Oh, What a Political World…
In society right now, particularly in the United States, there has been a rise in TV shows depicting hard times for the government, country, racial, religious and gender discrimination. This is likely so that creative directors, producers and actors can depict to their viewers what could happen if things were not to change in our society today.
In CW’s slew of hero related TV shows, in 2017 the network created a crossover involving a number of the different shows in an effort to fight off Nazis from a different dimension. In an effort to relay to the public that Nazis are not a one-time catastrophe, it seems that the network wanted to weigh in on the issue publicly so that viewers knew where their favorite heroes stood in regards to anti-Semitism and racism.
Designated Survivor, a show on Netflix, depicts the aftermath of the largest terrorism attack since 9/11 on the nations Capital building. Not only is this show disturbing through the thought of “what-ifs,” but the attack turns out to be perpetrated by an Alt-Right group called “True Believers.” This too brings an air of similar reflection regarding the current political situation.
Madam Secretary, a show currently running on CBS, follows the life and process of the Secretary of State as she deals with sexism at work and from diplomats. It also follows the plan for her to run for president when the current president’s term is up. She strives for gun control and peace across frustrated countries. It is no lie that the Secretary would like for there to peace throughout the world. She goes the extra mile to check for diplomatic answers and all options before making hard decisions.
It seems that networks are finding their voices in regards to certain messages that they feel are important for their viewers to understand. This allows them to stay within their legal rights, as well as avoiding any risky topics that might cost them viewers. Unfortunately, according to ABC, the network was rethinking their stance on political TV shows due to the decline in viewers during the election period and shortly following with Donald Trump’s presidency. This is likely because people felt that this had resonance with their current daily lives. It was likely a mistake in the network’s scheduling in regards to the emotion that followed with the election.
Some networks, such as ABC, who produces Scandal, said that while continuing through the series, they knew where they were going and how the wanted to continue. After the election of Trump, they were unsure where they wanted to take their stories and what would be the most beneficial to depict to their viewers.
Because of this hard time with policy change and constant reports from the White House, people are tired of seeing political messages in TV shows. It is becoming more and more necessary that viewers understand the implications of the garnering, the elections and what goes on behind their representatives. This means that the networks will likely still produce their politically charged programs, but may focus on other aspects rather than corruption.
