Do we really need (want) another dystopian society TV show? (4)
The airwaves are already filled with shows featuring dystopian societies. Westworld and Handmaid’s Tale are very popular. Black Mirror may have seen its final reflection of a world of injustice and pain, but The Society has already been renewed.
Vulture and Ranker can provide you with a robust list of shows that feature post-apocalyptic horrors.
Now there’s Snowpiercer. This new show just made its debut on TNT and has been generating buzz for several reasons. The 2013 movie it is based on was written and directed by Bong Joon-ho. The darling of South Korea and now Hollywood won Best Director and Best Screenplay for his Best Picture winning movie, Parasite. While producers say that the conversion from big screen to small has been years in the making, now it is hot property. Secondly, as the above collective articles show, dystopia is more popular than utopia. Third of all, this show features an award-winning cast — Daveed Diggs who won a Tony for his dual roles in Hamilton co-stars with Jennifer Connelly who won an Oscar as Best Actress in a supporting role for A Beautiful Mind. The amazing Alison Wright is also on board, nominated for a number of awards for her role in The Americans.
The premise of the movie is that humanity has been decimated by horrific issues from an idea-gone-terribly-wrong to tackle the effects of climate change. The only survivors live on a massive global train — the titular Snowpiercer. Inside the train are the makings of dystopia and hysteria, with violence, revolution, cannibalism, genocide — lots of fun things!
Now, the television show about a civilization confined to a train, based on privilege, hierarchy and brutality goes one step further and throws in a murder investigation.
While there are a lot of intriguing elements, and no doubt stellar performances, is this really a good time to air a show about unjust society and desperate humanity? The dark proposition is not uncommon — society redefining itself under dire circumstances has been around a long time. In literature, Fahrenheit 451, Lord of the Flies and Player Piano are classics of the genre. Some say Gulliver’s Travels is dystopian.
Movies like Blade Runner and almost everything that starts with Escape — Escape from L.A., Escape from New York and the always popular Escape from the Planet of the Apes — redefine social order.
But frankly, we are living in pretty dire circumstances now. Do we want to watch this on television? We might during happier times. The movie made about $86 million since its release which is not such a big number — Black Panther made $159 million in one weekend! Not that many people wanted to watch even then. Nevertheless, TBS thinks it has a sure thing and has already set a commitment with the producers for a second season. The network has been touting the show as the best new show on cable based on viewership.
Are you watching? Will you watch on demand when things are calmer?
The Aspiring Critic is taking a pass.
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