Luiza! Thank you so much for citing and sharing my post in this thoughtful piece. I totally agree with you-- the way work is portrayed on these shows (and in basically every Hollywood production for the last 20ish years) now feels dated, out of touch, tone-deaf. They're still pushing this narrative, but too many of us know too much now.
I love this post, Luiza, and your post on workism (including the shout-out to Derek Thompson's important writing). I intend to write about workism, as well (it's an underlying theme of my substack), but it'll take me some time to organize my thoughts and info about it. I'm not as optimistic as you are regarding people's raised consciousness about workism, so I want to approach it strategically.
I recently heard an interview with Chicago Tribune TV and film critic Nina Metz on the podcast It's Been a Minute. She points out how TV and film today are obsessed with rich people, but present few authentic stories about work (she cites Abbott Elementary and The Bear as exceptions).
As Labor Day approaches in the US, it's worth reflecting on this scarcity of entertainment realistically depicting work, when both writers and actors are on strike.
(I'm not gonna check here "Also share to Notes," which is a road to chaos, but assuming you don't mind, will repost on Notes and, possibly, LinkedIn).
I found both these shows unwatchable for many of the reasons you state. I read somewhere that post 2020 Americans (and I’m sure it’s true for many of us around the world) spend a third of their waking hours on streaming services. I think most of the shows are pulp and formulaic because of this reality. Churning it out while we swallow it whole - emotionally manipulated by whatever “issue” these shows pretend to highlight. There seems to be - by and large - no respect for the audiences intelligence. And given the way we lap it up - maybe we don’t deserve it ! Not sure what the solution to this is - maybe the sag aftra and writers strikes will let us know ! Humans need stories like we need air. Lets hope for quality shows for us and respect for the film technicians writers and entertainers that bring them to us.
Luiza! Thank you so much for citing and sharing my post in this thoughtful piece. I totally agree with you-- the way work is portrayed on these shows (and in basically every Hollywood production for the last 20ish years) now feels dated, out of touch, tone-deaf. They're still pushing this narrative, but too many of us know too much now.
I love this post, Luiza, and your post on workism (including the shout-out to Derek Thompson's important writing). I intend to write about workism, as well (it's an underlying theme of my substack), but it'll take me some time to organize my thoughts and info about it. I'm not as optimistic as you are regarding people's raised consciousness about workism, so I want to approach it strategically.
I recently heard an interview with Chicago Tribune TV and film critic Nina Metz on the podcast It's Been a Minute. She points out how TV and film today are obsessed with rich people, but present few authentic stories about work (she cites Abbott Elementary and The Bear as exceptions).
As Labor Day approaches in the US, it's worth reflecting on this scarcity of entertainment realistically depicting work, when both writers and actors are on strike.
(I'm not gonna check here "Also share to Notes," which is a road to chaos, but assuming you don't mind, will repost on Notes and, possibly, LinkedIn).
I found both these shows unwatchable for many of the reasons you state. I read somewhere that post 2020 Americans (and I’m sure it’s true for many of us around the world) spend a third of their waking hours on streaming services. I think most of the shows are pulp and formulaic because of this reality. Churning it out while we swallow it whole - emotionally manipulated by whatever “issue” these shows pretend to highlight. There seems to be - by and large - no respect for the audiences intelligence. And given the way we lap it up - maybe we don’t deserve it ! Not sure what the solution to this is - maybe the sag aftra and writers strikes will let us know ! Humans need stories like we need air. Lets hope for quality shows for us and respect for the film technicians writers and entertainers that bring them to us.