Netflix, Hulu and Amazon have made millions of hours of television available to subscribers and the population is taking advantage of the opportunity.
With this new method of consumption, more and more TV shows, whether on air or online, are tackling complex subject matter to stay relevant, but reflect the troubling times the world is in.
Some write TV off as just cheap entertainment, but few realize how important shows can be when it comes to starting a conversation about issues that are otherwise uncomfortable.
For example, “Jessica Jones” deals with PTSD and surviving sexual assault, “Sense8” tackles the struggles the LGBT community faces, “Legion” discusses mental illness, “Daredevil” dives into vigilantism and whether or not it is acceptable. Shows like “Scandal” and “Law and Order: Special Victims Unit” dare to make statements about the Trump Administration.
These shows present a fictionalized world and are not precise mirrors, but nonetheless, they use their fiction as a way to make a statement on these topics without being overly preachy or political. They present these problems in their own stories and let the viewer dissect the implications of those problems for themselves.
Fictional stories have always offered the public some comfort in the fact that they can let viewers escape into a world where things like spaceships and monsters exist. It also lets them imagine what they themselves would do if they were in that exact situation.
Television that tackles issues that hit close to home are doubly effective at getting viewers to think. For example, if one is watching “Grey’s Anatomy” and is invested in the relationship drama on that show, that same viewer could use that show as a mirror for his or her own relationships. If they were in the same situation, what would they do differently?
When it comes to shows that deal with adult subject matter, like rape or gay rights, that’s where the TV revolution really shines. Thanks to streaming sites that allow more creative freedom when it comes to storytelling, these adult issues that would’ve been rejected ten-years-ago can be tackled in mainstream entertainment. Back in the day, older shows would have to edit themselves to remove a scene of sex or violence. Now, audiences can seek out what they prefer to see.
TV can get a conversation started about anything, whether it’s what will happen next on “Blindspot” or if the political climate of “The Man in the High Castle” is possible. Either way, it makes viewers think and at the end of the day, that’s what every good piece of entertainment should do.
Bradley Burgess can be reached at [email protected]