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Old 02-29-2016, 07:52 PM
 
Location: Upstate NY 🇺🇸
36,754 posts, read 14,729,353 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Tinawina View Post
I knew what the OP meant, I just don't think it's true. I went down a mental list of classic family sitcoms in my head and 3 kids wasn't standing out. That's all.
So did I: Reba, Family, Home Improvement, Different Strokes, Kate and Allie, Full House, Growing Pains, According to Jim, The Nanny, Father Knows Best, My Three Sons, 8 Simple Rules, Family Affair, The Jeffersons, Family Matters, Wonder Years, Good Times, Petticoat Junction.

Even many of the ones that ended with 4 kids, started with 3 then added another for reasons I mentioned in my first post: Family Ties and Roseanne, to name two. And Mike and Carol Brady each had 3 kids before they...okay, that doesn't count lol.

Three is the magic number!
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Old 02-29-2016, 08:27 PM
 
6,129 posts, read 6,778,462 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Delahanty View Post
So did I: Reba, Family, Home Improvement, Different Strokes, Kate and Allie, Full House, Growing Pains, According to Jim, The Nanny, Father Knows Best, My Three Sons, 8 Simple Rules, Family Affair, The Jeffersons, Family Matters, Wonder Years, Good Times, Petticoat Junction.

Even many of the ones that ended with 4 kids, started with 3 then added another for reasons I mentioned in my first post: Family Ties and Roseanne, to name two. And Mike and Carol Brady each had 3 kids before they...okay, that doesn't count lol.

Three is the magic number!
LOL. okay I think you are cherry picking a bit, you named shows I forgot even existed! I mean I thought of your classic "family sitcoms" as in shows meant for the whole clan to watch together, plots centered around a family. I thought of Cosby Show, Andy Griffith, Brady bunch, Leave it to Beaver, rEverybody Loves Raymond, Fresh Prince, Blackish, along with some of the more popular ones you mentioned. Even a show like Modern Family has multiple families and only one has 3 kids. I think if you simply made an objective list of sitcoms and counted it wouldn't be as prevalent as it seems offhand! But I sure as hell am not going to do the research. LMAO!
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Old 02-29-2016, 08:36 PM
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Tinawina View Post
. Even a show like Modern Family has multiple families and only one has 3 kids.
But starting out, Mitch and Cam were the only ones without three kids between the 2 parents. And it wouldn't have worked with their story line to have 3 kids. With an established family, it seems more common to have 3 kids.
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Old 02-29-2016, 08:52 PM
 
6,129 posts, read 6,778,462 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Sundaydrive00 View Post
But starting out, Mitch and Cam were the only ones without three kids between the 2 parents. And it wouldn't have worked with their story line to have 3 kids. With an established family, it seems more common to have 3 kids.
Mitch and Claire are brother and sister - the origin family has 2 kids
Mitch and Cam have 1 kid
The dad and Gloria had one kid, then 2
The Dunphys have 3

I just think there may be a bit of confirmation bias going on here. Or maybe not. I'm just not convinced yet. But this is a fun discussion!
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Old 02-29-2016, 09:00 PM
 
Location: Upstate NY 🇺🇸
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I think three is more common because they just want to have eough kids around for a constant stream of storylines.
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Old 02-29-2016, 09:12 PM
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Tinawina View Post
Mitch and Claire are brother and sister - the origin family has 2 kids
Mitch and Cam have 1 kid
The dad and Gloria had one kid, then 2
The Dunphys have 3

I just think there may be a bit of confirmation bias going on here. Or maybe not. I'm just not convinced yet. But this is a fun discussion!
I'm not talking about the "origin family", whatever that means, but when the show first started.
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Old 02-29-2016, 09:19 PM
 
Location: Philaburbia
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Quote:
Originally Posted by NorthwestResident View Post
And some of those you mentioned are not fmaily shows by the way
Which of those shows aren't family shows? Frasier, maybe? That's one ...

Quote:
Originally Posted by Delahanty View Post
I think three is more common because they just want to have eough kids around for a constant stream of storylines.
With three, you get the middle child drama, too.

But I'd bet that there are fewer shows with three kids than with any other number. But what do I know - I haven't watched a sitcom since the 80s.
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Old 02-29-2016, 09:19 PM
 
6,129 posts, read 6,778,462 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Sundaydrive00 View Post
I'm not talking about the "origin family", whatever that means, but when the show first started.
I just mean the family the show is based around had 2 kids - Mitch and Claire. It's about a dad, his 2 adult kids, and their respective families. No biggie.
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Old 03-01-2016, 12:27 AM
 
Location: Texas Hill Country
23,490 posts, read 13,727,994 times
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With one, the viewer is presented with only one argument. With two, it is two arguments but it is "obvious" that one side is going to win with the likely winner being the older or stronger.

With three, however, a decent conflict is produced, leaving the viewer to ponder and anticipate who is going to win, which side they should be on. Will one side win out over the others or will they work out an answer and for holding the viewer, it should be that they work it out. That gets the viewer more involved.

It is not only kids. Charmed, even without its Wicca and femininity basis (maiden, mother, crone), was directly like that and to a certain extent, Andromeda with "Romi". Conceptually, The Mod Squad could be like that but I have not seen enough of that show to be able to say for certain; equally, Charlie's Angels might also be like that.

It might further extend into having three elements where none is ultimately supreme over the others, such as the landing party in ST:TNG "The Royale" of the brawn, the brains, and the charm.

Classically, there was Star Trek where Kirk has to make a decision and has two sides to help him with McCoy who presented the human angle and Spock for the harsh logic. Scotty and the crew in this analysis are usually considered "the people" or those who will be affected. Hence, while it may appear there is a 4th element such as Bosley or Captain Greer, they aren't the prime elements. Like in The Rookies, there were three elements and Kate Jackson was more of a supporting component to one of those elements instead of being another element herself.

In my humble opinion....................
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Old 03-01-2016, 10:27 AM
 
15,546 posts, read 11,932,453 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TamaraSavannah View Post
It is not only kids. Charmed, even without its Wicca and femininity basis (maiden, mother, crone), was directly like that and to a certain extent, Andromeda with "Romi". Conceptually, The Mod Squad could be like that but I have not seen enough of that show to be able to say for certain; equally, Charlie's Angels might also be like that.
I've read before that three characters are often used because it looks better visually.
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