Production on shows is mostly halted but some are moving overseas and/or in tightly controlled bubbles with constant testing. It’s so much harder to make shows that look like our old lives. Enter the shows specifically about lockdown, because that’s the major storyline now and can be filmed safely. There’s questions of whether they’re good and whether we’re ready for them. As research for this post I tried watching the pilot of NBC’s Connecting, gave up on it and almost didn’t give Social Distance on Netflix a chance. I’m glad I did because it was so much better, funnier and more realistic. The lead in the first episode, Ike played by Mike Colter (Luke Cage), was watchable and believable, but it hit too close to home. It opened with Ike in a Zoom AA meeting and I’ve actually been to a few of those. This is the problem with these pandemic-themed shows, I don’t want to be reminded how freaking different and isolating things are now.
That’s essentially what Kevin Fallon at the Daily Beast said, that while some of these shows are good, he mentions Connecting (disagree) and Social Distance, it’s just not the entertainment we need now. There are even more shows about lockdown life including Love in the Time of Corona (Freeform/Hulu) and Coastal Elites (HBO Max), both of which he disliked.
Remember the terror that sprang out in March when it suddenly became clear how dangerous and inevitable the pandemic was going to be? Sort of like a Jack-in-the-Box… but Jack has COVID?
Remember how the anxieties, inconveniences, risks, depressions, and furies never dissipated the way we thought, but just kind of kept spiking off a flatline that was already at the threshold of what we could cope with in the first place?
Do you want to revisit all that again, over and over, on TV? To be reminded of how good we had it when what we were dealing with was just unfamiliar terror? Or maybe how endless it all is now that we’ve just settled into a baseline of horribleness for the indefinite future?
Here’s the thing about Social Distance, the new Netflix anthology dramedy that premiered Thursday, and Connecting…, the NBC sitcom that debuted last week. As television series, they’re not bad. In fact, they’re objectively good.
As far as these things go—and especially having already weathered the much less tolerable Love in the Time of Corona and Coastal Elites—these two series are about as well-done as anyone could expect, or even ask for, when it comes to tackling these issues and producing original scripted content in the midst of a pandemic. And yet… I have absolutely no desire to see it on my screen. Nope!…
Maybe some of it is Zoom fatigue. Maybe some of it is “too close to home.” Maybe some of it is that this whole experience has been so surreal and unprecedented that easy explanations and critiques just don’t come to mind. But you know what is coming? More COVID TV.
I agree that we don’t need these type of shows in general now, but I definitely related to Social Distance and found the first episode entertaining. It was clever, deep and they used technology well to show how we spend so much time on Instagram and our computers just looking for friends and exes. I may keep watching it.
There’s news coming out of New Mexico that Idris Elba’s Netflix Western, The Harder They Fall, had to stop production due to at least two positive covid cases. (Elba of course got covid early, but we know that doesn’t mean he’s immune. We have not heard that he’s tested positive and they have not revealed who had the positive tests.) So like it or not we’re going to get more pandemic-themed television. Plus it’s affecting almost everyone and storytelling is about our collective experiences. Maybe they can be creative and focus on other aspects of lockdown. It’s almost normalized at this point anyway, at least for me and the people I know who are taking sh-t seriously. All my friends are virtual now. I miss being with people but I feel like I know them on a different, deeper level. Hopefully television can reflect that sea change in our relationships.
photos courtesy of Netflix
No. I watch tv and movies to escape the burning hellscape of the American experience right now, even if just for a little while, before heading once more back into the breach.
Same. Only watch soothing, fluffy stuff — Please Like Me, Lovesick, Bonus family, etc.
Same! I keep saying that I really don’t want to watch a bunch of shows adopt a “pandemic” storyline next year. When I turn on my TV don’t want think about all the awfulness. I just want to be entertained and to forget about reality for an hour.
I was 100% with you until last weekend when I gave in and started watching Handmaid’s Tale. Obviously not about the pandemic, but too close for comfort vis a vis the US political hellscape for me to start watching it, for years. But I was desperate for a new show and gave it a try and I’m actually quite enjoying it though there is no way this can end well, can it? (Please don’t spoil it. I’ve managed to avoid most of them). But I’m not starting pandemic shows. No thanks.
