The great thing about classic television shows is that they hold a significance to their audiences, whether it is the generation that watched it when it originally aired, or it is the generations that watched the reruns. They each tell a specific message with either the whole series or some episodes in the series.

In Good Times , for example, my favorite television show, the whole premise of the show is to show how a struggling black family gets through life despite hardships. The father, James, who dropped out in sixth grade, works hard to support his family and make sure his children have the things he did not receive when he was their age. The mother, Florida, who dropped out in tenth grade, tries to make sure the family is in order and pushes her children and her husband to succeed in life. Their children, James Jr., Thelma, and Michael, have their own goals to try to get out of their living condition. What makes the show great is that their goals are not the stereotypical goals of black children. They each aspire to be a professional painter, Supreme Court Judge, and a dancer respectively.

Another show similar to Good Times, Family Matters shows how a wealthy, middle class African-American family goes through their problems too. I do not want to sound nostalgic, but new shows do not give off the same vibe as old ones. Even, Martin promoted Historically Black Colleges and Universities by wearing the school's apparel. Now it seems like shows are more about soap operas and reality tv, concerned with cheap thrills and lacking substance. Television today is similar to hip-hop where money has taken precedence over substance.