Briefly outline and analyze Netflix original series that have garnered both positive and negative attention from the online LGBT community. Discuss why some series disappointed gay and queer fans, like Voltron: Legendary Defenders and Kiss Me First, and others delighted them, like She-Ra: Princesses of Power, Sens8, and Black Mirror. Potentially discuss whether other streaming services have "hopped on the bandwagon" with gay-friendly shows or have yet to catch up.
Orange is the New Black tells stories of corruption, privilege and discrimination in the American criminal justice system. In its most recent season American Horror story tells the story of women rising together and the death of traditional female roles. What is the value or purpose of seeing contemporary issues played back to us in our entertainment? What does this do for us?
Love this! There's lots of other shows you can tap into for examples of this, too, and you can pretty much make a case for most shows having an underlying political or social message. I would encourage you to consider maybe honing in on one specific topic. Focusing on one topic, like the criminal justice system or traditional female roles, would allow for more room to explain the issue and why its being mirrored in entertainment media. I think it's interesting because we often think of television as "escapist" media, when it often comments upon timely social issues. – Eden6 years ago
a media is a reflection of the society its in. its fine to add realistic elements to shows and all forms of art have the right to spread a message and have themes. and for orange is the new black, i mean, the show is about prison, especially its system, in america.....i think its very much natural for them to talk about the justice system and everyone that is affected by it. – jayjayhutch6 years ago
Although it is important for art to represent its contemporary political climate, however, too much of it might be the end call for a piece of art. – AthenDawn6 years ago
An interesting topic. How we may develop attitudes and opinions about problems in real life can be helped along by how they are presented in a fictional way. – Joseph Cernik6 years ago
Media has always been a reflection of the society it was created in, and there have always been media works that held themes of contemporary issues. Unfortunately, with social media and the political climate today, at least in the U.S, there's a lot of people who believe these things are biased towards an agenda or trying to be preachy. I do agree that there's a lot of media that can come off as preachy, especially if not well executed, but having underlying political/social messages in a work doesn't automatically devalue it, unlike what many, many groups see it. If that were the case, then works such as 1984, Brave New World, any Shakespearean work, etc. are all bad. Different audiences have different tastes, and when they encounter a work that doesn't cater to them, that's when you get the complaints, especially from those who want all their entertainment to provide escapism. – ImperatorSage6 years ago
“American Pickers” on the History Channel is fun and enjoyable to watch. The problem, however, is how real is it actually. Reality TV shows need to keep the audience entertained and want them to come back for more, this show is no different. By focusing on this specific show an essay can address staged from real and the impact the show might have on people who begin to believe the stuff they have in a garage, a storage bin, a loft (probably junk they long forgot about) is worth anything of real value. In the case of this show watching people call their stuff “collecting” when it looks more like hoarding can contribute to a good essay.
Make sure to look at the other articles on Reality TV already published to address some of the discussion on RTV, but then yes a focus in on the concept of "collecting" and its socio-cultural implications could be really interesting. – SaraiMW6 years ago
Analyze why The Great British Baking Show is so popular everywhere, but perhaps particularly with American audiences. There are tons of memes that look at the difference between various cooking shows. And in general, there are tons of cooking shows today; what's the appeal?
Nice idea. Original! A quick suggestion - might be worth expanding this subject to include the general obsession with baking shows, comparing the British model to the American model. It's also interesting to note that as the Roman empire fell into decline and became decadent, it too had an obsession with celebrity chefs. A lesson from history, perhaps? – Amyus6 years ago
This is such a good suggestion because it feels like that show came out of nowhere and now it's everywhere! Maybe contrast the judging styles in that show against some popular American baking shows? – ja0netholmes6 years ago
Why do Offred's (and the other handmaids') experiences both terrify and resonate strongly with a 2017 audience? Did Atwood predict the future back in 1984 when she wrote the novel?