I haven’t seen the Handmaid’s Tale, but I’ve read (and love) the book that it was based on, by Canadian author Margaret Atwood. Since you don’t know the way the series ends, I’ll assume you haven’t read it, yet, and I very highly recommend it! Maybe, though, you shouldn’t start it until you’ve finished with the series, as the book will definitely give away the ending! (Unless writers have altered the finale in the series version, but I really hope they haven’t!)
As for pandemic movies and television—no. Like others have said, I look to such things for escape from the pandemic of our reality, not reminder of it. Maybe, also, I just still have too much nostalgia for the way the world used to be, and the reluctance to accept it, to voluntarily watch any portrayal of the new world now.
shocked and appalled, read the sequel, The Testaments. Spoiler alert – it helps.
I don’t know how I feel about it, but I will watch anything with Mike Colter in it, so thanks for the tip! I had not heard about that show.
Same here!!!! Love him! I’m watching Evil right now and will now give Social Distance a chance since I know he’s in it.
I don’t really want to see a show or movie about the pandemic and the shutdown. Maybe in a few years, when we know we’re on the other side of it and we have a vaccine and we can look back at 2020 with a sense of humor.
No. Nope. Hard pass.
I no longer have any interest in spy, virus, double agents any of these plots.
2020 has been a B*tch and I am seeking light entertainment, something pleasant or the equal to easy listening.
I used to love zombie shows so much and I can’t watch them at all now! I should have written that.
I started a book a friend had recommended, only to find out it was a zombie virus book, which was not pleasant to think about. I did not enjoy it.
That’s a good cast, and I appreciate that people are working and creating content, but I can’t right now. I don’t want to watch a show made on zoom. I haven’t even watched much new stuff, but have been retreating back into my old comedy favorites. Though I did finally watch PEN15 and loved it.
Same!! I just watched Zombieland on TV the other day looking for a light laugh and wasn’t sure I’d be able to get through. I have no interest in virus plot lines at the moment.
We made the mistake of watching Outbreak at the very beginning of the pandemic, and then Contagion a few weeks later. Outbreak was so over the top as to not be believable (although maybe now I believe it more….) but Contagion was eerie – masks, social distancing, the fight for a vaccine, etc.
There was an old episode of Sliders on, which eerily mimicked an out-of-control pandemic too. Regretted watching it.
I also watched Contagion way back in March (I think) and it didn’t bother me one bit. Now, however, I would probably run and hide if it came on again…I am pretty sure I have a serious case of Covid fatigue, I don’t even want to watch the news when they’re talking about it, and I’m normally a news junkie.
I had never seen Contagion until recently, and I LOVED it. Very accurate; if Covid was more deadly to the general populace, I think the social chaos depicted would have come to pass, no question.
@Nikki – the accuracy is what freaked me out, LOL.
I watch a lot of old horror movies in October every year. This year I watched The Last Man on Earth with Vincent Price — based on the I Am Legend book — and was so shaken by it. It hit too close to home. A zombie movie.
I watch feel-good Halloween-ish movies this time of year. Nightmare Before Christmas, Hocus Pocus, Halloweentown, Ghost and Mrs. Muir, Topper, Canterville Ghost, Blithe Spirit, Practical Magic, Edward Scissorhands, Coraline, Great Pumpkin.
@notasugarhere Those are all so good! I love Halloweentown. My go-to feel-good Halloween Movie is Corpse Bride. I watch it every year! For some spookiness, I turn to Turner Classic Movies. They play great horror from the 30s-60s all month long, and older horror is my absolute favorite!
I forgot Corpse Bride! Adding to list. One of my channels shows lots of old horror, like The Bat, lots of Vincent Price.
@notasugarhere….same! I love Halloween and watching scary movies has always been part of our October, but this year, it’s almost brought a sense of comfort. I’ve been soaking them up lately…..Casper, ParaNorman, Charlie Brown, and the usual classics, Halloween, Jeepers Creepers, etc.
Ooooh I’m in the Feel Good Halloween movie as everyone here.
A few I’ll add to this list: Haunted Mansion (with Eddie Murphy) , Monster House, Addams Family and Addams Family Values.
Also, I do like The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina on Netflix. Shows with a strong female cast and being the boss always appeal to me. . .
I can’t wait to discuss Holiday/Christmas movies soon. . .! We could all use some cheer this year!
Yes!! I accidentally watched Last Man on Earth back in April, not realizing what the plot was. It was on a streaming show with horror hosts and even they were like “sorry, we didn’t really think about this.”
