0:00:02 > 0:00:04'Days to go to the Presidential vote.
0:00:04 > 0:00:07'It's no surprise the candidates disagree with each other,
0:00:07 > 0:00:09'but if you watch the news channels,
0:00:09 > 0:00:13'it looks like the whole of America is tearing itself apart.'
0:00:13 > 0:00:18The American people are boiling. The American people are furious.
0:00:18 > 0:00:21We in America are going to have to choose between
0:00:21 > 0:00:23a homosexual agenda and liberty.
0:00:23 > 0:00:26Did I slip through a wormhole in the middle of the night
0:00:26 > 0:00:28and this looks like America?
0:00:28 > 0:00:30The news is always about conflict.
0:00:30 > 0:00:34It's about division, it's about people screaming at each other.
0:00:34 > 0:00:37'The America that we see on the news is a very different place'
0:00:37 > 0:00:39from the country that I see out here on the street.
0:00:39 > 0:00:43I think there's another way to understand America.
0:00:43 > 0:00:46'Don't just watch the news, watch the sitcoms.
0:00:48 > 0:00:50'This is the sitcom both presidential rivals love
0:00:50 > 0:00:53'and America adores.'
0:00:54 > 0:00:58'Republicans especially. They've listed it as their top sitcom.'
0:00:58 > 0:01:00Get down here.
0:01:00 > 0:01:04Why are you guys yelling at us when we're way upstairs? Just text me.
0:01:04 > 0:01:07- 'Yet it's got teen sexuality.' - Wow! You're not wearing that outfit.
0:01:07 > 0:01:08What's wrong with it?
0:01:08 > 0:01:11Honey, do you have anything to say to your daughter about her skirt?
0:01:11 > 0:01:13Sorry. Oh, yeah, that looks really cute, sweetheart.
0:01:13 > 0:01:14Thanks.
0:01:14 > 0:01:17'It's got a gay couple who have adopted a baby.'
0:01:17 > 0:01:19- Don't you love it? - Yes.
0:01:19 > 0:01:20What the hell is that?
0:01:20 > 0:01:24I had Andre do it while we were gone.
0:01:24 > 0:01:25Is that us with wings?
0:01:25 > 0:01:28We're floating above her. Always there to protect her.
0:01:28 > 0:01:30OK, well, that's reassuring, right, Lily? Yes.
0:01:30 > 0:01:34We tore you away from everything, but don't worry. Your fathers are floating fairies.
0:01:34 > 0:01:36'And it's got an interracial marriage.'
0:01:36 > 0:01:38I come from a small village.
0:01:38 > 0:01:41Very poor, but very, very beautiful.
0:01:41 > 0:01:45It's the number one village in all of Colombia for the...
0:01:45 > 0:01:46- What's the word?- Murders.
0:01:46 > 0:01:49Yes, the murders.
0:01:49 > 0:01:52'Modern Family is more like the America I know,
0:01:52 > 0:01:57'because the sitcoms explore the common ground in American life.
0:01:57 > 0:02:00'They reflect the loves, hates and fears of the American family.'
0:02:01 > 0:02:04The truth of how Americans live are built into every sitcom.
0:02:13 > 0:02:15'Charlottesville, Virginia.
0:02:15 > 0:02:17'The President's in town,
0:02:17 > 0:02:20'and thousands of Democratic party supporters
0:02:20 > 0:02:23'are hanging on his every word.'
0:02:23 > 0:02:27You guys have more at stake in this election than anybody.
0:02:27 > 0:02:32When you step into that voting booth, the choice that you make
0:02:32 > 0:02:37in that one instant, is going to shape your country,
0:02:37 > 0:02:39it's going to shape the world for decades to come.
0:02:39 > 0:02:44'That same day, Barack Obama's Republican rival Mitt Romney
0:02:44 > 0:02:46'said much the same.
0:02:46 > 0:02:50'I'm right. The other guy's wrong. The choice is that simple.
0:02:50 > 0:02:52'It's how two-party politics works.'
0:02:52 > 0:02:54The greatest nation on earth. God bless you.
0:02:54 > 0:02:56God bless the United States of America.
0:02:56 > 0:03:01'But these speeches tell you more about the candidates than they do about America.'
0:03:01 > 0:03:04If you really want to understand America,
0:03:04 > 0:03:08I wouldn't watch the news, I really wouldn't.
0:03:08 > 0:03:11I would, I would watch TV,
0:03:11 > 0:03:13and sitcoms. I get so much more out of it.
0:03:20 > 0:03:24'Sitcoms are the closest thing America has to the soaps in Britain,
0:03:24 > 0:03:28'and they're made here, in the entertainment capital of the USA.
0:03:28 > 0:03:30'Los Angeles, California.'
0:03:35 > 0:03:40Sitcoms are just about the biggest phenomenon on American TV.
0:03:40 > 0:03:42They cost millions to make,
0:03:42 > 0:03:47and the fates of whole networks rest on finding the next big hit.
0:03:49 > 0:03:53'And the biggest hits come when a sitcom is in perfect tune
0:03:53 > 0:03:56'with how American families are living at that moment.
0:03:56 > 0:04:00'The sitcom writers say they have to be hard-wired
0:04:00 > 0:04:02'into the lives of their audience.'
0:04:02 > 0:04:05The politicians and the parties are after the American family.
0:04:05 > 0:04:09They're after their votes, but they're after a definition
0:04:09 > 0:04:11of what it means to be an American family.
0:04:11 > 0:04:14It's exactly what the sitcoms are doing,
0:04:14 > 0:04:17defining the American family in various different ways.
0:04:17 > 0:04:21'Dan Bucatinsky is a leading sitcom actor and writer
0:04:21 > 0:04:24'who's appeared in shows like Frasier, Will and Grace
0:04:24 > 0:04:26'and Curb your Enthusiasm.'
0:04:26 > 0:04:27It's political.
0:04:27 > 0:04:31You know, the making of a television show, the popularity of a sitcom.
0:04:31 > 0:04:35It's political, even if they don't want it to be, because of that fact,
0:04:35 > 0:04:38and because the American family in sitcom, the portrayals of
0:04:38 > 0:04:41the American family on TV, that cuts right to the core of everything.
0:04:44 > 0:04:46'Sitcoms react fast.
0:04:46 > 0:04:49'The Middle, first broadcast in 2009,
0:04:49 > 0:04:52'took the pain of the recession straight into the living room.'
0:04:52 > 0:04:56Oh, my god, Mike. It's 2009.
0:04:56 > 0:04:57What? Already?
0:04:57 > 0:05:01Yeah, Mike. 2009. How did this happen?
0:05:01 > 0:05:04No payments till 2009!
0:05:04 > 0:05:07No payments till 2009!
0:05:09 > 0:05:14No payments till 2009! The economy's going to be great by then!
0:05:14 > 0:05:15Great. Now, with interest,
0:05:15 > 0:05:20we owe 650 on a VCR we sold at the garage sale last year for two bucks.
0:05:22 > 0:05:25You know what? It'll be fine.
0:05:25 > 0:05:29The secret of comedy, I'm about to give you the secret of comedy...
0:05:30 > 0:05:33..is reality.
0:05:33 > 0:05:37Barnet Kellman is an Emmy Award-winning writer and director
0:05:37 > 0:05:39who's worked on The Middle.
0:05:39 > 0:05:42Any real concerns in people's lives...
0:05:43 > 0:05:48will appear eventually on the screen in front of us.
0:05:48 > 0:05:51It's fine. It'll be fine. We're fine.
0:05:51 > 0:05:54These things have a way of working themselves out.
0:05:54 > 0:05:57As long as the dryer hangs on and I sell a car this month,
0:05:57 > 0:05:59we're going to be fine.
0:06:00 > 0:06:02'Frankie Heck and her family are fighting to survive
0:06:02 > 0:06:04'in credit crunch America.
0:06:08 > 0:06:11'For eight million viewers, it captures the spirit of the times.
0:06:11 > 0:06:17'For 25 years, Howard Rosenberg was one of America's most influential
0:06:17 > 0:06:18'TV critics.
0:06:18 > 0:06:22'In the Los Angeles Times, he made or broke TV sitcoms.'
0:06:22 > 0:06:25The comedies that have always worked for me,
0:06:25 > 0:06:28no matter how surreal they may be on one level,
0:06:28 > 0:06:31always have an undercurrent of plausibility,
0:06:31 > 0:06:34which is something that I can relate to, I can say, "Oh, yeah, you know."
0:06:34 > 0:06:37"Maybe the rest of it is sort of silly, but that has happened to me."
0:06:38 > 0:06:41We will open the doors of opportunity to everybody
0:06:41 > 0:06:43who's willing to work hard and walk through them.
0:06:43 > 0:06:48I will do everything in my power to get our economy going again,
0:06:48 > 0:06:49so people can have good jobs
0:06:49 > 0:06:52and don't have to worry about living pay cheque to pay cheque.
0:06:53 > 0:06:56'The candidates talk about the economy, but it's a sitcom,
0:06:56 > 0:06:59'The Middle, that best brings alive the fears of ordinary families
0:06:59 > 0:07:05'and helps explain the urgency with which the candidates tell voters
0:07:05 > 0:07:07'they get how tough life is.'
0:07:09 > 0:07:12The recent recession has been a profound shock for America.
0:07:12 > 0:07:16Four million families have had their houses foreclosed by the bank.
0:07:16 > 0:07:19There are millions of houses like this right across America.
0:07:19 > 0:07:23The trauma of the recession has forced sitcoms to show
0:07:23 > 0:07:28just a little of how many people are now forced to live.
