COVID-19 has changed every aspect of our lives. How many people we see, where we go (but mostly where we can’t go), work, school and so much more. Not only that but the topic leaks into every social interaction we do manage to have whether that is over zoom or catching up with your friend over the phone. This makes forgetting about it nearly impossible, and at the top of just about everyone’s wish list. No matter who we talk to, where we go, any social media platform we go on it follows us. So why does it need to make its way into our favourite television shows as well? Watching TV is a great way to unplug and forget about the world, even if it’s just for 30 minutes of trashy reality or cheesy jokes. That’s why the appearance of COVID-related plotlines make me immediately tune out. We don’t need any more content reminding us of the world we all wish would just go back to normal.
COVID has managed to squeeze its way into a variety of different genres ranging from sitcoms to dramas. Shows that centre around medical professionals like Grey’s Anatomy transition into this topic more organically than shows that mostly use it as a way to stay current or help a plot progress. Shows like Your Honor have even used the pandemic as a way to get a character out of a sticky situation, and then never mention it again. The show Superstore uses COVID as a punchline by mirroring crazy situations we have all experienced since this pandemic has begun. Either way, the last thing I want to be thinking about is COVID while binging my favourite shows. Using comedy as a way to cope is something that we all do, the only difference in this situation is there is nowhere else we can go where COVID-19 isn’t being discussed. These plotlines would be a lot funnier and more compelling to watch 10 years from now, where we can reflect on a problem we know the outcome to.
Streaming platforms in combination with traditional television networks have made the amount of content to watch almost unlimited. Meaning that there is plenty of other content you can watch in order to take a break from the world we are living in. Whether that means re-watching classics like How I Met Your Mother on Netflix or falling in love with new series’ like Bridgerton. Even though everything may seem overwhelming right now, remember that this will pass and for now we can always change the channel.