By Kelsey Collins
Correspondent
The Disney Channel sitcom “Good Luck Charlie” is in every way like the typical comedy show aimed at tweens: the show revolves around the lives of the Duncan family and their antics. The oldest daughter, Teddy, begins to make a video diary for her sister, Charlie, when she is born and signs off every entry by saying, “Good luck Charlie.” The show broke the traditional Disney mold a few weeks ago when they aired an episode called “Down a Tree” that featured Disney’s first ever same-sex couple.
The visit of a same-sex couple bringing their daughter to have a playdate with Charlie was mixed into the episode along with Teddy and her friend getting ready for college and the oldest Duncan child dealing with being unable to pay his rent for his apartment.
This decision was met with some controversy and was protested by the conservative group One Million Moms, who considered this to be a political decision and not age appropriate for children. Others viewed the decision as progressive, such as former Disney star Miley Cyrus who tweeted, “I commend Disney for making this step into the light of this generation.”
I was quite impressed with Disney’s decision to include a same-sex couple on one of its shows, especially since it is such a bold and somewhat risky move. When I was younger and watched shows such as “Lizzie McGuire,” “That’s so Raven” and “Even Stevens,” I remember the shows included real-life issues such as racism, eating disorders and smoking. For a while it seemed that Disney was content with producing shows that only portrayed characters who were pop stars or actors living the life of the rich and famous.
“Good Luck Charlie” is the first show that Disney has produced in a while that is reminiscent of its original shows because it portrays the life of a normal family that deals with everyday problems. Bearing that in mind, it only makes sense that Disney would take the step to introduce a same-sex couple.
Nowadays, it’s quite common to meet a family with two moms or two dads, and it’s about time that a kids’ TV show addresses this modern-day reality. I liked the way Disney approached the topic — it was not political in any way, but merely reflected the changing times.
Although the Duncan parents were a bit awkward at first, they were gracious the entire time and realized that the two moms, Cheryl and Susan, were just like any other parents. I say kudos to Disney for demonstrating how easily this topic can be approached.
