The lack of economic diversity in entertainment

[Lily]

I was speculating about the lack of tv depicting working class Americans when Cindy Williams died.

Laverne & Shirley, All in the Family, Good Times, Sanford & Son, Chico and the Man...

I think Roseanne was the closest we got in the 90's...

Now Americans prefer to watch wealthy people or those aspiring to it...

 

[Cookie Monster]

I was speculating about the lack of tv depicting working class Americans when Cindy Williams died.

Laverne & Shirley, All in the Family, Good Times, Sanford & Son, Chico and the Man...

I think Roseanne was the closest we got in the 90's...

Now Americans prefer to watch wealthy people or those aspiring to it...

That has been the traditional modus operandi in the US, nothing to do with diversity and all about class and wealth effects. A poor population wants more aspirational stuff. My late father born 1919 grew up on the stuff in the UK, but he came to see it more as a deception when he read The grapes of wrath.

Aspirational TV is the best take, I dont really want to see poor people other than comedy or documentaries. If you look at comedies in those times they quite often depicted poor characters.