It is crazy how things are playing out in the world maybe he did see the furure – rayd7 years ago
Maybe after 30 years of the Bushes and the Clintons making America their own private Verona, maybe Chaucer was always going to be,as Gore Vidal said of Capote meanly, Your Dante. – Antonius8657 years ago
I think this also has a lot to do with the way that humanity exists in cycles, and the authors that write dystopian just have a way of identifying those cycles in a way that others can't. – talorelien7 years ago
I agree with Talorelien's point that literature tends to be cyclical in nature. Atwood was responding to her own period, if you look at some of the original interviews and critics this is discussed clearly. However, what perhaps is interesting is that the appeal of 'The Handsmaid's Tale' has not actually ever waned. As pointed out, here story is still a valid allegory of American politics as it was in the 1980s. What might be interesting to explore further is the idea of the ongoing appeal of dystopian texts in today's social conscience. – SaraiMW7 years ago
Atwood herself has somewhat already answered these questions. She pushes back by saying its irrelevant if she "predicted" the future. She instead addresses the point that she intentionally wrote everything from historical events or literature; in other words, everything in the book is already true in some capacity. – birdcat6 years ago
History repeats itself- or at least that is what people tend to say. Atwood looked back on history to aid in the creation of her book. Her tales are ones that occurred in the past, so it would make sense that some version of them would come back in the present and future. How we got here matters, and it will dictate where we go. – simmerdownboyle6 years ago
Perhaps it is so frightening because women historically have been oppressed so this story demonstrates an extreme that we hope to avoid. The modern day setting also creates the feeling that you can never be sure what to expect. – kattmccann6 years ago
Does a TV chef's professional profile (author, entrepreneur, sponsor, connoisseur) exclusively contribute to the show or does the food selection, recipe delivery, or recording location dominate the screen and the script? Consider the fame and background of celebrities that cater to the palette through TV, radio, book, or film: Martha Stewart, Nigella Lawson, Julia Child, and Rachael Ray.
This sounds like it would make an interesting to read. Focusing in on several different chefs and how they have presented themselves. Say, Graham Kerr contrasted with Julia Child and whether it matters whatever it is they are preparing because their personalities may matter more than the food. – Joseph Cernik6 years ago
I think it's all of the above but a lot of the theatrics of cooking shows come from relatability of cooking. – samschroe6 years ago
I think a lot that goes into the portrayal of a TV chef is the stories they tell as they're preparing food. Most TV chef's have a conversational, easygoing, and relatable way of talking. It's all about how they deliver themselves to the viewer. I think what's also important is how they make cooking appear something that the viewer can also replicate in his or her own kitchen. They make cooking something that isn't super over complicated but something entertaining to watch and learn from. – jay6 years ago
“Happy Valley” (Season 3), “Stranger Things” (season 3), “Lost in Space” (Season 2), “Queen of the South” (Season 3), or “Into the Badlands” (Season 3). There are other series out there. Sure, some come from the BBC or AMC, but the convenience of quickly seeing as many episodes as one can enjoy in a short period of time, is so different than watching “Davy Crockett” on “Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color,” spread out over three Sunday evenings, eventually getting to Davy dying at the Alamo. The anticipation, the expectation are probably different when waiting for an entire season of a particular show to be available on Netflix than was the case with waiting for the next episode of “Spin and Marty” a series that included some 78 episodes in all (also on Disney). Do we develop a more critical way of evaluating a series now because of the way we wait for its return and watch a number of episodes all in one sitting than was the case when we had no control over how many episodes we could watch at one sitting? Since episodes can be watched back to back (to back, and so on) we can evaluate plot lines and character development in ways that was not the case when we had no choice but to wait for the next installment. Perhaps we become TV critics in ways that was not the case previously or even possible. Our capability to critique a series now has to impact how series lines are developed by, say, the writers of these shows. Is there more of an interaction between the audience and the writers, producers, actors on these shows than was the case in the past?
The thing is that promotion of these series' was good thats why people remember about these. There are other great series like la casa de papel which got ruined in second season. And no one remembers about it now. – SonofQuantamPhysics6 years ago
The first season of The Bold Type just concluded and it has received overwhelmingly positive reviews from critics and viewers alike. For a show predicated on the lives of three young women – Jane, Sutton, and Kat – working at a women's magazine, the writers could have easily made its characters vapid and its plot shallow or overly predictable, or pit the three females together in competition with each other. Instead, these women each occupy their own department within the magazine and only ever try to support each other as they navigate their love lives, sexuality, jobs, and identities. Analyze the diversity of The Bold Type's major female characters (Jane, Sutton, Kat, but even Jacqueline and Adena are useful for this discussion): their strengths, faults, and growth throughout the season. How does the characterization of these women, and the obstacles they must overcome, contribute to the show's overarching theme of female empowerment?
