It’s often said that restrictions often lead to more creativity. The pop-psychology explanation is that fewer resources force the brain to work harder, and stretch itself. Think of Hollywood movies from the Hays Code era, which banned “immoral behavior” on film and spurred the creation of genres like screwball comedies. Almost half a year into the COVID pandemic stateside, we’ve seen a number of new kinds of media products across industries. There’s been a proliferation of daily news podcasts, paced to make sense of the constant news cycle. The New York Times replaced its Travel section with an “At Home” print supplement. Many brands and individuals have taken to TikTok and Instagram Live as a way to connect with their communities. But pure entertainment about the pandemic, that aims to entertain more than inform, has been limited.
There have been notable exceptions in the performing arts, specifically among ballet and theater companies that have created original works and inventive revivals staged remotely. This year, Shakespeare in the Park, normally performed onstage in New York’s Central Park, aired on WNYC, the NPR station for the New York market. Earlier this month, Sam Levinson, creator of Euphoria, Zendaya, and John David Washington filmed a secret movie during quarantine, perhaps the first of its kind. Whether the subject matter of that film, Malcolm & Marie, relates to the new reality we’re living in remains to be seen.
As recently reported by Axios, it’s becoming clearer that the traditional fall TV lineup isn’t going to look quite the same this year. This week, Netflix announced that it doesn’t plan to start production in the U.S. until 2021. Big networks like NBC and ABC, who need to fill airtime, are looking for ready-made content. A few trends have emerged to offset the short supply of new content: licensing international shows and plumbing programming once reserved for secondary providers (like Spectrum TV) or streaming-only platforms (like CBS All-Access). Just a few months ago, it felt like there were too many shows for any one person to watch, much less have on their radar. But in 2020, going into 2021, that glut of shows may provide networks with the buffer they need to fill their broadcasting schedules.
With shooting schedules unclear, especially in Los Angeles, there’s no way of knowing when original, scripted shows will be live again. News coverage is obviously timely, but there’s relatively little entertainment programming that reflects what our days look like right now. Unscripted digital shows, always a nimble category, are among the first kinds of media to directly deal with the reality of pandemic life.
Enter Studio71’s recent slate of Facebook Watch shows, including Homeschooled with Meredith Masony and Glam Where I Am, headlined by Gigi Gorgeous, a veteran beauty vlogger. Both series are quarantine-themed, in a way. On Homeschooled, Masony, a longtime parenting blogger, offers tips she’s learned from being on lockdown with her three children. On Glam Where I Am, Gorgeous offers viewers beauty hacks that can be done at home. These shows offer viewers relatable advice and relief. As more content rolls out in the new few months, we can expect to see more interpretations of this extraordinary time. And hopefully, even more unexpected, inventive work.