0:07:28 > 0:07:32Oh, you're home early. And you make dinner. What a nice surprise.
0:07:32 > 0:07:35Yeah, well, it's really more of a bad surprise.
0:07:35 > 0:07:39Oh, you forgot ketchup! Oh, this sucks.
0:07:39 > 0:07:41I'm out of a job.
0:07:41 > 0:07:42What?
0:07:42 > 0:07:45Wait, found it! It was under the French fries.
0:07:45 > 0:07:47Their closing the quarry down for a few months
0:07:47 > 0:07:49so scientists can come and dig up the rest of it.
0:07:49 > 0:07:52- Dude!- Yeah.
0:07:52 > 0:07:54Oh, my god, you lost your job? Are we going to be OK?
0:07:54 > 0:07:57- Don't worry. It's just a few months. - We'll be fine.- Absolutely.
0:07:57 > 0:08:01Nothing to worry about. Mike, can I see you in the kitchen for a sec?
0:08:01 > 0:08:04'The Heck family say something politicians can't.'
0:08:04 > 0:08:06Oh, my god, Mike. We're screwed.
0:08:06 > 0:08:09Yeah. I would not want to be us right now.
0:08:09 > 0:08:12'Economically, it's a tightrope act.
0:08:12 > 0:08:13'They've got all the elements'
0:08:13 > 0:08:16of the American dream...
0:08:18 > 0:08:20..although it needs a paint job.
0:08:21 > 0:08:24But how do they keep it together?
0:08:24 > 0:08:28What does it cost to maintain this in daily struggle, and daily strife
0:08:28 > 0:08:30and daily tensions, and daily abrasions?
0:08:30 > 0:08:33First step, a trip to the Frugal Hoosier,
0:08:33 > 0:08:35Indiana's number one expired food store.
0:08:39 > 0:08:40So are we, like, poor, now?
0:08:40 > 0:08:42No, we're not poor. We're just thrifty.
0:08:42 > 0:08:44We're trying something new called living within our means.
0:08:44 > 0:08:47You mean we were living outside our means? Oh, God!
0:08:47 > 0:08:49You should be thanking me.
0:08:49 > 0:08:53Listen, smart consumers, they're the kids who are popular.
0:08:53 > 0:08:56'During periods when it gets heavy and the economy's coming down'
0:08:56 > 0:08:59you see that integrated into storylines.
0:08:59 > 0:09:03You see people, you see divorces, you see food stamps,
0:09:03 > 0:09:06you see public assistance, you see where that kind of
0:09:06 > 0:09:10works its way into the humour of "I can't afford that".
0:09:10 > 0:09:14'Rodney Barnes is an award-winning sitcom writer and director.'
0:09:16 > 0:09:19If you pay attention to the storylines and story arcs, you can
0:09:19 > 0:09:25kind of gauge what's happening in the psyche of the country at that time.
0:09:25 > 0:09:28Mum, are we going to be OK?
0:09:28 > 0:09:30I don't know.
0:09:30 > 0:09:32Huh?
0:09:32 > 0:09:35I don't know if we're going to be OK, Sue.
0:09:35 > 0:09:39I really don't. Frankly, I have no evidence that we will.
0:09:39 > 0:09:41That's not what you're supposed to say.
0:09:41 > 0:09:42Oh, I know, I know.
0:09:42 > 0:09:44I'm just supposed to pick you all up
0:09:44 > 0:09:47and tell you everything's going to be fine, but you know what?
0:09:47 > 0:09:49I don't know any more!
0:09:49 > 0:09:52You want to know the truth? Your dad's big on truth.
0:09:52 > 0:09:57Basically, our lives suck right now. I'm not into sugar-coat it.
0:09:57 > 0:09:592009 has been a rotten, rotten year.
0:09:59 > 0:10:02We can't afford a new dryer, we can't afford unexpired food,
0:10:02 > 0:10:04I can't even afford the LCD light-up angel that
0:10:04 > 0:10:07I ordered on the TV to surprise you all at Christmas!
0:10:07 > 0:10:09"Surprise!"
0:10:09 > 0:10:11If I don't sell a car, that means no job.
0:10:11 > 0:10:13That also means maybe no house,
0:10:13 > 0:10:16but the tornado will probably blow it all away anyway.
0:10:16 > 0:10:19Oh, my god. Let's just pack it all in.
0:10:19 > 0:10:21Let's just give you kids to Madonna or something,
0:10:21 > 0:10:24and your dad and I will go and live in a tent city somewhere,
0:10:24 > 0:10:27because the truth is we're screwed!
0:10:27 > 0:10:30'I think the idea of the American dream has changed,
0:10:30 > 0:10:34'that your children will do better than you did,
0:10:34 > 0:10:37'that you will provide for them the opportunity for them'
0:10:37 > 0:10:43to go on and advance their lives
0:10:43 > 0:10:48and create a legacy for them.
0:10:48 > 0:10:51I don't think people believe that so much any more.
0:10:51 > 0:10:54'David Isaacs is an Emmy-winning writer and producer
0:10:54 > 0:10:58'with credits from M*A*S*H to The Simpsons and Mad Men.'
0:10:58 > 0:11:00The title is, to me, very prophetic,
0:11:00 > 0:11:03because is there really a middle any more?
0:11:03 > 0:11:09Is there a chance for you to carve out not a rich in dollars life,
0:11:09 > 0:11:14but a healthy economic life free from fear,
0:11:14 > 0:11:17free from fear of falling off the edge?
0:11:17 > 0:11:22Ours is a fight to restore the values that built the largest
0:11:22 > 0:11:25middle class and the strongest economy the world has ever known.
0:11:25 > 0:11:28This Obama economy has crushed the middle class.
0:11:28 > 0:11:33Big decisions will be made in Washington on jobs, the economy.
0:11:33 > 0:11:36Today more Americans wake up in poverty than ever before.
0:11:36 > 0:11:39'To many working-class families, the presidential rivals
0:11:39 > 0:11:42'look like a different species'
0:11:42 > 0:11:44'Rich, powerful and seeing every issue
0:11:44 > 0:11:47'as part of a grand ideological battle.
0:11:47 > 0:11:50'Not just the economy, but race, gay marriage and abortion.
0:11:50 > 0:11:53'That's how the party machines like it.
0:11:54 > 0:11:57'Homer Simpson knows what he's dealing with.'
0:11:57 > 0:12:00America, take a good look at your beloved candidates.
0:12:00 > 0:12:03They're nothing but hideous space reptiles!
0:12:03 > 0:12:05CROWD GASP AND SCREAM
0:12:09 > 0:12:13It's true, we are aliens. But what are you going to do about it?
0:12:13 > 0:12:17It's a two-party system. You have to vote for one of us.
0:12:17 > 0:12:19He's right. This is a two-party system.
0:12:19 > 0:12:22Well, I think I'll vote for a third party candidate.
0:12:22 > 0:12:27Go ahead. Throw your vote away! Ha-ha-ha!
0:12:27 > 0:12:29THEY CACKLE
0:12:32 > 0:12:34'The Simpsons have got it right.
0:12:34 > 0:12:38'But though the candidates insist there are only two ways
0:12:38 > 0:12:39'of seeing America,
0:12:39 > 0:12:44'don't be tricked into believing that's what all Americans think.'
0:12:44 > 0:12:47What I believe is that there are millions of ordinary Americans
0:12:47 > 0:12:49who don't think this way.
0:12:49 > 0:12:51They could be the 40% of Americans who refuse to align
0:12:51 > 0:12:53with either party.
0:12:53 > 0:12:55They could be the millions of Americans
0:12:55 > 0:12:57who don't bother to vote at all.
0:12:57 > 0:12:59But I see plenty of evidence that these people -
0:12:59 > 0:13:01if you like, the "ignored middle" -
0:13:01 > 0:13:03do not see their lives as a struggle
0:13:03 > 0:13:06between the conservative and the liberal.
0:13:06 > 0:13:11And what is more, they're moving in a way that leaves the politicians
0:13:11 > 0:13:13and the news media behind.
0:13:13 > 0:13:17There is a divide between the American family that is being
0:13:17 > 0:13:19pushed down our throats by the politicians
0:13:19 > 0:13:23of what feels like the right way to live,
0:13:23 > 0:13:26and what we're seeing on television, and what people in America -
0:13:26 > 0:13:29the same people voting for those politicians -
0:13:29 > 0:13:31actually believe in their hearts
0:13:31 > 0:13:34and are seeing on their TVs as what makes a family.
0:13:34 > 0:13:35There's a huge chasm.
0:13:37 > 0:13:40'Sitcoms are all about the American family.
0:13:40 > 0:13:43'And while there are 60 million married couples,
0:13:43 > 0:13:47'what really excites the pundits and politicians are the one million
0:13:47 > 0:13:51'gay couples, and whether or not they count as family, too.'
0:13:51 > 0:13:52What would you do if one
0:13:52 > 0:13:55of your children came to you and said they were gay?
0:13:55 > 0:13:59You can't separate what happens in marriage
0:13:59 > 0:14:03and in families from how it affects everything in American life.
0:14:03 > 0:14:06We have to choose between the homosexual agenda and freedom.
0:14:06 > 0:14:09We have to choose between the homosexual agenda
0:14:09 > 0:14:12and the constitution, because we cannot have both.
0:14:12 > 0:14:14'The sitcoms show us a different picture
0:14:14 > 0:14:17'of who Americans are willing to call family.'
0:14:18 > 0:14:21'This is the story of two sisters...'
