Should TV Dramas Include the Pandemic?

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Abstract

here the characters mentioned George Floyd gave me the idea for this article. Despite this and other specific references to real people and recent events, the show never references the pandemic, and you never see anyone in the show wearing a mask. It’s as though the show takes place in a reality that includes everything from the viewer’s reality except for Covid-19.</p><p id="a48d">Maybe the creators of the show are thinking ahead to stuff like syndication and continuity. Re-runs often air in random order, and the creators might not want to distract the viewer with episodes with masks and episodes without masks all mixed together. Or maybe they don’t want someone to turn on the TV five years from now, see a character in a mask, and flip past an episode because they don’t want to remember this difficult time.</p><p id="ad95">I also think there’s the fact that artists don’t want to ruin the beauty of their works of art. Part of the experience of watching <i>The Equalizer</i> is watching Queen Latifah (my girlfriend teases me about having a crush on her) and the other cast members and seeing their expressions as they act. Do you want to see Queen Latifah hurry to put a mask on after taking off her motorcycle helmet to go into hand-to-hand combat with some bad guys, or do you just want to see her kick bad-guy butt?</p><p id="a418"><i>Work in Progress</i>, on the other hand, <a href="https://www.vulture.com/article/work-in-progresss-season-2-abby-mcenany-ftp-episode.html">actually backtracked in the creation of their second season</a> when the pandemic hit so that they could include it. At first they didn’t want to address it, but then they decided to rewrite some of their episodes to make it an important part of the season.</p><p id="2aab">Granted, this is a quieter show, and many of the scen

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es take place between a couple of characters and could be filmed without masks. Some scenes even involve Zoom interactions. Season two also has a lot of flashbacks to the main character’s past, long before 2020.</p><p id="37ee">The pandemic also fits more easily into the overall narrative of <i>Work in Progress</i>, as the show follows the main character, Abby, as she navigates mental illness and interpersonal relationships. It makes sense that the viewer would want to know how Abby, who is already facing a lot of personal challenges as the season begins, will deal with the kinds of changes and anxieties that we’ve all been contending with in our daily lives.</p><p id="0ee5">With TV-viewing as one of my top sources of entertainment over the last couple years (replacing such pursuits as going to the movies, thrifting, checking out restaurants and bars, and playing pinball), it’s possible that I’ve had too much time to think about TV.</p><p id="e59a">Please tell me what you think. Do you like when shows leave the pandemic out? Do you appreciate when shows include the pandemic? Do your feelings vary depending on the show?</p><p id="a9d4">I’m interested to know the ideas of my (distant) comrades in TV viewing, so I hope you’ll share in the comments.</p><div id="e1b0" class="link-block"> <a href="https://readmedium.com/dear-kermit-the-frog-76fa0ba855f6"> <div> <div> <h2>Dear Kermit the Frog</h2> <div><h3>I still think of you</h3></div> <div><p>medium.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/0*6uGpS8tZGSDoDPWa)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div></article></body>

Examples of two shows that handle it differently

For many of us, TV has been a comfort during the pandemic. It’s familiar, and it can be calming if you watch stuff other than the news.

It seems like the creators of TV dramas are of two different schools of thought when it comes to how best to keep us tuned in and entertained at this unique time. Some shows have written the pandemic into their storylines, while others have decidedly avoided including any references to it.

Which is the best path for a TV show that depicts contemporary life? I can see both ways of thinking. A show that leaves the pandemic out might transport us from our reality and let us relax more. A show that writes the pandemic in can feel more up to date and realistic, which is a goal for many dramas.

Two shows that I’ve watched and enjoyed recently have taken two very different approaches to this situation. The Equalizer and Work in Progress are both in their second season, the former on CBS and the latter on Showtime.

Work in Progress a comedy/drama that takes up issues like mental illness and gender identity, and The Equalizer is a socially conscious crime-fighting show with the twist that the heroine works outside the law.

Watching an episode of The Equalizer where the characters mentioned George Floyd gave me the idea for this article. Despite this and other specific references to real people and recent events, the show never references the pandemic, and you never see anyone in the show wearing a mask. It’s as though the show takes place in a reality that includes everything from the viewer’s reality except for Covid-19.

Maybe the creators of the show are thinking ahead to stuff like syndication and continuity. Re-runs often air in random order, and the creators might not want to distract the viewer with episodes with masks and episodes without masks all mixed together. Or maybe they don’t want someone to turn on the TV five years from now, see a character in a mask, and flip past an episode because they don’t want to remember this difficult time.

I also think there’s the fact that artists don’t want to ruin the beauty of their works of art. Part of the experience of watching The Equalizer is watching Queen Latifah (my girlfriend teases me about having a crush on her) and the other cast members and seeing their expressions as they act. Do you want to see Queen Latifah hurry to put a mask on after taking off her motorcycle helmet to go into hand-to-hand combat with some bad guys, or do you just want to see her kick bad-guy butt?

Work in Progress, on the other hand, actually backtracked in the creation of their second season when the pandemic hit so that they could include it. At first they didn’t want to address it, but then they decided to rewrite some of their episodes to make it an important part of the season.

Granted, this is a quieter show, and many of the scenes take place between a couple of characters and could be filmed without masks. Some scenes even involve Zoom interactions. Season two also has a lot of flashbacks to the main character’s past, long before 2020.

The pandemic also fits more easily into the overall narrative of Work in Progress, as the show follows the main character, Abby, as she navigates mental illness and interpersonal relationships. It makes sense that the viewer would want to know how Abby, who is already facing a lot of personal challenges as the season begins, will deal with the kinds of changes and anxieties that we’ve all been contending with in our daily lives.

With TV-viewing as one of my top sources of entertainment over the last couple years (replacing such pursuits as going to the movies, thrifting, checking out restaurants and bars, and playing pinball), it’s possible that I’ve had too much time to think about TV.

Please tell me what you think. Do you like when shows leave the pandemic out? Do you appreciate when shows include the pandemic? Do your feelings vary depending on the show?

I’m interested to know the ideas of my (distant) comrades in TV viewing, so I hope you’ll share in the comments.