Brains on Television

It’s been 137 days since we’ve been in the office full time. Since then, I’ve binge watched All American, Elite, Sweet Magnolias, and Hollywood. I finished the latest (or final) seasons of New Girl, Madam Secretary, and Atypical, kept up with Issa and Molly’s drama on Insecure each week, finished out the remaining episodes of Home Town that we had left and picked up Fixer Upper in its place. I’m currently knee deep in The Politician, we’re keeping up with the last season of Greenleaf, I sit in on my wife’s Bones’ marathons and I’ve attempted various other shows, including The Good Place, Blood & Water, Outer Banks, Never Have I Ever and Good Girls. Whew! In a nutshell, I’ve hit my own version of peak TV.

While I wouldn’t argue for going back into the office any time soon, one thing I do genuinely miss about being in the same space with everyone is the random “water cooler” chat about the latest TV shows we’re all watching. In an effort to bring some of that energy into our virtual work situation, I decided to poll the crew at Brains to get a sense of how they were staying entertained and what their TV habits are. (Netflix is also incredibly overwhelming when it comes to picking a new show, so I selfishly wanted recommendations and this seemed like a fun way to do it.)

Of the 12 responses received, two people said they watch between zero and five hours of TV a week, half said they watch between six and 10 hours a week, four people said between 10 and 20. We’re relatively split between being “multiple shows at once” people and “finish one show then cue up the next one” people. The platform of choice was Netflix. One lucky person is subscribed to every platform listed in our poll, including Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, Apple TV, Disney+ and HBO Max. It’s probably time that some entrepreneurial person in the world figured out a way for us to bundle all of these at a lower rate, and throw in Spotify and The New York Times subscriptions while they’re at it. We’ll call it cable 2.0.

What has been the best show you’ve watched since quarantine/social distancing started?

Tiger King, The Leftovers, Night on Earth, The Great, Community (aside from the last two seasons), Ozark, I Know This Much is True, Yellowstone, Unorthodox, Outer Banks, Queer Eye, Watchmen.

What is the best television show you’ve EVER watched?

Mad Men, This Is Us, Breaking Bad, Parenthood, Game of Thrones, The Office, Euphoria, Parks and Rec, Friends/The Office/Seinfeld, The Wire, Freaks and Geeks, Watchmen.

If you could meet any character from any tv show (the character, not the actor/actress) who would it be and why?

• “I would want to spend a day with the ladies of Call the Midwife. I think the work they did in the 1960s in the east end of London was heroic.”
• “Aang from Avatar: The Last Airbender. So many life lessons and quotes from that show have come to mind lately. It’s easy to do nothing, it’s hard to forgive.’ “When we hit our lowest point, we are open to the greatest change. It’s deep.”
• “The lead in Fleabag, she’s never named beyond that in the show. She’s perfectly dark and maybe just speaks to a level of brutal realness most people never get to. I have so many questions about the Season 2 finale!”
• “Ron Swanson. He is me. I am him. Please show me your ways, sensei.”
• “Downton Abbey was probably the best show in the last ten years, so I’d like to meet Violet Crawley, the quick-witted grandmother. Damn, she had the best lines! Would be a joy to meet, but she’d probably be mean to me!”
• “Tyrion Lannister from Game of Thrones, to fill him in on some crucial tactical errors he made during those last couple seasons.”

Is there a show that you feel has had a profound impact on the way you view the world?

• “When I was little we’d watch ER late at night. I blame that show for me becoming a worrier and hypochondriac!”
• “Maybe The Handmaid’s Tale? Honesty, it just made me realize how it’s depicting an extreme scenario, but the steps between our current reality and degrading into one like that featured in the show is not that far-fetched. This nation has a lot of work to do.”
• “Parks and Rec. This show is definitely not a crime or drama series, but it’s the show I always go back to when I’m stressed or having a tough day. It’s incredibly positive and reminds me to practice gratitude and be thankful for the people in my life.”
• “The Leftovers taught me how to let mystery and unanswerable questions be a welcomed part of life, something to be celebrated.”
• “Black Mirror! For anyone who has watched this it goes without saying, but the way it creatively depicts the future implications of society’s use/abuse of technology, the internet and social media is straight up chilling. Makes you put your phone down for a hot second.”
• “The Bachelor and the assorted cultural milieu it has created like. Holy crap I can’t believe people are this excited about watching these relationships form and/or fail, and how much we’re invested in this “real” (but highly edited) version of a relationship that’s playing out on TV. It’s nuts.”

There’s no question that the Covid-19 pandemic has and will continue to change the fundamental nature of how we all work. I’m hoping that in this new remote reality we continue to find the time in our work lives to share the fun, minor details about what we care about, what’s entertaining us and what’s keeping us up at night. It’s what ultimately brings us closer together, makes us feel more human and cultivates the culture that helps fuel our creativity.