0:14:21 > 0:14:25'Years before politicians would deal seriously with gay issues,
0:14:25 > 0:14:29'sitcoms got there first, even if the character, Jodie Dallas,
0:14:29 > 0:14:31'was a 70s idea of what being gay meant.'
0:14:31 > 0:14:34If anyone's interested, I've thought it over and I've definitely decided
0:14:34 > 0:14:36to go ahead with a sex-change operation.
0:14:36 > 0:14:39Ha-ha-ha!
0:14:39 > 0:14:42He's starting with that sex-change stuff again!
0:14:42 > 0:14:45Can we talk about this later? People are eating.
0:14:45 > 0:14:50'Soap included a character played by Billy Crystal
0:14:50 > 0:14:52'who was identifiably gay.'
0:14:52 > 0:14:54My hips will become rounded.
0:14:54 > 0:14:55'He wanted a sex change,'
0:14:55 > 0:14:59also implying that all gay men wanted to change their genders.
0:14:59 > 0:15:01I just got used to you being a...
0:15:01 > 0:15:02Homosexual.
0:15:03 > 0:15:07I always thought you'd outgrow it, that it was just a phase.
0:15:07 > 0:15:10And now, when I'm finally used to you being a...
0:15:10 > 0:15:12Homosexual.
0:15:12 > 0:15:16You're going to get a sex-change operation and be a girl?
0:15:16 > 0:15:19Jody, for God's sakes, what am I going to tell people?
0:15:19 > 0:15:23Oh, my god, I think I'm having a cerebral haemorrhage. I can feel it.
0:15:23 > 0:15:24He couldn't just be gay.
0:15:25 > 0:15:31He had to be crazy, flamboyant, cross-dressing gay.
0:15:31 > 0:15:34'But that's what he had to play and it was always played for laughs.'
0:15:34 > 0:15:36I'm sorry, I didn't realise
0:15:36 > 0:15:38you had company... Good God!
0:15:40 > 0:15:42APPLAUSE
0:15:42 > 0:15:44What the hell does he think he's doing?!
0:15:44 > 0:15:47He's not going out dressed like that, is he?
0:15:47 > 0:15:50No, it's too chilly. I'll take a wrap.
0:15:50 > 0:15:53'In fact, Jodie Dallas offended just about everyone.
0:15:53 > 0:15:55'He failed the reality test.'
0:15:55 > 0:15:58- He's sick!- So am I.
0:15:58 > 0:16:01He looks better in that dress than I do.
0:16:01 > 0:16:06I think the tremendous amount of controversy and backlash
0:16:06 > 0:16:10and complaint around the character of Jodie Dallas on Soap
0:16:10 > 0:16:13may have just kind of scared people off for a while.
0:16:15 > 0:16:17I think that it made them realise that,
0:16:17 > 0:16:20"Mmm, these gay characters might be just a little bit too dangerous,
0:16:20 > 0:16:23""a little bit too complicated, a little bit too dicey.
0:16:23 > 0:16:26"If we're doing a gay character and we're pissing off everybody,
0:16:26 > 0:16:28"including the gay people and the anti-gay people,
0:16:28 > 0:16:30"we might want to rethink this."
0:16:30 > 0:16:31You may kiss!
0:16:31 > 0:16:32CHEERING
0:16:32 > 0:16:36'But in the 1990s, increasing numbers of gay people came out
0:16:36 > 0:16:37'to their friends and family.
0:16:37 > 0:16:42'And the sitcom writers were quick to tune into this trend.'
0:16:45 > 0:16:47Morning.
0:16:47 > 0:16:49So, how was dinner with Richard?
0:16:49 > 0:16:52Oh, it was great. We had dinner at the restaurant...
0:16:52 > 0:16:55'In this episode of Ellen, sitcom fiction would mirror real life.'
0:16:55 > 0:16:57No, they're nice. They're big.
0:16:57 > 0:17:00'Jonathan Stark is an Emmy Award-winning writer
0:17:00 > 0:17:04'who co-wrote one of the most famous storylines in sitcom history.'
0:17:04 > 0:17:05She was an everywoman.
0:17:06 > 0:17:11She dated guys.
0:17:11 > 0:17:13She had normal friends, a normal, normal life.
0:17:13 > 0:17:18Well, we went back to his room so we could continue talking.
0:17:18 > 0:17:20Ellen, you didn't!
0:17:20 > 0:17:21Oh, didn't I?
0:17:21 > 0:17:23'The real Ellen DeGeneres was different.'
0:17:23 > 0:17:24'We knew she was gay.'
0:17:24 > 0:17:27I'm sure people knew she was, but it was never talked about,
0:17:27 > 0:17:28it was never discussed.
0:17:28 > 0:17:31It was like, "Well, that's what she is, so, you know,
0:17:31 > 0:17:35"but that's only the comic, not Ellen we see on TV."
0:17:35 > 0:17:40'In 1997, four seasons into the show, Ellen DeGeneres, the actress,
0:17:40 > 0:17:41'came out as gay.'
0:17:42 > 0:17:45When she came out as a person on the cover of Time,
0:17:45 > 0:17:49it was huge. It got international media coverage,
0:17:49 > 0:17:51it was all over the national news.
0:17:51 > 0:17:54I mean, I know people who came out to their families
0:17:54 > 0:17:56by handing them that magazine.
0:17:56 > 0:17:59'The ABC network decided the fictional Ellen
0:17:59 > 0:18:01'could also come out.
0:18:01 > 0:18:06'It was a risk. Half of Americans believed gay sex should be a crime.'
0:18:06 > 0:18:08Ellen, are you coming out or not?
0:18:10 > 0:18:13Yeah, Ellen quit jerking us around and come out, already!
0:18:13 > 0:18:15Come on!
0:18:15 > 0:18:18What is the big deal? I've got a whole hour.
0:18:20 > 0:18:24This risk in this was beyond any risk
0:18:24 > 0:18:28I've ever seen in television.
0:18:29 > 0:18:32'The basic story for Ellen was she goes out on a date
0:18:32 > 0:18:33'with an old friend of hers,'
0:18:33 > 0:18:37who's in town shooting something, and his producer is Laura Dern.
0:18:37 > 0:18:40..interrupted. Nice sweater.
0:18:40 > 0:18:41Thank you. Who are you?
0:18:41 > 0:18:42Oh...
0:18:42 > 0:18:45Ellen, this is Susan Richmond, my producer.
0:18:45 > 0:18:47- Hi, Ellen.- Yeah.
0:18:47 > 0:18:51Of course, one thing leads to another and she tries to convince herself
0:18:51 > 0:18:53that she really likes this guy.
0:18:53 > 0:18:55Did you ever go out with him, or...?
0:18:55 > 0:18:57'42 million people were watching.'
0:18:57 > 0:19:00Yeah, that's a bad idea, I guess.
0:19:00 > 0:19:03I don't date men.
0:19:03 > 0:19:05Oh.
0:19:06 > 0:19:10LAUGHTER
0:19:12 > 0:19:13Why?
0:19:13 > 0:19:16LAUGHTER
0:19:16 > 0:19:19The laugh is the truth.
0:19:19 > 0:19:23The laugh signals acceptance, the laugh signals recognition.
0:19:23 > 0:19:26The laugh signals personal identification.
0:19:26 > 0:19:29And when she says, "I'm gay."
0:19:30 > 0:19:33Yes, I'm gay.
0:19:33 > 0:19:36When she says that, you realise, "Oh, my god,
0:19:36 > 0:19:39"It's all come together. She's letting it go."
0:19:39 > 0:19:42Wow.
0:19:44 > 0:19:45I know this is a big shock.
0:19:45 > 0:19:49I really don't expect you to accept it right away.
0:19:49 > 0:19:51Take your time, let it sink in.
0:19:54 > 0:19:58Well, I, for one, think it's super.
0:19:58 > 0:20:01APPLAUSE
0:20:01 > 0:20:03'I remember the audience standing up cheering.
0:20:03 > 0:20:05'I remember Ellen crying.'
0:20:05 > 0:20:08'I remember half the cast crying, and I remember shivering.'
0:20:08 > 0:20:12It was one of those things in your life, not just in television,
0:20:12 > 0:20:15but in your life, where you really say,
0:20:15 > 0:20:19"Wow, this is really, really something. Don't forget this moment."
0:20:19 > 0:20:23'The episode reflected and accelerated change
0:20:23 > 0:20:24'that was already happening.
0:20:24 > 0:20:27'Today, four in ten Americans have close friends or relatives
0:20:27 > 0:20:29'who are gay.'
0:20:29 > 0:20:31Just one thing.
0:20:31 > 0:20:33Are you sure this is what you want?
0:20:34 > 0:20:36Aren't you sweet? Yes, I am sure, thank you.
0:20:36 > 0:20:38OK.
0:20:38 > 0:20:40Everybody, pay up!
0:20:40 > 0:20:41Damn!
0:20:41 > 0:20:44LAUGHTER AND APPLAUSE
0:20:48 > 0:20:50Television is one of those mediums that goes back and forth.
0:20:50 > 0:20:53It's always a little bit behind society,
0:20:53 > 0:20:57so society will change and then television will be right behind it.
0:21:01 > 0:21:04'In the 2000s, for many younger Americans,
0:21:04 > 0:21:09'different was the new normal, and they expected to see that on TV.
0:21:09 > 0:21:11'The sitcom writers came up with a show
0:21:11 > 0:21:14'that perfectly captured the attitude.
0:21:17 > 0:21:20'Will & Grace gave us a lead character who was a regular guy
0:21:20 > 0:21:22'who just happened to be gay.'
0:21:22 > 0:21:23What are you doing?
0:21:23 > 0:21:24Hanging out.
