I think in addition to this, they thought that a more city-centered setting might offer more modern and upbeat plot lines for such an age bracket, especially as it coincided with certain shifts in American society/culture towards modernity. (IE, the gradual birth and rise of the suburban environment, high ways and free ways, large shopping malls, etc etc.)

Plus, in general, American (and possibly European) culture were increasingly putting focus on coming up with "new" ideas and concepts, and dispensing with anything old fashioned. The "quaint" oddities of people's lives in rural life was just seen as outdated.

The target bracket for suburban set-shows though has always been especially tricky. Quite a few tried to aim for a whole family target audience. And it wasn't always easy to try to cover content that appealed to kids without it being too immature for adults. Or coming up with comedy bits for adults that were either too unfamiliar to kids or inappropriate for them in general.

Some shows managed to do this quite successfully, others just dug into their own strange niches, while many just fell flat and failed outright. 3rd Rock from the Sun has to be one of the most curious examples of a hit, simply because it managed to appeal to so many people at various levels without even trying. Obviously the over the top concept was one of it's main selling points which in turn led them to (re)examining a lot of aspects of human nature and behavior that might normally be taken for granted.

I think in addition to this, they thought that a more city-centered setting might offer more modern and upbeat plot lines for such an age bracket, especially as it coincided with certain shifts in American society/culture towards modernity. (IE, the gradual birth and rise of the suburban environment, high ways and free ways, large shopping malls, etc etc.)

Plus, in general, American (and possibly European) culture were increasingly putting focus on coming up with "new" ideas and concepts, and dispensing with anything old fashioned. The "quaint" oddities of people's lives in rural life was just seen as outdated.

The target bracket for suburban set-shows though has always been especially tricky. Quite a few tried to aim for a whole family target audience. And it wasn't always easy to try to cover content that appealed to kids without it being too immature for adults. Or coming up with comedy bits for adults that were either too unfamiliar to kids or inappropriate for them in general.

Some shows managed to do this quite successfully, others just dug into their own strange niches, while many just fell flat and failed outright. 3rd Rock from the Sun has to be one of the most curious examples of a hit, simply because it managed to appeal to so many people at various levels without even trying.