Open Discussion:
What television shows in the last 50 years do you consider the most masculine?
War shows like MASH or Hogan’s Heroes—Gangster shows like The Sopranos or Sons of Anarchy—father-centered family shows like Home Improvement, Everybody Loves Raymond or Modern Family? How about cop shows, anywhere from Get Smart to CSI?
What do you think?
Gurren Lagann, whether we’re listing anime only or any television. The series is about a boy’s journey to manhood, struggling with loss, love and rage. It is a personal favorite, in no small part because the action sequences are out-of-this-world awesome.
Obviously, it’s “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy.” Hard to find any other show that’s so exclusively focused on men and masculinity. I learned from it that you’re not supposed to shave against the direction of your beard but should shave in the direction it grows. What could be more ‘manly’ than that?
Sons of Anarchy: a bunch of gangs establishing dominance in their territories through drug trade, violence, arson, rape, etc. A bunch of men establishing their role within the bike gang by contesting their hegemonic masculinities.
Transformers; there are no females whatsoever.
Justified, for aspirational purposes. That is a show about masculinity as men want to see it. Raylan always does what he thinks he has to, even with all the craziness around him, he’s still far calmer and level-headed than any real man could be. When things go wrong, he suffers indignities without complaint. And every problem’s just a bullet or two (or at times, a bomb) away from being solved. Breaking Bad, for reality. That show indicated what a struggle – and how riddled with pitfalls – masculinity is in the real world. Walter is the typical ‘lost man’, searching… Read more »
“A Team”
“MacGyver”