realistic portrayal of a family. They dealt with so many issues that were never brought up on television back then. The pilot episode alone dealt with marital infidelity, not just in Nancy's young marriage, but in the marriage of the couple who are at the center of the series, Kate and Doug.

When they dealt with the homosexuality of Will's best friend since childhood, in the first season, that was quite a shocker. Gays were rarely mentioned on TV back then, unless it was in a negative light. I remember how good I felt when I saw that Buddy and Kate accepted Will's friend Zeke, no questions asked. I was doubly pleased when Willie finally came around at the end of the episode.

It won many awards back then. It was a rare find in the middle of the pablum and drivel that was 1970's television. In between Charlie's Angels and Three's Company, this was an island of sanity and good television.

I am on disk five of six right now, and I can't pull myself away. If you have a chance to buy or rent it, I would highly recommend it. You will not be disappointed.