The original post: /r/television by /u/AporiaParadox on 2026-04-12 11:14:36+00:00.
I personally never liked all of the “wife bad” and “the old ball and chain” stuff you would often see in old shows. The wife was constantly portrayed as a gossipy frivolous irrational nag that wastes all of the husband’s hard-earned money on shopping sprees, and the hapless husbands just have to accept it because women amirite fellas. And the wife often didn’t seem to really like the husband that much either, they’d argue constantly. But once divorce became socially acceptable and women were able to be financially independent, there was no reason for couples that don’t like each other to stay together anymore, so this trope became a lot less common. It probably also helps that women started having more of a voice in writing rooms.
So what other tropes that used to be common are you glad are now mostly a thing of the past?