0:21:24 > 0:21:27- Come over.- Will, I can't.
0:21:27 > 0:21:28'Come on, Grace.'
0:21:28 > 0:21:29You know you want to.
0:21:29 > 0:21:31Of course I want to, but...
0:21:31 > 0:21:34It's going to be a good one. I can feel it.
0:21:34 > 0:21:35It's always good.
0:21:35 > 0:21:37Still...
0:21:37 > 0:21:38Well, if you're not going to come over,
0:21:38 > 0:21:41do you want me to talk you through it?
0:21:44 > 0:21:47It's tempting, but I think I'll watch ER here.
0:21:48 > 0:21:52He was normal, and just like us.
0:21:52 > 0:21:55He worried about his clothes, he worried about his job,
0:21:55 > 0:21:57he had problems with his parents.
0:21:58 > 0:22:03'Janis Hirsch is a leading sitcom writer who worked on Will & Grace.'
0:22:03 > 0:22:07Suddenly, gay people are just like you,
0:22:07 > 0:22:09but dressed better and are funnier.
0:22:09 > 0:22:11'In this episode, Will, Grace
0:22:11 > 0:22:14'and their gay friend Jack settle down to watch a sitcom.'
0:22:14 > 0:22:16"I think I'm about to be kissed."
0:22:16 > 0:22:18Gay sex is so hot.
0:22:24 > 0:22:26'They expect to see a gay kiss.'
0:22:26 > 0:22:27This is it! This is it! This is not it.
0:22:27 > 0:22:30Where is the camera going? Why are we looking at a fireplace?
0:22:30 > 0:22:32Get off the flames and follow the flamers!
0:22:33 > 0:22:37LAUGHTER
0:22:37 > 0:22:39Oh, come on! They didn't show us anything!
0:22:39 > 0:22:41I can't believe this!
0:22:41 > 0:22:44Oh, come on, Jack. What did you expect?
0:22:44 > 0:22:45I expected a kiss!
0:22:45 > 0:22:46And this closet case upstairs...
0:22:46 > 0:22:49'Later, they go to protest outside the network.'
0:22:49 > 0:22:52..and I want to know how long I'll have to wait until I can see
0:22:52 > 0:22:53two gay men kiss on network TV.
0:22:53 > 0:22:55Not as long as you'd think.
0:22:58 > 0:23:03'Once again, a show had reflected change, and then consolidated it.'
0:23:03 > 0:23:05Not your boyfriend, my ass!
0:23:08 > 0:23:15When you're laughing, the next day when you see someone who's gay,
0:23:15 > 0:23:18instead of going, "Eugh," or whatever
0:23:18 > 0:23:20your reaction was going to be,
0:23:20 > 0:23:23you're interested, you're talking.
0:23:24 > 0:23:29You know, when you see gay couples now with kids,
0:23:29 > 0:23:32you know, your first instinct isn't necessarily to say,
0:23:32 > 0:23:34"Where's the mum?"
0:23:34 > 0:23:36You just go, "Oh, cool, these are your kids."
0:23:37 > 0:23:40And I think that started with Will and Grace, I really do.
0:23:44 > 0:23:46'The politicians argue over gay rights,
0:23:46 > 0:23:50'but when asked whether a gay couple raising a child counts as a family,
0:23:50 > 0:23:52'two-thirds of Americans say yes.
0:23:53 > 0:23:54'In the last decade
0:23:54 > 0:23:58'the proportion of gay couples raising children has doubled.
0:23:58 > 0:24:00'One in four of them are now doing it.
0:24:00 > 0:24:01'In this episode of Modern Family,
0:24:01 > 0:24:05'Mitch and Cam bring home their newly adopted baby.'
0:24:05 > 0:24:07She barely slept on the plane and she's still wide awake.
0:24:07 > 0:24:08Oh, stop worrying.
0:24:10 > 0:24:12Cam, that orphanage was all women.
0:24:12 > 0:24:14Maybe she can't fall asleep unless she feels a woman's shape.
0:24:14 > 0:24:16I guess that's possible.
0:24:16 > 0:24:17So, here.
0:24:17 > 0:24:19What the hell is that supposed to mean?
0:24:19 > 0:24:23Yes, I've gained a few extra pounds while we were expecting the baby.
0:24:23 > 0:24:27Which has been very difficult, but apparently your body does
0:24:27 > 0:24:29a nesting, very maternal, primal thing
0:24:29 > 0:24:31'where it retains nutrients -
0:24:31 > 0:24:36'some sort of molecular physiology thing - but that's science.
0:24:36 > 0:24:38'You can't fight it.'
0:24:38 > 0:24:39So...
0:24:41 > 0:24:43I'm not saying anything.
0:24:43 > 0:24:44You're saying everything.
0:24:46 > 0:24:50'Some people feel TV's treatment of gay people
0:24:50 > 0:24:53'is "typical liberal bias".
0:24:53 > 0:24:56'Pat Buchanan is one of the biggest names on the conservative wing
0:24:56 > 0:24:57'of the Republican Party.'
0:24:57 > 0:25:00'This isn't the good country we grew up in.'
0:25:02 > 0:25:05There's no doubt that the idea of homosexuality
0:25:05 > 0:25:09and gay marriage, it's portrayed as positive and healthy
0:25:09 > 0:25:14and happy and a normal lifestyle and even a commendable lifestyle,
0:25:14 > 0:25:17and Hollywood plays a major role in that.
0:25:17 > 0:25:19I mean, homosexual marriage,
0:25:19 > 0:25:24is overwhelmingly supported by Hollywood and the people who make
0:25:24 > 0:25:28and create the culture, the popular culture which we all consume.
0:25:28 > 0:25:31No doubt, you don't need a weatherman
0:25:31 > 0:25:34to know which way the wind is blowing.
0:25:36 > 0:25:40'The sitcom writers insist, "We're just holding a mirror to society."
0:25:40 > 0:25:43Hollywood gets a lot of criticism for being overly liberal
0:25:43 > 0:25:48and pushing an agenda, but America's watching, the ratings show that.
0:25:48 > 0:25:51If they did not like the message, they would not watch,
0:25:51 > 0:25:53and if they did not watch we would be shut down.
0:25:53 > 0:25:54It happens all the time.
0:25:54 > 0:26:00One of the jobs of comedy is to patrol moral boundaries.
0:26:01 > 0:26:05Boundary keepers, to test the limits, to find out where we are,
0:26:05 > 0:26:08that's one of the endeavours. That's what we're exploring.
0:26:10 > 0:26:12We're trying to find the compass.
0:26:15 > 0:26:19When we go too far, we get called back.
0:26:19 > 0:26:24When we say something that nobody else is saying, when we acknowledge
0:26:24 > 0:26:29a previously unacknowledged truth, we get rewarded for it.
0:26:29 > 0:26:34So patrolling that boundary, finding out where the limits are,
0:26:34 > 0:26:37is what the business of comedy is.
0:26:37 > 0:26:42'Sitcoms need to stay close to the boundaries of public opinion.
0:26:42 > 0:26:46'Cross those boundaries and the public switch off.
0:26:46 > 0:26:48'And in some places, the boundaries have shrunk.
0:26:48 > 0:26:51'While sitcoms have caught the more liberal attitude
0:26:51 > 0:26:54'to gays and lesbians, on other issues
0:26:54 > 0:26:58'they've reflected a different movement in public opinion.'
0:26:58 > 0:27:00Whereas in Britain we have become ever more liberal,
0:27:00 > 0:27:02in the United States,
0:27:02 > 0:27:04attitudes on some key issues have actually hardened.
0:27:05 > 0:27:09In America, the story of change isn't one of constant progress,
0:27:09 > 0:27:12of always moving in one direction.
0:27:12 > 0:27:14It's more complicated.
0:27:16 > 0:27:20'Back in the early 70s, one of the most popular sitcoms was Maude,
0:27:20 > 0:27:25'a show that confronted one of the most controversial issues of all.
0:27:25 > 0:27:28'The central character was played by Bea Arthur,
0:27:28 > 0:27:31'better known these days for her role in The Golden Girls.'
0:27:31 > 0:27:33We've been through an awful lot together.
0:27:33 > 0:27:34A lot.
0:27:34 > 0:27:37Six husbands. Your two, my four.
0:27:37 > 0:27:38Right.
0:27:38 > 0:27:42For 22 years, Vivian, we've been everything to each other.
0:27:42 > 0:27:45I mean, there wasn't a confidence that we couldn't share,
0:27:45 > 0:27:47we've been like sisters, Vivian.
0:27:47 > 0:27:48Like sisters, Maude.
0:27:49 > 0:27:51Then can I trust you to keep a secret?
0:27:51 > 0:27:54'When this episode was broadcast in 1972,
0:27:54 > 0:27:57'abortion had already been legalised in some states,
0:27:57 > 0:27:58'but it would be another two months
0:27:58 > 0:28:01'before it was made legal across the country.'
0:28:03 > 0:28:04Vivian.
0:28:06 > 0:28:08I'm pregnant.
0:28:09 > 0:28:14'This was a woman in her late 40s, this is a woman who had wrinkles,'
0:28:14 > 0:28:16and so when she got pregnant...
0:28:16 > 0:28:18"What? She got pregnant?"
0:28:18 > 0:28:20"Yeah, she got pregnant."
0:28:20 > 0:28:22People expected, well, naturally,
0:28:22 > 0:28:24if she gets pregnant, this is American television,
0:28:24 > 0:28:27she will have the child and give it up for adoption.
0:28:27 > 0:28:30No, she has an abortion.
0:28:30 > 0:28:32This was a stunner.
