The hit shows with reach far beyond the television
Television was once seen as a passive form of entertainment, mocked as “the idiot box”, but a new range of shows are not just provoking thought, they’re changing minds and lives. Here’s a look at how some have a reach far beyond the loungeroom.
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Television was once seen as a passive form of entertainment, mocked as “the idiot box” but a new range of shows are not just provoking thought, they are changing minds and lives. Here’s a look at how some of today’s hottest TV shows have a reach far beyond the loungeroom:
WHEN THEY SEE US
Netflix
The savage rape and bashing of New York jogger Trisha Meili, who was found close to death in Central Park on the night of April 19, 1989, ignited a city already under the grip of a violent crime wave. When five young Black and Latino youths, aged between 14 and 16, were arrested and charged with the crime — the Central Park Five — hatred towards them reached fever pitch.
Real estate mogul — now president — Donald Trump even took out full page ads in the city’s major newspapers calling for the return of the death penalty.
Despite little physical evidence, and claims of coerced — and wildly differing — confessions, all five teens were found guilty and sent to prison, four of them serving between six and seven years and a fifth behind bars for 13 years.
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Then in 2002 convicted rapist and murder Matias Reyes admitted to attacking Meili and acting alone. DNA collected from the scene matched Reyes and the convictions of the Central Park Five were vacated.
Oscar nominated writer and director Ava Duvernay’s four-part drama series When They See Us examines the saga from the time of the crime right through their time in prison and the settlements they reached with the state of New York.
It isn’t the first time the case has been covered on television, but the dramatic way in which the story unfolds and the way in which the behaviour of those involved — the police in the park that night, the detectives who interviewed the boys and the prosecutors who secured the convictions — is brought to life has ensured the story has again become the thing of headlines.
It once again shines a light on the racist workings of the criminal justice system in the US. Trump has refused to apologise for this actions, lead prosecutor Elizabeth Lederer (played by Vera Farmiga) lost her job at Columbia University (although she is still a prosecutor in New York) and sex crimes prosecutor Linda Fairstein (Felicity Huffman), who had forged a post-law career as a novelist, was dropped by her publisher.
The series, which Netflix says has been the most-watched show every day since its release, has sparked protests calling for cases tried by the two since to be reopened.
EUPHORIA
Foxtel Showcase
There was a time not so long ago when Dawson’s Creek was considered a fairly edgy teenage drama. Sure, you would struggle to find another teenager on the planet who spoke in the same annoyingly articulate way that Dawson, Joey and the rest of the gang did, but somehow these kids from Capeside, Massachusetts, were captivating enough to sustain six seasons.
These days teen drama is far more controversial, which in a lot of ways makes it far more relatable. But it also sparks sometimes heated debate about what should be shown to younger audiences.
13 Reasons Why, the Netflix drama that revolved around a high school girl’s suicide and the recorded tapes she left behind detailing how individuals contributed to her death, was one of the most divisive shows on television in recent times.
Likewise, HBO’s Euphoria, available on Foxtel’s Showcase, is sure to stir up many of the same feelings. The series stars former Disney star Zendaya (who is brilliant) as Rue Bennett, a high school addict, who along with her classmates, is trying to find their place in the world.
Parents of Gen Z kids — especially those who take these types of shows at face value — will be terrified. There are more drugs in the first episode than you’d find in a police evidence locker. There is graphic sex and many secrets exchanged on apps many parents wouldn’t even know existed. Euphoria will no doubt spark, once again, debate about content, with people trying to define that invisible line that keeps getting shifted every generation or so. Euphoria isn’t meant to be a reflection of this generation as a whole, but it is a window into the lives of some and that might just scare one too many people.
CHERNOBYL
Foxtel Showcase
In an era when the environment and the future of the planet are at the top of the news agenda most days of the week, and nuclear power is touted as a solution to carbon emissions, this dramatised account of one of the world’s most horrific environmental disasters dropped at exactly the right time.
Most will have some image of this catastrophic incident burned into their minds from old news coverage, history lessons or sheer curiosity, but to see how it played out inside the plant and how Soviet authorities dealt with it (read: covered it up) is fascinating and thought provoking. This series quickly became a huge hit and the best-rated series ever on IMDB.
And while there is much talk at the water cooler about those tragic events and even more tragic response, there is also much debate about the accuracy of the portrayal.
Also, it seems to have annoyed Russia just a little. The BBC reported earlier this month that the country’s state-run television network is producing its own series which director Aleksey Muradov told newspaper Komsomolskaya Pravda “proposes an alternative view on the tragedy in Pripyat”.
ALWAYS BE MY MAYBE
Netflix
This comedy, starring hot-right-now comic Ali Wong and Fresh Off The Boat’s Randall Park (plus a cameo from Keanu Reeves), isn’t so much on this list for the depth and impact of its story than for the way in which it’s breaking down the Hollywood norm.
It’s a fairly straight forward romantic comedy that doesn’t stray too far out of the pre-defined constraints of the genre. But it’s a mainstream romantic comedy with two Asian-American actors as the leads. Hot on the heels of the ground-breaking Crazy Rich Asians, Always Be My Baby bucks the overwhelming trend of white protagonists in this type of movie. Wong and Park, who wrote the movie, carefully ensures the story reflects the experiences of Asian-American families without playing on cheap stereotypes.
Home and Away and Neighbours
Seven/Ten
Closer to home and some of our soap mainstays have in recent years started to push the envelope in the story arcs they are weaving into the likes of Summer Bay and Ramsay Street. No longer do they just revolve around family disputes, high school crushes and grieving the death of a character in a terrible accident (because the actor is on their way to try their luck in Hollywood). We have seen far more complex stories being told that often mimic issues playing out in real life. On Home and Away, Orpheus Pledger’s character Mason put his medical career on the line by setting up a cannabis lab to make for his younger sister (Olivia Deeble) who suffers from epilepsy. The topic of medicinal marijuana is a hot topic in Australia and an area so complex it’s almost impossible to navigate. It can also be prohibitively expensive.
That Home and Away is writing this into its larger story is another sign that these shows are wanting to better reflect society. An upcoming storyline focuses on another pressing issue, especially among young people and parent — online grooming. Producers have worked closely with the government to ensure the key elements of the arc are on point. It comes after Neighbours broadcast Australia’s first gay wedding last year and this season introduced a trans character to the show.
Part information, part entertainment, podcasts are also having a huge effect on the audience.
THE TEACHER’S PET
The Australian
Few Australian podcasts have had as much impact than The Teacher’s Pet - a 16-part series that investigated the alleged murder of Lyn Dawson in 1982 by her husband, former footballer and teacher Chris. The series has been downloaded almost 30 million times and went to number one in Australia, New Zealand, the UK and Canada. Police sources have told how the pressure placed on them as the podcast unfolded was behind the re-opening of the investigation and subsequent digs on the former northern beaches home of the couple. Dawson was arrested late last year and charged with his former wife’s murder before being released on $1.5 million bond.
WHO THE HELL IS HAMISH
The Australian
Another of The Australian’s podcasts, Who The Hell Is Hamish, has brought to life the incredible crimes of fraudster Hamish McLaren, who was earlier this month jailed for swindling a select group of victims out of more than $7 million. But the podcast digs deeper and uncovers an even wider web of deceit the conman has woven across the globe.
Originally published as The hit shows with reach far beyond the television
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