Since COVID-19 was first announced and the pandemic started with sweeping lockdowns and mandates, every media outlet has spent some time throughout their daily routine reporting on the virus. Cases numbers, COVID-19 protocols, Testing sites – you name it, the media talked about it. And their efforts appeared to practically double when the Biden administration took control of the White House. Now, the media, President Joe Biden, and the Democrats are spreading hysteria around COVID-19. But according to one TV critic for the New York Times, while the government is supposedly doing their part, sitcoms aren’t.
Critic James Poniewozik, just like most people, has witnessed the pandemic firsthand. What was only meant to be a few weeks spiraled into years as the Biden administration continued to struggle to convince Americans to take the jab. But while the world deals with COVID-19, Poniewozik pointed out when it comes to the world of Hollywood, there is no coronavirus.
Although writing a piece on the issue as to how sitcoms like “Sex and the City” just “wished” away the pandemic, Poniewozik would also go on MSNBC to prove he wasn’t joking.
Speaking on Morning Joe, Poniewozik said, “It’s kind of an unsettling phenomenon where shows are sort of taking the standpoint of, ‘okay in the world of our show, the pandemic did happen, it existed and was a real thing. But now it’s over. It somehow got fixed, yada-yada, yada, and the rest of you are sort of out on your own.’”
While the critic might understand that people want to escape reality when enjoying their shows, Poniewozik pointed out that shows like the 1970s hit “All in the Family” became popular due to discussing hot topics.
“It was totally about America’s problems and the things that upset people and the arguments that they had at home, and with their neighbors. And it delved into it in an entertaining and emotionally affecting way.”
Poniewozik might want more representation of COVID-19 in sitcoms, but it appears the American people want nothing more than to move past the pandemic that the country is still recovering from.
This piece was written by Jeremy Porter on January 11, 2022. It originally appeared in DrewBerquist.com and is used by permission.
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