0:28:32 > 0:28:34You know, I've been thinking.
0:28:34 > 0:28:38There is no earthly reason for you to go through with this at your age.
0:28:38 > 0:28:41You know it, I know it, Walter knows it.
0:28:41 > 0:28:43I don't want you to talk. Just don't talk about it!
0:28:43 > 0:28:45I didn't say anything, but now that you mentioned it,
0:28:45 > 0:28:47it's legal in New York now, isn't it?
0:28:47 > 0:28:51Of course it is, Walter. Mother, I don't understand your hesitancy.
0:28:51 > 0:28:53When they made it a law, you were for it.
0:28:53 > 0:28:56Of course, I wasn't pregnant then!
0:28:56 > 0:28:59What's ironic about the Maude episode,
0:28:59 > 0:29:03here is something that happened, what, 40 years ago on television,
0:29:03 > 0:29:06and even if it was controversial, it was deemed ultimately acceptable.
0:29:06 > 0:29:10That same episode could not play on television today,
0:29:10 > 0:29:12would not even be attempted today
0:29:12 > 0:29:16because the atmosphere in this country is so poisoned,
0:29:16 > 0:29:19it's impossible for people to have a rational discussion
0:29:19 > 0:29:24about anything without being shouted down, and that includes abortion.
0:29:24 > 0:29:26Just tell me, Walter...
0:29:27 > 0:29:29that I'm doing the right thing,
0:29:29 > 0:29:31not having the baby.
0:29:34 > 0:29:36For you, Maude, for me.
0:29:37 > 0:29:42And in the privacy of our own lives, you're doing the right thing.
0:29:45 > 0:29:47I love you, Walter Findlay.
0:29:51 > 0:29:53APPLAUSE
0:29:55 > 0:29:58'Now, in 2012, abortion divides America like no other issue.'
0:29:58 > 0:30:00You don't care.
0:30:00 > 0:30:02He was running a legal system.
0:30:02 > 0:30:04- You know who has blood on her hands? You.- That's ridiculous, Bill.
0:30:04 > 0:30:07You don't care about these babies. It isn't ridiculous.
0:30:07 > 0:30:08You're the zealot.
0:30:14 > 0:30:18As President, I'll protect the sanctity of life.
0:30:18 > 0:30:21I'll honour the institution of marriage.
0:30:21 > 0:30:25Washington politicians who want to decide who you can marry or control
0:30:25 > 0:30:28health care choices that women should be making for themselves...
0:30:32 > 0:30:35Only you can make sure that doesn't happen.
0:30:35 > 0:30:39'The sitcoms have largely avoided the subject of abortion since Maude in the '70s.'
0:30:40 > 0:30:44'It's an issue that tears America apart, with roughly half
0:30:44 > 0:30:47'the country passionately opposed to it and half in favour.'
0:30:48 > 0:30:52'TV producers don't like those odds.'
0:30:52 > 0:30:56Most networks would probably not deal with that subject matter,
0:30:56 > 0:30:59because they don't want the backlash that comes with it.
0:30:59 > 0:31:02You know, I think Family Guy had an abortion episode
0:31:02 > 0:31:05and the network wouldn't let them air it.
0:31:05 > 0:31:08If you have a few moments, I'd like you to watch this video presentation.
0:31:08 > 0:31:10Yeah, I got a few minutes. My wife's getting an abortion.
0:31:10 > 0:31:14'This is the episode of Family Guy that the network wouldn't run.'
0:31:15 > 0:31:19Hello, friend. I hear you're contemplating having an abortion.
0:31:19 > 0:31:22But before you do, remember, science has proven that within
0:31:22 > 0:31:25hours of conception, a human foetus has started a college fund and has
0:31:25 > 0:31:29already made your first mother's day card out of macaroni and glitter.
0:31:31 > 0:31:36- Ah!- But don't take my word for it. Just ask my little friend Ziggy.
0:31:36 > 0:31:38Hi, I'm Ziggy the zygote.
0:31:38 > 0:31:42I'm looking forward to being an active member of your community.
0:31:42 > 0:31:43Can I hug you?
0:31:43 > 0:31:45Ha-ha! Of course you can, Ziggy,
0:31:45 > 0:31:49because even though they're not visible yet, you already have
0:31:49 > 0:31:53tiny arms, arms that will one day work, play and fold in prayer.
0:31:53 > 0:31:54Yay!
0:31:54 > 0:31:58'The creators of Family Guy did find a way to get past the ban.'
0:31:58 > 0:32:00We're doing a live reading of an episode
0:32:00 > 0:32:01that will never air on television.
0:32:01 > 0:32:03'When it does get on air,
0:32:03 > 0:32:06'the show pulls in seven million viewers.'
0:32:09 > 0:32:11So, how did it go at the clinic?
0:32:11 > 0:32:14Fine, at first, but then there was a complication.
0:32:14 > 0:32:16We have decided against the procedure.
0:32:16 > 0:32:17Really? Why?
0:32:17 > 0:32:19Because it's killing babies, Brian.
0:32:19 > 0:32:23If God wanted us to kill babies, he'd make them all Chinese girls.
0:32:26 > 0:32:28All we're doing is holding a mirror up.
0:32:30 > 0:32:34'So while traditional sitcoms avoid abortion,
0:32:34 > 0:32:38'satirical cartoons do want to talk about it.'
0:32:38 > 0:32:42'That's because younger Americans want to see taboo subjects on TV,
0:32:42 > 0:32:45'and cartoons top what they watch.'
0:32:45 > 0:32:49'80% of South Park's viewers are under 35.'
0:32:52 > 0:32:55'The show articulates the visceral discomfort
0:32:55 > 0:32:58'that many Americans feel about abortion.'
0:32:58 > 0:33:00All right, Miss Anders. All ready for your abortion?
0:33:00 > 0:33:02LAUGHTER
0:33:02 > 0:33:04Ready as I'm ever going to be, I guess.
0:33:05 > 0:33:08Well, try to relax. It will all be over very soon.
0:33:08 > 0:33:09LAUGHTER
0:33:09 > 0:33:12Doctor, can we turn off that television?
0:33:12 > 0:33:14Oh, yes, I'm sorry.
0:33:14 > 0:33:16LAUGHTER STOPS
0:33:16 > 0:33:18OK.
0:33:18 > 0:33:19Great.
0:33:19 > 0:33:21Well, here we go.
0:33:21 > 0:33:27VACUUM CLEANER BUZZES
0:33:40 > 0:33:43'The sitcoms reveal an America that is embracing gay rights
0:33:43 > 0:33:47'but still uncomfortable about abortion.
0:33:47 > 0:33:50'That might have something to do with religion.
0:33:50 > 0:33:53'Gay rights can be seen as "learning to love your neighbour",
0:33:53 > 0:33:57'while for many people in this country, abortion will always be
0:33:57 > 0:33:59'about the destruction of life.
0:34:00 > 0:34:01'And religion matters.
0:34:01 > 0:34:06'76% of Americans expect to meet God on Judgment Day.
0:34:07 > 0:34:09'Homer Simpson's beaten them to it.'
0:34:09 > 0:34:13God, I got to ask you something. What's the meaning of life?
0:34:13 > 0:34:15Homer, I can't tell you that.
0:34:15 > 0:34:17Come on.
0:34:20 > 0:34:24'It's Sunday morning at Brentwood Presbyterian Church in Los Angeles.'
0:34:24 > 0:34:28This city isn't Alabama in the Bible Belt,
0:34:28 > 0:34:32yet this place is so popular that it has to hold two services
0:34:32 > 0:34:34just to fit everyone in.
0:34:35 > 0:34:39'Three quarters of Americans pray every day.'
0:34:39 > 0:34:44'God is everywhere. It's no surprise that he makes guest appearances.'
0:34:48 > 0:34:52'In this episode of The Simpsons, Homer stops going to church.'
0:34:52 > 0:34:54God?
0:34:54 > 0:34:57Thou hast forsaken my church!
0:34:57 > 0:35:00Well, kind of, but...
0:35:00 > 0:35:01But what?
0:35:01 > 0:35:05I'm not a bad guy. I work hard and I love my kids,
0:35:05 > 0:35:09so why should I spend half my Sunday hearing about how I'm going to hell?
0:35:10 > 0:35:13Hmm... You've got a point there.
0:35:13 > 0:35:18'Homer and God chat about a common experience for the 11 million
0:35:18 > 0:35:22'Americans watching - the ups and downs of church.'
0:35:22 > 0:35:26You know what I really hate about church? Those boring sermons.
0:35:27 > 0:35:29I couldn't agree more.
0:35:29 > 0:35:31America is a more religious society.
0:35:31 > 0:35:33All the puritans came over here - what do you expect?
0:35:33 > 0:35:36We were started by people
0:35:36 > 0:35:39in belt buckle hats or whatever they were, I don't know.
0:35:39 > 0:35:40It's strictly religious.
0:35:40 > 0:35:44'For many Americans, church is at the centre of family life...'
0:35:44 > 0:35:47- You used to drive that blue car. - Kids, could you wait outside...
0:35:47 > 0:35:50'..and by rejecting church, Homer rejects his family.'
0:35:50 > 0:35:52Homer, please don't make me choose between my man and my god
0:35:52 > 0:35:54because you just can't win.
0:35:54 > 0:35:58There you go again. Always taking someone else's side.
0:35:58 > 0:36:01Flanders, the Water Department, God.
0:36:01 > 0:36:04I'm only going to ask you one last time.
0:36:04 > 0:36:06Are you sure you won't come with us to Church?
