[This week marked the anniversaries of the premieres of two classic TV shows: the 50th anniversary of Little House on the Prairie and the 70th of Lassie. So I’ve AmericanStudied those and other classic TV shows and contexts, leading up to this special post on what we can learn from a couple current hits I finally got around to checking out this summer!]
On three
contexts for a pair of the year’s (and decade’s) biggest shows.
1)
Bingeing: I’ve analyzed the relatively new form
of cultural consumption that is binge-watching a few times in this space, most especially
in this
post on streaming sitcoms. I still have mixed feelings on the trend, and
would in fact go further: when it comes to shows that were originally created
to air once a week (ie, pretty much every TV show prior to the rise of Netflix
original content in the early 2010s), bingeing them is as best a less ideal
way to experience what the creators intended, and at worst actively ruins the
experience. But for shows being created in this new era of streaming, the
opposite is, if not a given, at least always possible: that the creators intend
them to be binged, and have worked to create shows which reward viewers for
such extended immersion. I’d say that’s the case for both Bridgerton and
The Bear, particularly because both are so good at…
2)
…(World)Building: When I’ve used this
storytelling term previously in this space, it’s largely been in the context
of my Intro to Sci Fi/Fantasy course, as worldbuilding has been without a
doubt the most-discussed concept in every section of that class I’ve taught. But
of course any genre and any cultural medium can build a world, and I don’t
think any recent TV shows have done it more intentionally nor more successfully
than do these two. But in two very distinct ways: Bridgerton in the vein
of the best historical fiction in both
senses of that genre as I’ve defined it in the past (such as in that
hyperlinked post), immersing the audience in a
prior historical period and yet creating compelling fictional stories that
are not bound by historical facts; while The Bear builds its restaurant
industry world through incredibly potent use
of narrative tension and emotion, making the audience feel every detail of
that setting and community. Or at least it hopes to do so, but the recent
season three did meet with a great deal of…
3)
…Backlash: After a pair of relatively
universally acclaimed seasons, The Bear’s season three has been quite
a bit more divisive. I haven’t had a chance to watch it yet (like I said, I’m
late to these games), but my wife, who has, has offered a very thoughtful take:
that the show is working to become more cinematic in its storytelling and imagery,
while still using those devices to capture emotion and character as it always
has. If that is the case, it would mean that The Bear has evolved but
not fundamentally changed, and I’d say that’s very much the case for Bridgerton
(on which I am fully caught up), which makes the
rising backlash to that show’s various forms of diverse casting and
storytelling particularly frustrating. That is, I get that Bridgerton
differs from the original novels in a variety of ways, including its diversity;
but that’s been a central element of the show from day one, and by this point
fans should either go along for the very enjoyable ride or find something else
to binge.
Next
series starts Monday,
Ben
PS. What
do you think? Other classic or current TV you’d analyze?
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