Nostalgia has proven to be one of the most successful ways into the hearts of the everyday media consumer. With massive franchises like “Stranger Things” becoming pop culture juggernauts, it seems one of the best strategies to get a hit series is to cash into the days when things were simpler.
The trend of nostalgia media isn’t something the world has just gotten used to. Early forms of nostalgia media trace all the way back to the 1970s, a period that inspired content that is still being produced decades later.
Look at a show like “Happy Days,” possibly the first example of nostalgia media breaking its way into the mainstream and proving to be a success. The series, which takes place in the 1950s, fondly looks back on the times of the baby boom and classic, old-fashioned American household living. After premiering in 1974, the franchise produced over 200 episodes and aired over the span of ten years on ABC. Besides being a classic sitcom that American audiences have grown to love, “Happy Days” inspired a plethora of nostalgia-based television and film content that would cement themselves as pop culture sensations.
Fox checked in with their take on nostalgia media in 1998 with the wildly successful “That ‘70s Show,” with series creator Bonnie Turner even stating that the show took direct inspiration from ABC’s success with “Happy Days.” Fox’s iteration of remembering the “good old days” became its second longest-running sitcom of all time, clocking in at 200 episodes and eight seasons by the end of its initial run (before Netflix decided to cash in with “That ‘90s Show,” of course).
For the record, nostalgia content has begun to expand outside the world of visual media in recent years. Think about the resurgence of vinyl since the turn of the decade; a whopping 43% of music sold in 2022 was sold in the form of vinyl (you can thank vinyl force Taylor Swift for that).
It isn’t uncommon to see cassette tapes sold for albums in recent years as well, with artists like Olivia Rodrigo marketing physical media as part of the aesthetic for merchandise in album rollouts.
Of course, discussing physical music media lends itself to a conversation about the sound of music in 2023 as well, which is also incredibly retro. Ever notice the sheer amount of synth waves and electronic-infused production you hear on tracks from massive albums like “Midnights” and “After Hours?” The sound isn’t exactly accidental; in fact, artists like Swift take advantage of the past decades’ looks and sounds in order to market their media to wider audiences.
The creation and insurgence of nostalgia media begs a major question: is the genre itself stable enough to create longevity? It’s hard to imagine a time in the near future when people aren’t longing for the past and finding a way to reflect that in their entertainment. It’s interesting to think about how writers and producers in entertainment media will find ways to romanticize the modern times that we live in after some … less-than-ideal years since 2020.
There’s an argument against this claim, however, like with NBC’s short-lived series “Connecting,” a series filmed in entirety over Zoom that made a point to emphasize the relaxing times of staying at home during the pandemic. It looks as if some creators aren’t even waiting for the near past to become nostalgic before creating fun-loving media based on it, which speaks to the success of the genre that is increasing in size and popularity year by year. Perhaps a “That 2020s Show” is coming sooner than we think.