0:36:06 > 0:36:09"Coming up next, Make Your Own Ladder."
0:36:09 > 0:36:10Very sure.
0:36:18 > 0:36:23'The sitcoms reflect the fact that almost half of Americans
0:36:23 > 0:36:26'attend church or some other place of worship.'
0:36:29 > 0:36:32'For many, life without faith is unthinkable.'
0:36:32 > 0:36:34'Although, unlike Homer Simpson,
0:36:34 > 0:36:38'it doesn't take the house burning down to convince them.'
0:36:38 > 0:36:41You know I have a feeling there's a lesson here.
0:36:41 > 0:36:43Yes, the lesson is...
0:36:43 > 0:36:45No, don't tell me, I'll get it.
0:36:45 > 0:36:48Oh, I know. The Lord is vengeful!
0:36:48 > 0:36:53Oh, spiteful one, show me who to smite and they shall be smoten.
0:36:53 > 0:36:55Homer, God didn't set your house on fire.
0:36:55 > 0:36:58No, but he was working in the hearts of your friends and neighbours
0:36:58 > 0:37:04when they went to your aid, be they Christian, Jew or miscellaneous.
0:37:04 > 0:37:06Hindu! There are 700 million of us.
0:37:06 > 0:37:08Oh, that's super.
0:37:08 > 0:37:12I was rude to everyone of you and you've saved my life
0:37:12 > 0:37:15when you could have just left me to fry like the proverbial pancake
0:37:15 > 0:37:16that I am.
0:37:16 > 0:37:20Oh, Homie, I'm so glad to hear you say that.
0:37:20 > 0:37:22Now, would you give church another try?
0:37:22 > 0:37:25I'll be there next Sunday, front row centre.
0:37:25 > 0:37:27SNORING
0:37:27 > 0:37:31'The Simpsons remain an all-American, God-fearing family.'
0:37:31 > 0:37:35There is an undeniable love for each other.
0:37:35 > 0:37:38You know, Marge and Homer are never going to split up.
0:37:38 > 0:37:41They're going to be together the rest of their lives.
0:37:41 > 0:37:42The presidency has a funny way
0:37:42 > 0:37:46of making a person feel the need to pray.
0:37:47 > 0:37:50'American politicians often work God into their speeches,
0:37:50 > 0:37:54'because they know he's a lot more popular than they are.'
0:37:54 > 0:37:56In the wake of failures and disappointments,
0:37:56 > 0:38:01I've questioned what God had in store for me.
0:38:01 > 0:38:04And, suddenly, God and Jesus appeared before me!
0:38:04 > 0:38:06And they said I should start my own church,
0:38:06 > 0:38:09because none of the others had it right.
0:38:09 > 0:38:13'Mitt Romney, Barack Obama's rival, is a Mormon, a faith whose founder
0:38:13 > 0:38:16'this episode of South Park mercilessly ridicules.'
0:38:18 > 0:38:20# Many people believed Joseph
0:38:20 > 0:38:22# Dum dum dum dum dum
0:38:22 > 0:38:24# And that night he saw an angel
0:38:24 > 0:38:26# Dum dum dum dum dum. #
0:38:26 > 0:38:29And please bless mother and father
0:38:29 > 0:38:32and please keep our bellies full of yum yums and luscious goodies.
0:38:32 > 0:38:34Aaah!
0:38:36 > 0:38:37Oh, my gosh!
0:38:37 > 0:38:40I am Morona. I am a native American.
0:38:40 > 0:38:44A native American? But your skin is white.
0:38:44 > 0:38:47Yes. Long ago, all native Americans were white.
0:38:47 > 0:38:49We all came to America from Jerusalem,
0:38:49 > 0:38:53and while we were here we were visited by Christ.
0:38:53 > 0:38:55Jesus lived here in America?
0:38:56 > 0:38:58'You might wonder how a man who is a member
0:38:58 > 0:39:01'of such a controversial church
0:39:01 > 0:39:04'could be nominated for President by the Republicans,
0:39:04 > 0:39:08'the most religiously conservative of the two parties.'
0:39:08 > 0:39:09'Here's his explanation.'
0:39:09 > 0:39:13We were Mormons, and growing up in Michigan, that might have
0:39:13 > 0:39:17seemed unusual or out of place, but I really don't remember it that way.
0:39:17 > 0:39:19My friends cared more about what sports teams
0:39:19 > 0:39:22we followed than what church we went to.
0:39:22 > 0:39:23Keep him away from me!
0:39:23 > 0:39:26'South Park's Mormon character Gary explains that what matters
0:39:26 > 0:39:29'to Americans isn't what faith people have,
0:39:29 > 0:39:31'but that they at least have a faith.'
0:39:31 > 0:39:34Look, maybe us Mormons do believe in crazy stories
0:39:34 > 0:39:35that make absolutely no sense,
0:39:35 > 0:39:37and maybe Joseph Smith did make it all up.
0:39:37 > 0:39:39But I have a great life and a great family.
0:39:39 > 0:39:41And I have the book of Mormon to thank for that.
0:39:41 > 0:39:44The truth is, I don't care if Joseph Smith made it all up
0:39:44 > 0:39:47because what the Church teaches now is loving your family,
0:39:47 > 0:39:50being nice and helping people, and even though people in this town
0:39:50 > 0:39:52might think that's stupid, I still choose to believe in it.
0:39:52 > 0:39:54All I ever did was try to be your friend, Stan,
0:39:54 > 0:39:57but you're so high and mighty you couldn't look past my religion
0:39:57 > 0:39:58and just be my friend back.
0:39:58 > 0:40:00You got a lot of growing up to do, buddy. Suck my balls.
0:40:04 > 0:40:06Conservatives have accepted Romney's faith,
0:40:06 > 0:40:10but other forms of reconciliation can be harder to achieve.
0:40:10 > 0:40:15But tonight, because of what we did on this day, in this election,
0:40:15 > 0:40:20at this defining moment, change has come to America.
0:40:23 > 0:40:26When Barack Obama won in 2008, many Americans hoped it would end
0:40:26 > 0:40:30the country's oldest division - race.
0:40:31 > 0:40:35Today, optimism among black people is at a high,
0:40:35 > 0:40:38but 80% still think their country has a race problem.
0:40:41 > 0:40:44I don't think you can legislate feelings,
0:40:44 > 0:40:47I don't think that you can legislate a point of view.
0:40:47 > 0:40:49If you don't like people of colour, if you don't get it,
0:40:49 > 0:40:51if you don't associate with people of colour,
0:40:51 > 0:40:53you can have a President that's blue
0:40:53 > 0:40:56and that's not going to change how you personally feel
0:40:56 > 0:40:57about your neighbour.
0:41:00 > 0:41:03'The reality is that race remains the wound that will not heal.
0:41:03 > 0:41:08'And you can see America's racial divisions reflected in its sitcoms,'
0:41:08 > 0:41:11'but in ways that are more complex
0:41:11 > 0:41:15'and more surprising than you might expect.'
0:41:17 > 0:41:19'Back in the '70s, sitcoms appeared
0:41:19 > 0:41:23'that brought the lives of ordinary African Americans to the screen.
0:41:23 > 0:41:26'And these mainstream shows, like Good Times,
0:41:26 > 0:41:29'were popular with both black and white audiences.'
0:41:29 > 0:41:31I said, hold it.
0:41:32 > 0:41:34Hold it!
0:41:36 > 0:41:39Well, it's comforting to know there's
0:41:39 > 0:41:42still some respect for Black Power around here.
0:41:45 > 0:41:48When I was a kid and I was watching Good Times,
0:41:48 > 0:41:50I was sitting on the floor watching TV and I asked my mother,
0:41:50 > 0:41:52"Where's the ghetto?"
0:41:52 > 0:41:55And she said "You're sitting in it."
0:41:55 > 0:41:57And I had no idea, you know,
0:41:57 > 0:42:00you're just a kid watching something funny.
0:42:00 > 0:42:05Alyson Fouse writes for TV sitcoms and Hollywood feature films.
0:42:05 > 0:42:08They were struggling, but to me it always felt like
0:42:08 > 0:42:12this is a family trying to make it where they are.
0:42:12 > 0:42:13What is it? Another eviction notice?
0:42:13 > 0:42:16Well, it ain't no Valentine card.
0:42:16 > 0:42:19Oh, baby, we got two of those while you was in the hospital.
0:42:19 > 0:42:21But my friend Manny, who works down in the projects, he said
0:42:21 > 0:42:24don't worry about it, because they know I'm a hard-working man.
0:42:24 > 0:42:25They'll extend me.
0:42:25 > 0:42:28Yeah, they'll extend you, right out into the street.
0:42:33 > 0:42:37'Good Times was about the lives of African-Americans
0:42:37 > 0:42:38'stuck in the inner cities.
0:42:38 > 0:42:41'In the '80s, a show hit the screens that was set among a black
0:42:41 > 0:42:46'professional class that was reaping the benefits of Civil Rights.'
0:42:48 > 0:42:53During the '80s and '90s, America was in love with the family
0:42:53 > 0:42:56that lived in this Greenwich Village Townhouse.
0:42:56 > 0:43:00The father was a doctor, his wife was a successful lawyer,
0:43:00 > 0:43:04and they were bringing up their five kids to be respectful,
0:43:04 > 0:43:06hard-working and ambitious.
0:43:06 > 0:43:10They were almost the perfect family, the physical embodiment
0:43:10 > 0:43:14of the sense of hope and aspiration that swept America
0:43:14 > 0:43:16during the Reagan years.
0:43:21 > 0:43:23Heard from the oldest, lately?
