Week 1 / Blog 1

The clip from above is one of the first scenes from Freeform's (formerly known as ABC Family) The Fosters. I could not narrow down a specific clip, but I feel like this one gives a nice introduction to the nature of this family on the show. For one, this show is a pretty popular show among teens and young adults since it airs on Freeform. Although this is not the show I will be analyzing for my project, this show raises a ton of political, social and family issues while still being entertaining and enjoyable to watch, which is why I chose this show to talk about for this blog today (and because it recently aired its series finale this week). I think that because the show does a good job talking about and raising awareness to the issues I listed above is why the show is popular. 

A story line/topic that the show brings up is gender identity and transgenders who are trying to find their way through society. I feel that this is an issue that a lot of people may not fully understand because maybe the feel indifferent towards it or they are just not educated or given the proper information regarding it-- and maybe because people may only get their information through the media and pop culture which is why there are so many stereotypes out there for transgenders. There is even a lack of research for transgenders on television since I struggled finding any information to use for this topic. However, hrough the characters in this show, they offer more of an understanding of what some people go through, I think that this is one reason why the show is popular since sometimes resources can be limited. 

Another reason I believe this show is popular is because of the nature of the family within the show. I wouldn't say the Fosters is an dysfunctional family, but an unconventional family since it isn't the "normal" family that the American culture is used to. I feel that there is a growing number of families that are unconventional, and this show is popular because the show brings this different kind of family onto the screen. For one, there are two moms in this family who are a lesbian couple, adopted and fostered kids within a bi-racial family. I think there is a lack of gay parents on television--even though I can name a few shows that feature gay parents. Jeffery Epstein (1999) agrees that same-sex couples have rarely popped up on television, and if they do, they are not there for long (p. 103). However, this research is a little bit out dated, but there still isn't an abundant amount of same-sex couples on television which is maybe why this community feels under-represented which could be why this show is so popular. 


Epstein, Jeffrey. (1999). Prime Time's Final Frontier.(television programs rarely depict gay parents)(Brief Article). The Advocate (The National Gay & Lesbian Newsmagazine),103.