Josh Benner

Tag: TV

  • Last Man Standing returns to huge ratings, important family message

    MV5BMjA1MTQxMzU4NV5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwNTcwNDIxNjM@._V1_.jpg
    Tim Allen’s hit sitcom Last Man Standing, premiered on Fox last week to an audience of 8 million viewers. The show had previously had a six season run on ABC before being cancelled in 2017.

    Spoiler alert 

    In the return episode, Allen’s son-in-law is so fed up with President Trump that he wants to move his family (Allen’s daughter and grandson) to Canada. The family disapproves. During the episode, Allen’s grandson Boyd turns up missing.

    In spite of all of the arguing and disagreement, they all unite to find Boyd (who had wandered to his grandfather’s store to work on a project).

    I do appreciate shows that do take a sincere look at the unity that we need. The political divide in our nation is extreme.

    Relationships and friendships have ended and families have been divided just because of differences of opinion.

    It’s one thing to have strong opinions on politics, but the division that can happen gives the role of politics an unnecessarily high priority in our lives. Yes these things matter. But so does faith, family, friendships, and unity.

    Before Roseanne was cancelled, that was stated as one of the goals for the return of that show.

    With Last Man Standing, I do hope that the show can continue to be a voice for the importance of love of family in spite of differences. It’s an important conversation that I think the entertainment industry largely ignores. It can have a tendency to get too caught up in wanting to make its own political statements rather than addressing the overarching political conversations we’re having in this country.

    Many were critical of the cancellation given that Tim Allen (and his character Mike Baxter) is conservative and paints conservative politics in a positive light. The show was still popular and fans thought that the cancellation was politically motivated.

    Thanks for reading! I’d love to hear what you think, and don’t forget to subscribe! 

    Josh Benner is the associate pastor at Cornerstone Evangelical Free Church in Fergus Falls, Minnesota and has a Master of Divinity from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He enjoys writing about faith and culture. He lives with his wife Kari in Minnesota.

    Let’s connect!
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Instagram

     

  • Roseanne reboot tackles America’s political divide with hilarity

    Roseanne_Logo.svg

    As a kid, when I found out that I was going to have a baby sister, I wanted my parents to name her “Roseanne.” The new Roseanne reboot premiered on ABC this evening.
    I really enjoyed it. Very clever writing, laugh out loud funny.  A throwback and a nostalgic comedy brought into the modern times.
    Even thought I watched the original run of the series, I was too young to appreciate the aspects of Roseanne that were pushing cultural boundaries.
    One of the things that the new series is emphasizing is the political divide in America, often within families. Roseanne and Dan are republican, Trump supporters. Roseanne’s sister Jackie is a democrat. I thought the writing was fair to both sides.
    Roseanne Barr said in an interview with the New York Times:
    “I just wanted to have that dialogue about families torn apart by the election and their political differences of opinion and how we handle it. I thought that this was an important thing to say at this time.”
    As politics are divisive within society, they can also be very destructive within families.
    Reading comments from people on Facebook, it’s interesting how some won’t even watch the show because of political disagreement with Roseanne. It’s a sad irony that proves the point. Some can’t bear to watch a show unless it is total agreement with their views.
    I don’t think the point is that people should agree with everything on the show. You’re not going to agree with every character’s views or values. But it’s trying to depict a family that, as dysfunctional as they are, does love each other and who’s trying to navigate through life in these trying times. And so the show isn’t afraid to tackle the major issues.
    Disagreement with family and friends can be gritty and frustrating. Some choose to be divisive in the face of disagreement. As a society, we cannot allow ourselves to continually be divided and torn apart.
    The show is a mirror. It’s a reflection of how life in America is, for better or for worse.
    Josh Benner is the associate pastor at Cornerstone Evangelical Free Church in Fergus Falls, Minnesota and has a Master of Divinity from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He enjoys writing about faith and culture. He lives with his wife Kari in Minnesota.