0:43:23 > 0:43:25Sandra? Yeah, she called last night.
0:43:25 > 0:43:26Doing OK?
0:43:26 > 0:43:28Four As and a B.
0:43:28 > 0:43:30Four As and a B? All right!
0:43:30 > 0:43:31Princeton.
0:43:31 > 0:43:32Yeah.
0:43:32 > 0:43:34She like it up there?
0:43:34 > 0:43:35Oh, yeah, lots of friends.
0:43:35 > 0:43:38And your second daughter? Where's she going to go?
0:43:38 > 0:43:43Denise? Well, she's talking about Princeton, Yale, Talladega...
0:43:43 > 0:43:46'It was part of the '80s optimism that anything was possible,'
0:43:46 > 0:43:50there was a belief that you could be anything.
0:43:50 > 0:43:52It was just expected you were going to go to college,
0:43:52 > 0:43:55they wore college shirts, you could go to Princeton,
0:43:55 > 0:43:57you could do this, you could be in the Naval Academy,
0:43:57 > 0:43:59you could do anything that you wanted to be,
0:43:59 > 0:44:03and your race really wasn't a factor in what you could or could not do.
0:44:03 > 0:44:08All right. Now, binoculars, everybody raise your binoculars.
0:44:08 > 0:44:10All right, down. Cameras, up.
0:44:10 > 0:44:11And down.
0:44:12 > 0:44:14All right. Let's head out!
0:44:14 > 0:44:16Oh, wait. The guest of honour. Theo!
0:44:17 > 0:44:19Theo!
0:44:22 > 0:44:25'Cosby created a show that wasn't about being black.'
0:44:26 > 0:44:29And I hadn't seen many shows, up until that point,
0:44:29 > 0:44:32that dealt with African American history
0:44:32 > 0:44:34in a way that wasn't painful.
0:44:34 > 0:44:37All right, there you go.
0:44:38 > 0:44:44'In 1992, 44 million people tuned into the final episode
0:44:44 > 0:44:46'of this national institution.'
0:44:46 > 0:44:49'It seemed to prove that whatever their colour, the lifestyles
0:44:49 > 0:44:52'and tastes of Americans were converging.'
0:44:52 > 0:44:55'But The Cosby Show turned out to be one of the last sitcoms
0:44:55 > 0:44:59'that was a hit among both black and white audiences.'
0:45:12 > 0:45:16'In 2000, the number one sitcom among white audiences was about
0:45:16 > 0:45:20'a group of friends living in an apartment block here in Manhattan.'
0:45:24 > 0:45:26'Despite being a huge hit with white Americans,
0:45:26 > 0:45:28'and a ratings success across the world,
0:45:28 > 0:45:31'Friends ranked as only the 64th most popular show
0:45:31 > 0:45:34'among African Americans.
0:45:34 > 0:45:37'Friends was not a hit among people of colour.
0:45:37 > 0:45:40'Big with white people, not as big with black people.
0:45:40 > 0:45:43'Friends appeals to the people
0:45:43 > 0:45:44'who look like the people on Friends,'
0:45:44 > 0:45:47and I don't think it crosses colour lines.
0:45:47 > 0:45:49I don't think it's intended to cross colour lines.
0:45:49 > 0:45:51Ross can wrap...
0:45:51 > 0:45:53'Built around the foibles of its six central characters,
0:45:53 > 0:45:55'the friends seem to live in an insular world.'
0:45:55 > 0:45:57Hurry!
0:45:57 > 0:46:00Monica's going to make you pack. She's got jobs for everyone.
0:46:00 > 0:46:02Now, it's too late for me, but save yourselves!
0:46:02 > 0:46:06'Often, you'd never know that it was set in one of the most
0:46:06 > 0:46:08'ethnically diverse cities in America.'
0:46:08 > 0:46:12'Friends is great, but Friends didn't look like the New York I knew.'
0:46:12 > 0:46:16So many sitcoms are so white.
0:46:22 > 0:46:26'The failure of Friends and of many mainstream sitcoms
0:46:26 > 0:46:28'to attract black audiences reflects some hard truths
0:46:28 > 0:46:31'about race and culture in modern America.'
0:46:35 > 0:46:38Although the US is in many ways a divided country,
0:46:38 > 0:46:42Americans today are now less likely than ever to be living in
0:46:42 > 0:46:45racially segregated neighbourhoods,
0:46:45 > 0:46:49but behind their curtains, they're more likely than ever before
0:46:49 > 0:46:53to be watching television aimed squarely at their racial group.
0:46:53 > 0:46:56Black and white Americans live in different TV universes.
0:46:59 > 0:47:02'Sitcoms like Living Single explain what's happened.
0:47:02 > 0:47:05'As cable TV has offered Black Americans more choice,
0:47:05 > 0:47:08'they've opted to watch sitcoms about themselves.
0:47:10 > 0:47:12'Living Single topped what African Americans watched,
0:47:12 > 0:47:16'but only reached 56 in the national ratings.
0:47:18 > 0:47:21'Emmy Award-winning writer Ken Levine has been writing
0:47:21 > 0:47:24'for black and white audiences since the '60s.'
0:47:24 > 0:47:29Sitcoms need to reflect the fact that, in America,
0:47:29 > 0:47:32there are very different cultures,
0:47:32 > 0:47:36because even though there is integration,
0:47:36 > 0:47:41still, people are more comfortable living in their own culture
0:47:41 > 0:47:43and they develop their own culture.
0:47:46 > 0:47:50Living Single was centred around the lives of six twenty-somethings
0:47:50 > 0:47:53living together in a New York apartment,
0:47:53 > 0:47:55and was seen by many as similar to Friends,
0:47:57 > 0:47:58but with a black cast.
0:48:02 > 0:48:07That was during the time when you saw black versions of those shows.
0:48:07 > 0:48:10If they didn't have any black people on the show,
0:48:10 > 0:48:12but the concept was solid, well, make a black show that's
0:48:12 > 0:48:15kind of just like it, with the same problems, but more
0:48:15 > 0:48:19of a cultural point of view that feels like us, that looks like us.
0:48:22 > 0:48:26'Another example of this phenomenon was Girlfriends,
0:48:26 > 0:48:29'which followed the friendships of four black women in New York.
0:48:29 > 0:48:33'It was widely understood as black TV's response to Sex and the City.'
0:48:33 > 0:48:35Joan, you don't have to sell your house.
0:48:35 > 0:48:36Yes, I do.
0:48:36 > 0:48:38But Joan, there's so many memories here.
0:48:38 > 0:48:40My first three-way.
0:48:42 > 0:48:44My first four-way.
0:48:46 > 0:48:48My first doorway.
0:48:49 > 0:48:52If we're not going to deal with each other one on one,
0:48:52 > 0:48:55and you don't see it on television, and the only time you see us
0:48:55 > 0:48:59is in the news if there's a problem, or politicised on one extreme
0:48:59 > 0:49:04or the other, you really start to lose the stuff that makes America
0:49:04 > 0:49:09important, you know, the diversity, and so to me, that's a problem.
0:49:09 > 0:49:14'America's racial divide is visible not just in the way audiences
0:49:14 > 0:49:16'watch sitcoms, but in the storylines, too.'
0:49:16 > 0:49:18I want to thank you for including me
0:49:18 > 0:49:19in your little Sunday sports soiree,
0:49:19 > 0:49:23and I'll have you know that I don't feel at all uncomfortable
0:49:23 > 0:49:25being the only white person up in here.
0:49:27 > 0:49:30OK, well, a little uncomfortable.
0:49:30 > 0:49:32Hey, now I know how you feel at the law firm, Dan.
0:49:32 > 0:49:34Not that anything's going to change.
0:49:36 > 0:49:41'I wish it were otherwise, but I think sitcoms have it about right.'
0:49:41 > 0:49:45I still think that, sadly,
0:49:45 > 0:49:49black people and white people meet in the office,
0:49:49 > 0:49:51work very, very well together in the office...
0:49:54 > 0:49:56..and then go to separate communities.
0:49:58 > 0:50:01'Happy Endings is a new sitcom that shows how younger Americans
0:50:01 > 0:50:04'are more becoming relaxed about race.
0:50:04 > 0:50:08'Today, one in seven marriages are interracial.'
0:50:08 > 0:50:09Hi.
0:50:09 > 0:50:11Listen, I'm sorry. I shouldn't accuse you
0:50:11 > 0:50:13of not communicating if I don't give you a chance.
0:50:13 > 0:50:15It's OK, babe. I'm sorry, too.
0:50:15 > 0:50:18I need to be better at letting you know you can always talk to me.
0:50:18 > 0:50:21Oh, I love my black Han Solo.
0:50:21 > 0:50:26As funny as that show is, somebody's still thinking,
0:50:26 > 0:50:29"Wow, they let him kiss her on TV."
0:50:29 > 0:50:35It's still a big fricking deal because we're so not used to it.
0:50:35 > 0:50:38Oh, and thank you for pushing me to open up to Carl.
0:50:38 > 0:50:40He opened up to me...
0:50:40 > 0:50:43'In sitcoms, we are a lot more comfortable
0:50:43 > 0:50:48'with gay relationships than biracial relationships,
0:50:48 > 0:50:51especially when that mix is black and white,
0:50:51 > 0:50:54because, you know, things in the news still remind you
0:50:54 > 0:50:57that black people are scary and they're dangerous
0:50:57 > 0:51:00and you don't want them dating your daughter.
0:51:00 > 0:51:01It's just how it is.
0:51:04 > 0:51:06'But eventually there will have to be a change
0:51:06 > 0:51:10'in the mainstream sitcoms to keep up with society.
