One of
the mainstays of the television arm of the Disney empire over the last four
years has been Good Luck Charlie. As a child of the 1970s and 1980s, I remember
fondly watching The Cosby Show. Dr. Cliff Huxtable (Cosby) dealt with normal,
suburban, middle-class problems in normal, suburban, middle-class ways. There was really nothing special about the
show other than the relatability of the cast to its market audience. In many ways, Good Luck Charlie followed the same concept. This show was not about wizards running a
sandwich shop or single moms living in penthouses. It was not about prep-school protégés or talking
animals acting like people. It was about
a regular family—mine and yours. And it
dealt with regular problems—just like the ones you and I encounter each day.
The show
centered on Teddy (Bridgit Mendler), a high schooler who decides to make a
video diary to help her recently-born sister Charlie (Mia Talerico) “survive
their special family.” Teddy’s parents
are Bob (Eric Allen Krammer), an exterminator (sounds magical, right?), and Amy
(Leigh-Allyn Baker), a nurse who aspires to be a TV personality (admit it, you
know someone like this). The family is
rounded out with older brother PJ (Disney veteran Jason Dolley) and Gabe (Bradley
Steven Perry). (A fifth child is added
at the end of the third season to coincide with Baker’s real-life pregnancy.) Bob and Amy go to work and manage tight bank
accounts. They discipline their kids when
they misbehave and celebrate their kids with vacations. And they offer their advice when asked (or
not when asked) and then work with their kids to clean up the messes of
life. PJ is a good kid, although not
outstanding, until he discovers that his passion is cooking. Teddy is the shining star of the family (she
is accepted to Yale in the final season), although she occasionally schemes
against her parents only to find out that they are right about whatever Teddy
didn’t like. Gabe is the stereotypical “lost
child,” a troublesome prankster who eventually matures when he hits his teen
years. And Charlie has no filter, just
like a young child.
Living in
a Denver suburb, the Duncans faced problems like annoying neighbors, first
crushes and first break-ups, getting a driver’s license, deciding where to go
to school, and lying to cover up mistakes or the breaking of a rule. The oddest problem this family faced was when
termites destroyed their house ... on television. Mostly, the problems faced were
relational. How do we get along with
people in our own families? How do mom
and dad live together and raise a family?
How do these completely different children who share a last name live
together in harmony? In truth, this show
never promised to be anything more than a comedic look at a fictitious family
that looks a lot like your family and mine.
Bob, although he tries to be aloof, cares deeply about his family and is
willing to work hard to support them.
Amy, although she is a little controlling and preoccupied with her own
dreams, serves as a good example of the fun-loving mom who makes sacrifices for
the good of her family. And the kids
really do love each other and are willing to help one another out. In many ways, Good Luck Charlie is what reality television would actually look
like if a real family were followed.
Remember
the one controversial thing that happened on The Cosby Show? One of Bill’s
adult daughters decided to marry a man who had already been married and was
raising a daughter. Remember the one
controversial thing that happened on Saved
by the Bell? Jessie took caffeine
pills. What about this show? Well, this show had two touchy subjects. In one middle episode, Charlie starts “using”
bad language. It is discovered that Amy
says that same thing when she gets upset.
Obviously the lesson was for parents to be careful about what they say
in front of their children. The actual controversial
thing that happened was saved for the next to last episode when Charlie’s playdate
shows up with two moms. At first, I cringed
at this. Then the initial moment wore
off and I realized the producers were not making a big deal out of this. The actresses did not kiss or even hold
hands. It was seven minutes of
reality. The two moms were just as
awkward in relating to a traditional family as Bob and Amy were in relating to
them. Yet, they all got through it and
taught us an important lesson in a more subtle way than Modern Family is capable of doing—community is formed through
kindness and acceptance, not sarcasm and manipulation. As a person of faith, it reminded me that I cannot
avoid certain issues just because I do not like them. It also taught me that forcing people into a
certain mold is not going to open doors for community.
I will
miss Good Luck Charlie. On one hand, Disney’s four-season rule is too
long to allow a show to prove itself. On
the other hand, Good Luck Charlie
proves that four seasons is not long enough to enjoy a program. It was not as serious as the lesser-known,
more mature Canadian import Life with
Derek, yet it was a family worth watching.
The show was light-hearted yet provided an endearing glimpse into the
life of the average American family. During
a time of oppressive recession with all of the other political and social
fallout that has occurred, Good Luck
Charlie gave my family something we could watch together as a family (and
something we enjoyed watching together as a family). My wife and I never questioned the show’s
motives or morality (we have done this with a number of other programs, even
Disney programs). We also never groaned
in disappointment when the entertainment value was found lacking.
The
Duncans were family friends for four years.
We watched their kids grow up, and they taught us a few things about marriage
and parenting. Yet, as friends often do,
the Duncans have moved away, taking their comedic laughs and familial insights
with them. With all of the other options
available today, there were no others that equaled Good Luck Charlie. It never
intended to be spectacular; it only promised to be a funny show about a normal
family. And this is what made it
spectacular. I hope that Disney (and
other networks) will consider bringing us into the homes of families like the
Duncans in the future. If we are serious
about making this world a better place for our current and future generations,
then the place to begin is the family. Whatever
shape it takes, the family is the starting place for community building and
citizenship development. Thus, I will
miss Good Luke Charlie because it showed
how much better the world can be with some nice, average families in it.
