Moving Back Home Could Make 9JKL Relatable
If anyone has ever had to move back into their parent’s house, this show could be relatable, which could either help ratings or hurt them depending on your attitude and feelings regarding the Great Recession.
It is also interesting to note, that most people that moved back in with their parents were of the Millennial generation, not those from Generation X, that Mark’s character Josh, is from.
It may have been more relatable for a Millennial to head this show during the height of the Great Recession in 2010 where many of that age, myself included, had to move into a multi-generational household for a period of time to weather the storm.
Though there are more jobs popping up, many of that generation still live with their parents though now it’s not clear why. Perhaps there’s a comfort or stability factor causing them to not be too risky in obtaining their own place. They realize that place could be lost again with the unpredictability of the job they are in or the job market itself. This is a full assumption. Or the job they may have may not be bringing them enough income to live independently or with roommates in safe areas.
A study done by Pew Social Trends expands more on the numbers.
The other factor is relationships. As stated in this Pew article, one in four may never marry and very few are in relationships that usually breaks them from the nest.
It is important to note though that “9JKL” is different in that he lives in the same building, but not the same house. However, his parents treat this space as their own adding to the comedic conflict. This, in turn, makes it feel like they share one space.
If this had been 2010, the peak of unemployment for most, this show may have been more relatable and possibly funny, especially if there would’ve been a Millennial as the lead as already mentioned. It could still be, but also has the potential to turn people off showing this, in some ways, as the new ‘norm.’ For some U.S audience members, they may find it fatiguing that this show is continuing to normalize the multi-generational household and therefore making it more acceptable to live this way in western society. Many past generations, where the economy did not affect them financially, are not comfortable with this as they feel their sons and daughters should live independently as they did when they were their age.
Others, who may be either more open-minded, coming from a different culture or socioeconomic status may find it humorous and enjoy the positive tidbits that come from getting to know your child at a mature age as well as learning to treat them like an adult. A couple prior comedies have touched upon this already such as “Mike and Molly” and “Last Man Standing.”
In other cultures, such as in Asia or South America multi-generational households are considered the norm and not looked down upon as it is here and so “9JKL” may fare better internationally as well.
Time will tell if America finds the clash of the generations funny or a reminder of what was and, for some, still is a reality.
Photo courtesy of CBS.com