Not really.
No, I do not want to watch anything with a pandemic plot. I survived Covid, and I worry about getting reinfected every single day. My county has the highest per capita Covid death rate of any county in our health district in VA. And I work in a hospital (although I work in the marketing department and am fortunate enough to mostly WFH).
Not at all. TV and movies are my escape. COVID is around us all day, every day. For work, I write about how some industries are handling the pandemic. Every. Day. The last thing I need is more time thinking about it.
No. Honestly don’t want to watch anything with the specific COVID pandemic as a storyline either. “Fake” pandemics? We’ll see.
I don’t even want to scroll through Facebook and read about the pandemic. Let alone tune in to a whole show or movie.
Surprisingly I enjoyed it
My life IS a pandemic storyline. Thanks, but, no thanks.
I’m currently rewatching certain seasons of Masterchef Australia lol. I love this show.
I haven’t wanted too watch any zombie shows, but I haven’t realized reasons why. Guess I do now lol. I’ve watched Fringe, Eureka, Person of Interest, BSG, Expanse, Once Upon a Time (embarrassing I know), Grimm, Witcher, Spartacus, Black Sails lol. Maybe I’m drawn to either very old or very future fantasy. No tech or an abundance. I love love love disaster storylines and apocalyptic landscapes, and while that hasn’t changed, it seems I’m currently drawn to the truly fantastical sort with monsters and evolutionary anomalies.
Grimm and Person of Interest are two of my favorite shows of all time. You just made me feel like i should do a Grimm rewatch.
There is no shame in liking Once Upon a Time, the first 2-3 seasons are pure gold. This is genuinely my first time finding other people who love Grimm. I feel understood! Such a great show!
I’m currently watching Once Upon a Time with my bestie, lol. I never saw it when it first aired.
We watched Grimm for the first….four seasons? But then it got a little repetitive for me and I lost interest. I was also irrationally annoyed that every single character in the show lived in a gorgeous craftsman with beautiful wood trim LOL.
Rumplestiltskin is such a great character on OUAT. Robert Carlyle is so good in that role! Once Upon a Time definitely jumps the shark in later seasons, but the first few are really entertaining.
I’m not alone lol!
No one that I know wants or needs to see anything resembling real life right now. Wait 10 years and make an anthology series like they did with every other bad thing that’s happened.
Emma Thompson and Greg Wise are working on re-writing a decades-old screenplay about a pandemic. They discussed it on FrontRow with Dr. Mary Beard. It may not be made for a couple of years, but I know I’ll watch that once it is out. Cannot resist Thompson/Wise together on screen.
Should add, I want to see the new version of The Stand coming out in few months. But not sure I can watch it then, or wait a year or two.
The Stand will be tough, but I will probably watch it because I am having an Alexander Skarsgard moment…
That’s probably the only one I’m going to watch, and only because of Alex Skarsgard.
He does evil well, doesn’t he?
Noooooooooooooooooo, thanks.
Yeah no thanks. I find it interesting because so many musicals came out during the WW2 era. People wanted to escape to something pleasant, reality was dark enough. That’s what we need now too I think, light escapism. Bring on the dumb predictable hallmark style Christmas movies and romcoms.
I had to bail on the west wing because I’m both entirely sick of politics at this point and the “scandals” are so mild compared to our current reality. It feels like the pandemic and political drama permeates so much of our lives, we need to get away from that in our entertainment.
Agreed. I’m not even a romcom person and I’d welcome the return of that genre, which has seemingly died out in recent years. Musicals, too! I always want more musicals.
I can’t watch anything too serious or heavy these days, regular drama films included. It’s just too much. I think that’s why so many people are rewatching favorite shows and stuff like that — we need lightness and predictability.
It’s not only shows that are being made with COVID-19 as a main storyline but regular established shows like Blackish and Grey’s Anatomy are also planning to address COVID-19 as well. And there probably will be more. I could tell from the previews I’ve seen on TV and double checked online. Tracee Ellis Ross’s character who is a doctor on the show will be on the frontlines while Dre works from home, trying to cope with the fact he isn’t an essential worker.
And Grey’s Anatomy showrunners basically said they felt they had a responsibility to delve into that whole topic. I haven’t watched GA since college (it’s been over 10 years) but I do find it interesting.
