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YMMV / My Three Sons

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  • Fair for Its Day: While the series is no stranger to the pitfalls of females being given the usual treatment of the era, despite showing a few holding high job positions… what set it apart from the likes of other sitcoms was the concept of a man (a single father at that) doing things women typically did for the time such as cooking and cleaning with nary a complaint, in fact enjoying these activities. For the time it was unheard of for a man to do the housework. Not to mention acknowledgement of the passage of time with an adapting cast being a first among its genre.
  • Once Original, Now Common: This was one of the first TV shows to acknowledge the passage of time without resorting to Status Quo Is God, allowing the three sons to grow older as their actors did. Shocking, isn't it? But to get a better idea of how unprecedented this was, just check out the last couple seasons of Leave It to Beaver which insisted on having the now clearly adolescent Jerry Mathers still acting like a little kid, or even the concurrently-running Family Affair, which did the same thing with Buffy and Jody (to tragic results).
  • Retroactive Recognition:
    • Season 5's "The Coffee House Set" has a pre-M*A*S*H Jamie Farr as a Beatnik named Itchy.
    • Werner Klemperer appeared as Mike's professor in two season 3 episodes, while John Banner had a brief part in an episode from season 4. They'd go on to play Col. Klink and Sgt. Schultz, respectively.
    • The mean girl Dodie faces at school in season 10's "Dodie's Dilemma" is Erin Moran, who'd play Joanie Cunningham on Happy Days.
  • Values Dissonance: You could never make "Robbie and the Slave Girl" today. Beyond the use of many unsavory Asian stereotypes? The I Owe You My Life concept being touted as a Chinese custom is just disturbing.

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