On Game Of Thrones, age ain’t nothing but a number

 

"Children on television are largely there as children, not as individuals interacting with others on an equal footing. Plots on everything from Modern Family to Grey’s Anatomy revolve around dealing with kids as those not able to make responsible decisions. Nearly half of the stories of sitcoms like Last Man Standing or Malcolm In The Middle depend on kids making stupid decisions for the simple reason that they’re, well, kids. This might be a wholly reasonable way to deal with young people in real life, but it’s a hell of a thing to be so universally applied to small-screen storytelling.

The case for the elderly, however, is much more damning. As legendary TV producer Norman Lear noted during a recent interview for CBS News, “Where are the old people?” He pointed out the pervasive lack of any sustained depictions of older people on American television—and when they do show up, it’s to be relegated to the patronizing margins, as kooky neighbors or out-of-it grandparents. "

"Game Of Thrones is the closest thing in existence to a TV show that all but ignores age as an element in the representation of characters."
read the analysis by Alex McCown

n Game Of Thrones, age ain’t nothing but a number · For Our Consideration · The A.V. Club: Game Of