Here's the short version: though it looked like many of its contemporaries (such as Full House and Family Matters), Blossom got to tackle several groundbreaking issues, which is ultimately what defined the show as a series.
I know it seems trite; there were whole seasons where we heard about another "very special Blossom" where they tackled some social issue, but the fact is, they *were* taking them on. Yes, Joey Lawrence was a pretty boy, and yes, in retrospect the plot seems kind of contrived. However, in a comparison against more recent shows, 7th heaven has an entire cast of resurrected Joey Lawrences, and traditionally ripped off half of Blossom's scripts.
I'll tell you what I remember. I remember that this show had the first TV dad that I actually felt empathy for *consistently* and that I'll never forget the time that he almost hit his eldest son for falling off the wagon. To this day, I still have mixed feelings about watching that episode, but not one of those feelings is disdain.
If you can, check out the first few seasons of the show - especially the "very special Blossom's."
I know it seems trite; there were whole seasons where we heard about another "very special Blossom" where they tackled some social issue, but the fact is, they *were* taking them on. Yes, Joey Lawrence was a pretty boy, and yes, in retrospect the plot seems kind of contrived. However, in a comparison against more recent shows, 7th heaven has an entire cast of resurrected Joey Lawrences, and traditionally ripped off half of Blossom's scripts.
I'll tell you what I remember. I remember that this show had the first TV dad that I actually felt empathy for *consistently* and that I'll never forget the time that he almost hit his eldest son for falling off the wagon. To this day, I still have mixed feelings about watching that episode, but not one of those feelings is disdain.
If you can, check out the first few seasons of the show - especially the "very special Blossom's."