Watching television shows can be a good way to understand and study families because: a. they teach us what the ideal family should look like. b. they teach us how to behave when parents get upset. c. they teach us how to think through the consequences of certain actions. d. they teach us how a family on screen can represent the values of the era in which they aired.

It can be a good way because D.They teach us how a family on the screen can represent the values of the era in which they aired.
For example, if you watch the tv shows during 1920s and 1950s, you will see that most of the lead women is portrayed as traditional housewives rather than career women because the possibilities of women for having a career in that time was extremely limited.