1950s: The television set came into prominence in the American household. By 1957, a total of 35 million U.S. families had a television in their homes.

Today: Almost all American families, rich and poor, have at least one television set and with the emergence of cable television, the amount of channels available is well over 100. The television is now an integral part of American society.

1950s: Conservative family values dominated American society, with so-called "typical" nuclear families like Peter's in The Zoo Story viewed as ideal. Early television shows, such as Father Knows Best, that depicted such "ideal" families were extremely popular.

Today: Families are depicted in a much more realistic light on television today, on shows like Rosecmne. The nuclear family is no longer viewed as the "ideal" and most Americans consider themselves to have moderate values. Nevertheless, a very vocal conservative Christian movement...