Nah, pass on the COVID series. I would maybe watch a medical show about doctors on the frontlines dealing with COVID, but other than that, I need TV that’s not similar to my life.
Political TV, however, is hitting the spot right now. Sorkin’s “Trial of the Chicago 7” on Netflix is excellent.
I read the Earth Seed series by Octavia Butler during lockdown and goddamn it was so prophetic. She is such an incredible writer. It actually helped me process a lot of what was going on. I was reading it around the time George Floyd was murdered. (As a white person is trying to educate herself with art, books & media made by BiPoc people).
I guess I’d more likely to read something than watch it because reading I take it at my own pace & think. Whereas with shows and films you can’t exactly pause after every scene.
I remember Parable of the Sower freaked me out when I read it when first published. Unfortunately, Butler’s writing was cut short, dying so young (58).
I want escapism, preferably in Tuscany or Provence…
I think a trans woman being a main character in Connecting —and not a stereotype (She is obsessed with sports! She doesn’t constantly make jokes about being trans!)—is a big deal and it’s crazy that I don’t see that getting talked about.
There was a trans woman who was presented like that in the fabulous AMC show Dispatches from Elsewhere but that show didn’t get enough traction because you couldn’t get it on demand. There is more on that here at the end of an interview I covered with the show’s creator Jason Segel.
Yes, I’m kinda fascinated w the genre. I have watched the old pandemic movies, and my son and I are watching Last Man on Earth, which is hilarious at times.
First thing I did during the shutdown was to watch Volcano; San Andreas; Twister; The Day After Tomorrow; Outbreak! I just needed to get it out of my system. Since then, I’ve gravitated more towards cooking shows. I just googled disaster/virus movies because I couldn’t remember Outbreak though, and a couple on the list caught my eye – lol
What I don’t want to see is Idiocracy! Because that is just too real.
No ! TV should be an escape. I slowed down the amount of news I was watching because it’s all just too much. I won’t want to tune into This is Us and have to hear the word Covid or Pandemic even once.
NOPE! Tv is an escape from reality
Nope.
The great British bake off you were talking about is so peaceful and relaxing, plus everyone is so nice to each other.
That’s what we need right now, carbs and niceness.
I binged “Social Distance” one afternoon a couple of days ago. I liked it just well. I enjoyed how personal relationships were portrayed: from losing a loved one, to racism, to love in our situation to the fear we might experience when / if we get the virus.
I recommend giving it a try and see if you like it.
I think there are shows that cannot ignore it like Grey’s and other medical shows because of the premise. The way Grey’s explained it I thought was meaningful because they do reflect the lives (albeit most of the times ridiculously and unrealistically) of medical staff.. And besides their romantic entanglements I see why.
Other shows… Yeah maybe not so much.
I think Black-ish has to do it too because they tackle so many issues related to Black people,and knowing how this pandemic disproportionately affects Black and POC it would be strange not to represent it.
I also think that a lot of people relate and learn through TV so maybe this will be the way people will actually SEE what this pandemic looks like and the deaths and traumas and so MAYBE hopefully it will bring some reckoning.
Here’s for hope.
I still need my comedies. I’ve been watching Friends and rewatching some old shows as well.
I actually keep re-watching beloved shows for comfort. I find that I can’t get into anything new, not knowing what’s going to happen next cause anxiety and it’s no fun. Until things feels more like the world is not ending, I will keep comforting myself with reruns.
I cannot tolerate them right now especially since this is far from being done. Maybe in 20 years? When a lot of water under the bridge has passed and I have some weird nostalgia. Or to show my grandkids how things went to hell in 2020.
No thanks to pandemic stuff. I want to see people getting along and respecting eachother, across genders and parties and races and sexualities. True feel good fiction to take give my head a break from the hell that is Earth.
No. I”m actually living it, why do I need to watch someone else suffer through it?
Nope. Can we have one thing please?
Back in March, I binge watched my faves: “28 Days Later”, “Carriers”, “Train to Busan” “Outbreak” etc. All of those end of the world flix. Idk why, Research? LOL. Sad how now folks are rushing to create a cure. Start of a zombie apocalypse, great! Happy New Year! Eff you 2020!
NO
No, I don’t want to see it on fictional TV shows. We’re living it and that’s unpleasant enough.
No, we’re already living in a bad cliche comic book.