0:51:10 > 0:51:15'By 2050, America will be a majority non-white country.
0:51:15 > 0:51:18'Immigrants and their descendants from south of the border
0:51:18 > 0:51:21'will make up 30% of that population.
0:51:21 > 0:51:24'So it's interesting that when Modern Family
0:51:24 > 0:51:26'decided to show a mixed-race relationship,
0:51:26 > 0:51:31'it went with an older white guy with an attractive Colombian wife.'
0:51:31 > 0:51:35My first husband, he was very handsome but too crazy.
0:51:35 > 0:51:40It seemed like all we did was fight and make love, fight and make love.
0:51:40 > 0:51:44One time, I'm not kidding you, we fell out the window together.
0:51:44 > 0:51:46Which one were you doing?
0:51:47 > 0:51:50I'm hearing this for the first time.
0:51:50 > 0:51:55'Time and again, the sitcoms show Americans dealing with the challenge
0:51:55 > 0:51:57'of a fast-changing culture.
0:51:57 > 0:52:00'And there's a lot of fun to be had with the corresponding growth
0:52:00 > 0:52:02'in political correctness.'
0:52:02 > 0:52:04Well, that's the end of our tour.
0:52:04 > 0:52:06Now do you see why tolerance is so important, boys?
0:52:06 > 0:52:08I guess.
0:52:08 > 0:52:11We have to accept people for who they are and what they like to do.
0:52:11 > 0:52:13- Hey, what the hell are you doing? - I was just...
0:52:13 > 0:52:16- There's no smoking in the museum. - But I'm not in the museum.
0:52:16 > 0:52:19- Get out of here, you filthy smoker! - Yeah, dirty lungs!
0:52:19 > 0:52:22- Go ahead and kill yourself, stupid tar-breath.- Dumb-ass.
0:52:22 > 0:52:24Get out of here!
0:52:24 > 0:52:25Have a great day, everybody.
0:52:29 > 0:52:32'South Park's satire of American political correctness
0:52:32 > 0:52:35'has become something of a mission.
0:52:35 > 0:52:39'Nick Gillespie, the editor of the Libertarian magazine Reason,
0:52:39 > 0:52:41'is a fan of the show.'
0:52:42 > 0:52:45So, Nick, at face value South Park looks really liberal.
0:52:45 > 0:52:49It's got kids swearing, it's full of profanity, people take drugs.
0:52:49 > 0:52:51- But is it technically liberal? - No, it isn't.
0:52:51 > 0:52:54I mean, it makes fun of liberals and political correctness,
0:52:54 > 0:52:56the idea that you have to act a particular way
0:52:56 > 0:52:58otherwise you are a horrible human being,
0:52:58 > 0:53:00as much as it attacks conservatives.
0:53:00 > 0:53:04And from one episode to the next, it's going after different targets.
0:53:04 > 0:53:09What it's about it attacking the idea of authority
0:53:09 > 0:53:12from whatever direction it comes.
0:53:12 > 0:53:15And it's only anti-authority when authority tells you how to behave
0:53:15 > 0:53:20- And tries to kind of cover up the fact that it's full of malarkey.- OK.
0:53:20 > 0:53:22Let's look at that in an episode.
0:53:22 > 0:53:26In this one, Mr Garrison is trying to get sacked from his school job -
0:53:26 > 0:53:29he's a teacher - in order to get a big lawsuit.
0:53:29 > 0:53:33So he's coming on stage, he's doing a big presentation, and he's trying
0:53:33 > 0:53:37to be as offensive as possible, but the liberal audience won't buy it.
0:53:37 > 0:53:39It is my honour to present the Courageous Teacher award
0:53:39 > 0:53:41to Herbert Garrison.
0:53:41 > 0:53:42APPLAUSE
0:53:42 > 0:53:46'He comes out literally riding his bondage slave,
0:53:46 > 0:53:49'and he's dressed like a drag queen.'
0:53:49 > 0:53:52- Oh, my God!- That's what our boys were talking about?
0:53:52 > 0:53:54Ding ding! Ding ding!
0:53:55 > 0:53:57He is so courageous.
0:53:57 > 0:54:00'He gets applause from the adults,'
0:54:00 > 0:54:03which is the type of thing, the type of statement that South Park
0:54:03 > 0:54:06makes over and over again, that we have gotten to a point
0:54:06 > 0:54:10where adults in particular are doing the most insane things
0:54:10 > 0:54:13in the name of forcing tolerance,
0:54:13 > 0:54:17forcing acceptance on to people in a way that they just shouldn't be.
0:54:17 > 0:54:21God dammit, don't you people get it? I'm trying to get fired here!
0:54:22 > 0:54:23Oh, that's courageous.
0:54:23 > 0:54:27'This kind of behaviour should not be acceptable from a teacher.'
0:54:27 > 0:54:29Just because you have to tolerate something
0:54:29 > 0:54:32doesn't mean you have to approve of it.
0:54:32 > 0:54:35If you had to like it, it would be called the Museum of Acceptance.
0:54:35 > 0:54:37Tolerate means you're just putting up with it.
0:54:37 > 0:54:40You tolerate a crying child sitting next to you on the airplane
0:54:40 > 0:54:43or you tolerate a bad cold.
0:54:43 > 0:54:46It can still piss you off. Jesus tap-dancing Christ!
0:54:46 > 0:54:47In any given season, it offends
0:54:47 > 0:54:50everybody across the political spectrum,
0:54:50 > 0:54:53because they are very consistent in that Libertarian idea of
0:54:53 > 0:54:55we should be tolerant of people,
0:54:55 > 0:54:59but we don't have to embrace and accept and love everybody equally.
0:55:03 > 0:55:07'So many of the sitcoms are about family.
0:55:07 > 0:55:09'And in a fast-changing world,
0:55:09 > 0:55:12'tolerance is necessary to hold the family together.'
0:55:14 > 0:55:16In Modern Family,
0:55:16 > 0:55:21Mitch decides it's time to tell his relatives about his adopted baby.
0:55:21 > 0:55:25- OK, people, let's all chillax.- Hey, where's Uncle Cameron?- Thank you.
0:55:25 > 0:55:28Thank you. Someone who's not insulting me notices he's not here.
0:55:28 > 0:55:31'His conservative father Jay jumps to the wrong conclusion.'
0:55:31 > 0:55:34You two broke up. Well, a baby wasn't going to help that anyway!
0:55:34 > 0:55:36Let me tell you,
0:55:36 > 0:55:38you're better off because he was a bit of a drama queen.
0:55:38 > 0:55:40No, no, no, stop.
0:55:40 > 0:55:41You come into my house and you insult me
0:55:41 > 0:55:45and my boyfriend, who by the way is not that dramatic.
0:55:45 > 0:55:49MUSIC: Intro to "Circle of Life" from The Lion King
0:55:56 > 0:56:00# It's the circle of life... #
0:56:00 > 0:56:04We adopted a baby. Her name is Lily.
0:56:04 > 0:56:05Exciting!
0:56:05 > 0:56:07Just turn it off.
0:56:07 > 0:56:09I can't turn it off. It's who I am.
0:56:09 > 0:56:11- The music! - Oh, yes, the music.
0:56:11 > 0:56:13Come say hi to Lily!
0:56:13 > 0:56:18'Jay is there to represent a raised eyebrow at all of this.
0:56:18 > 0:56:24'He's tolerant and he loves his son,'
0:56:24 > 0:56:27it's just a new world for him.
0:56:27 > 0:56:33But it's not something that he particularly embraces.
0:56:33 > 0:56:35He accepts, he doesn't embrace it.
0:56:35 > 0:56:36Lily.
0:56:36 > 0:56:40The fact that Modern Family is a favourite among Republicans
0:56:40 > 0:56:44is perhaps because, like Jay, they and millions of other Americans
0:56:44 > 0:56:48are coming to terms with changes within their own families.
0:56:48 > 0:56:50What do I know?
0:56:50 > 0:56:55'The truth of Modern Family is, it's "tolerance is OK." '
0:56:55 > 0:57:01"You don't have to love everybody. But at least accept."
0:57:01 > 0:57:04- Do you want to meet Grampa? - Are you kidding?
0:57:04 > 0:57:08She's one of us now! Let me see the little pot-sticker!
0:57:08 > 0:57:10- RADIO:- What it boils down to is,
0:57:10 > 0:57:12what's a few dead babies among friends?
0:57:12 > 0:57:14Obama's got no problem...
0:57:14 > 0:57:18Americans might accept a message of tolerance in their private lives,
0:57:18 > 0:57:21but it doesn't necessarily extend to their politics.
0:57:21 > 0:57:25Yet beneath the noise, profound changes have happened
0:57:25 > 0:57:28that politicians have been powerless to control.
0:57:28 > 0:57:31In the future, the sitcoms will continue to reflect these changes,
0:57:31 > 0:57:36often far better than the new shows, because they'll show families,
0:57:36 > 0:57:41evolving, struggling, and dealing with whatever life throws at them.
0:57:41 > 0:57:44VOICEOVER: 'Cos it doesn't matter how big the storm
0:57:44 > 0:57:46'or how much stuff gets blown your way -
0:57:46 > 0:57:49'if you have each other, that's everything.
0:57:49 > 0:57:51'Because there's nothing more important...
0:57:51 > 0:57:53'Holy crap, is that a dryer?!'
0:57:56 > 0:57:58You see it too, right, Mike?
0:57:58 > 0:57:59The tornado gave us a drier.
0:58:01 > 0:58:04Quick, get it inside before anybody sees.
0:58:17 > 0:58:20Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd