If you’re a fan of broadcast dramas (you know we’re fans of TV Fanatic!), then you’re probably aware that the major networks are focusing on first responders these days.
A quick look at this year’s top TV shows will reveal more police and firefighters than a charity softball game in Central Park.
Add in doctors, lawyers, lifeguards, and people working in emergency services (like “The Tracker’s” Colter Shaw or “High Potential’s” Morgan Gilroy), and just about every show on network television is covered.
Apparently, television’s fascination with police officers, firefighters, FBI agents, and the like is nothing new.
After all, these people have a lot of fun to do, which makes it easy for writers to come up with weekly adventure stories to keep their audiences entertained.
If you’re looking for a hero in 2024, you could do worse than those who lend a helping hand in emergencies.
This may be especially true when the hero has a checkered past.
Need a redemption arc that can be completed in under an hour (44 minutes with ads)?
Just having an inmate convicted of a violent crime pull someone out of a burning building could save their life.
This scenario has played out several times in Fire Nation, and we’re not going to do anything to stop it. It’s simple yet powerful, a perfect combination in the age of TikTok-ized attention spans.
Indeed, it is important that we note that we are not dismissing these shows or the brave men and women they depict.
But it’s interesting to note that it wasn’t that long ago that the list of popular TV shows included some weird entries like Lost, Twin Peaks, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, This Is Us, Parenthood, “Gilmore Girls” etc.
Even The X-Files, although it clearly centered on two FBI agents, was more concerned with the otherworldly than the procedural. It’s been a huge hit at every major demo.
So what happened?
Why, at some point in the past 10 years, did the major television networks seem to lose all interest in programming that doesn’t center on the people who show up when 911 is called?
Well, this situation may be illustrative of the current political tensions in the United States.
If you’ve been living under a rock in a Martian cave for the past few years, we have some sad news for you—America has become quite divided.
Like “the person who stocked the canned goods probably had the right idea”, there are hierarchies.
This division is most evident in our politics, but there are also signs in our popular culture.
Conservatives appear to be gaining custody of broadcast television in national divorce. That said, liberals are not empty nesters.
After all, it’s not like more wacky, provocative shows aren’t being made anymore.
A look at this year’s top streaming and premium cable shows reveals a slew of daring shows like “Baby Reindeer,” “Penguins,” “Bridgerton,” “Murder in the Building,” and more. premise.
But those most likely to subscribe to multiple streaming services are younger people and wealthier households.
These demographics also tend to be more left-leaning politically, which may help explain why they’re more interested in Scottish comedians and Regency romances than procedurals, which are still popular with older audiences.
Clearly, the impact of generational and income disparities on viewing habits is nothing new.
But today, the divide is greater than ever, as evidenced by a recent monologue from Bill Maher in which the comedian joked about never having heard of CBS’s Trackers .
His studio audience—most likely an affluent coastal crowd—seemed to share his confusion about the fact that this was the most-watched show on television.
This little moment says a lot about the state of television in 2024.
Interestingly, radio situation comedy has almost completely died out these days, probably because Americans can’t agree on what’s funny.
“Seinfeld” and “Home Improvement” were two of the most popular sitcoms of the 1990s. They both attracted huge audiences, and it’s safe to say that their audiences overlapped considerably.
Today, a single stand-up comedian in Manhattan and a power-tool-obsessed family man from the Midwest attract very different crowds.
But 30 years ago, much of the American public could appreciate the comedic potential of both scenarios.
Maybe “Tim & Jerry Divides” tells us everything we need to know about the schism at the center of American cultural life in 2024.
Or maybe we’re just overthinking TV trends again. That’s what we do here.
Anyway! Over to you TV fanatics!
Do you think modern broadcast and television schedules can tell us anything about the political climate in the United States?
Hit the comments section below to share your thoughts!
