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COLUMN: During COVID, is there such thing as too much reality in TV shows?

In this week's 'Everything King', Wendy asks if you want your TV shows to offer reality or fantasy
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It is the controversy dividing the globe: Should the TV shows be confronting the COVID-19 situation or ignoring it?

The news cannot ignore it. We are still smack dab in the thick of it.

Really, isn’t COVID-19 the co-star of all the shows now?

However, TV shows can choose to ignore it or tackle it.

Personally, I am really enjoying how many of the network shows are using the pandemic as the story line.

Frankly, it feels weird if the characters are not wearing masks, sanitizing and social distancing.

It has only taken nine months for that to seem normal.

It got me wondering how do you tell a story in the middle of a global crisis?

I have enjoyed watching how shows set in hospitals (Grey’s Anatomy, The Good Doctor) have shown exactly what is going on with the essential workers. There have been so many things we thought we knew, but I found the episodes really educational. They showed us so many aspects I hadn't thought about. It's been a good reminder and a wake-up call.

David Shore, the producer of ABC’s The Good Doctor, says “television has the responsibility to inform and not just entertain.”

The first two episodes were all about the outbreak, but they have since moved on to other things. For me, that seems a bit odd just to move on.

Grey’s Anatomy began its season as if it was a month and a half into the pandemic and they were getting a handle on protocol.

I appreciate the shows that use the introductions to suggest we wear masks, social distance and be safe as a weekly public service announcement.

I think it's been really fascinating how shows set in courtrooms or fire departments have incorporated  Zoom meetings and socially distant workplaces.

All Rise has done entire trials using Zoom.

On the other side are audiences who have had it up the yin-yang with truth. They want escapism. They do not want to be reminded of the way life is at the moment. 

It must be a complex balance for writers. 

If they are writing weeks or months ahead, nobody knows what this is going to look like. Do they tackle the vaccine? The politics of truth versus hoax. By the time a show airs, everything may have changed. It could appear dated. It could be totally wrong.

How long do you stick with one central theme? (This mess could be with us indefinitely.)

I am sure after 9/11 that producers were constantly asking themselves similar questions.

When is it too soon to talk about this?

How do you portray a tragedy with taste?

How long do you focus on it?

What is the result if you completely ignore it? What if you focus on it too long?

I have no idea what the answer is, but it is interesting to contemplate.

I probably have a completely imbalanced entertainment diet. I go from hours of news programming to an unhealthy dose of Hallmark Christmas movies (to cleanse the palette), but if you fear a diabetic coma from all the sugar, I move on to a serial-killer documentary.

If it feels you are spiralling out of control, I recommend the old-timey classics like A Charlie Brown Christmas and Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer.

Perhaps, it is not wise to do as I do.

Find your bliss!

When in doubt, there’s always the calm, quiet, stress-free Yule Log channel.

No need for time shifting, it is always playing somewhere.

You can enjoy it as a self-isolated or quarantined event or you can bring in your social bubble.

It requires no thinking at all.

No drama. No plot. No ambient noise.

Just calm and bright with a little crackle.


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About the Author: Wendy King

Wendy King writes about all kinds of things from nutrition to the job search from cats to clowns — anything and everything — from the ridiculous to the sublime. Watch for Wendy's column weekly.
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