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Greetings from The Paley Center for Media’s Education Department! 

Hearst High School Media Interns Takeover!

For the next six weeks, What We’re Watching will be taken over by the Paley Center’s Hearst High School Media Internship cohort!

Each week different interns will share their thoughts on the 2024 media landscape along with personalized recommendations. This week we hear from Anna Mariel Perez, a rising senior at Bronx School for Law, Government and Justice, Katelynn Seetaram, a rising senior at Pace High School, and Katerine Lian, an incoming freshman at Binghamton University. Enjoy this unique educational opportunity to hear directly from young voices about media that impacts them!

As always, if you have any questions, thoughts, or ideas, don’t hesitate to reach out to us at eduny@paleycenter.org.

Happy viewing,
Rebekah Fisk, Director of Education
Carlos Pareja, Manager of Education

‌What We're Watching: Problematic Family Relationships in Comedic Dramas

Whether they keep us on the edge of our seats or fill us up with uncontrollable laughter, comedic dramas have an essence of relatability that keeps us coming back to them. These shows not only keep viewers entertained with funny unexpected plot twists, but they also make us feel seen with how they reflect real aspects of life that many of us can relate to. The raw depiction of problematic family relationships and complicated family dynamics mirror the struggles that many of us go through. This newsletter dissects our favorite comedic dramas and their portrayal of messy family dynamics.

Gilmore Girls (2000–07)
Recommended for Grades: 9+
Available Netflix

Gilmore Girls is a drama, which debuted in 2000 with seven seasons and a sequel, set in a fictional town in Connecticut. The show explores many themes like romance, friendship, and family, and puts a unique twist on family dynamics, especially mother-daughter relationships. Lorelai Gilmore, once a teenage mom, is the main protagonist of season one, which takes place in her thirties as she parents her teenage daughter, Rory. Lorelai takes on motherhood with a method extremely different from her upbringing, blurring the lines between being a parent and a friend. She spends a good amount of their relationship filled with a desire to shield Rory from Lorelai’s wealthy parents, which leads to pent-up emotions and unresolved conflicts between the family. Therefore, Lorelai tends to helicopter parent Rory as she grows up, creating misunderstandings and tension throughout the seasons.

Gilmore Girls doesn’t just focus on Rory and Lorelai’s relationship, but also Lorelai’s relationship with her mother, Emily Gilmore. Emily was brought up more “traditionally.” So, despite her good intentions, her controlling nature and extremely high expectations don’t mix well with Lorelai’s rebellious one. Despite her tribulations with Rory, Lorelai is extremely independent, which leads to hurt feelings and a conflict where Lorelai doesn’t speak to her parents at all. Despite the drama, Gilmore Girls brings light to unique mother-and-daughter bonds and shows how understanding, love, and communication can heal even the most dysfunctional relationships.

I recommend Gilmore Girls to anyone who enjoys a realistic drama with humor, growth, and love! Family issues are tough, but all dysfunctional families are bound by one thing, love. Gilmore Girls is the perfect watch for someone into shows like The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and enjoys outdated pop culture references, laughs, tears, and a whole lot of drama.

The Umbrella Academy (2019–24)
Recommended for Grades: 9+
Available on Netflix

Imagine being born on the same day as all your siblings. Now imagine being adopted by a negligent paternal billionaire who raises you to become a superhero so that you could save the world one day.

The Umbrella Academy is a superhero television show based on a comic book series written by Gerald Way and illustrated by Gabriel Ba. It follows the story of seven siblings who were reunited after the death of their father. Together, they must navigate their broken relationships with each other after the time they spent apart, while also investigating the mysterious death of their father. The vastly different backgrounds of the siblings intertwine when they must come together to stop the world from ending—literally—as they only have eight days left until a global apocalypse.

While exploring themes of trauma and familial love, the chaos of The Umbrella Academy is what makes it truly unique. As the adults struggle to move past their childhood trauma, they learn to depend on and trust each other and not carry the weight of their family alone.

The series has four seasons, with the final season released on August 8, 2024, on Netflix. Each season has a different focus and spotlights the siblings' abilities and personal growth. If you enjoy dramedies mixed with action and mystery, The Umbrella Academy is a great show to add to your watch list.

Jane the Virgin (2014–19)
Recommended for Grades: 9+
Available on Netflix

Based on the 2002 telenovela Juana la Virgen, by Perla Farias, Jane the Virgin follows the life of twenty-three-year-old Jane Villanueva as she navigates her career, school, and an unexpected pregnancy. While at the doctor’s office for a routine visit, Jane is accidentally inseminated with the DNA of her childhood crush and current boss. As the show unfolds, Jane finds herself making many difficult decisions, with and without the support of her loved ones.  

Though the series focuses on Jane, the viewers also witness the relationships that take place within Jane’s life. One example is Jane’s mother and grandmother, Xiomara and Alba. While both women are parental figures in Jane’s life, they often butt heads due to their distinct personalities. Alba is a conventional woman with traditional catholic views, while Xiomara is a former teen mom with an easy-going personality. Throughout the first couple of seasons, Alba is unaccepting of Xiomara’s free-spirited character and often shames her daughter for being a teen mother. Additionally, Xiomara tends to be childish and immature in character which results in her role as Jane’s mother being disregarded by Alba. As the seasons progress, Alba and Xiomara’s relationship heals and they settle their differences, being there for each other and Jane no matter what.

Jane the Virgin is a must-watch show if you love comedy, romance, and drama. While the show goes through many twists and turns from love triangles to murder—plot lines all telenovelas must have—it covers very real topics of mental illness, sickness, and messy family dynamics while keeping a light comedic tone.

Dysfunctional families are something we’re seeing consistently in modern entertainment. The new age of entertainment is getting more relatable and executes themes of familial relationships thoroughly with every new premiere of a new show. We hope you enjoy laughing and crying with the families on your screen while possibly reflecting on your own relationships, to realize that everyone goes through their own personal and familial challenges.

We hope you enjoy,

Katelynn, Katherine, and Anna Mariel

Photos—Gilmore Girls: Warner Bros.; The Umbrella Academy: Netflix; Jane the Virgin: Warner Bros. and CBS

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