Although, by now, we've all come to terms with the immediate repercussions of a global pandemic that has halted life as we know it (no vacations, no offices, masks everywhere), the long-term effects of the virus are just now slowly coming into focus.
Take our beloved television screens, for example. Much-anticipated and discussed, the subject of endless critical think pieces and reviews, a mere glance at this year's fall TV-lineup makes one thing clear: COVID-19 has killed television as we know it. Whether that change is temporary of permanent is yet to see, but with paused productions all around the globe and backlogs of programs slowly running out, the future of entertainment is looking pretty dire at the moment.
It all begs the question: with less to see on cable and live TV programs dwindling in quantity and quality, will Americans start cutting the cord?
NBC, ABC and other big broadcast networks have already released their fall programming slates, which—unlike previous years—heavily rely on programs licensed from international networks. Some of the most obvious holes in the schedules are due to the lack of, inevitably, reality shows. Always safe, guaranteed hits across all sorts of networks, the genre has been indefinitely postponed given the inability to shoot a series properly.
Although sports leagues are finding ways to return to their arenas (baseball is, sort of, back!), games will likely be played without an audience and as part of shortened seasons, if at all—which makes for not-as-exciting television.
But the dramatic changes aren't just affecting cable television. "Current infection trends create more uncertainty for our production in the U.S.," Netflix said earlier this week in a shareholder letter discussing the climate the industry is navigating. Although, throughout the past few months, the streaming giant has calmed everyone's nerves and assured all that their roster of programming could take them into next year without having to shoot any new material, the uncertainty plaguing our collective future has now afflicted Netflix as well.
But, alas, humans seem to be too attached to television to say goodbye—especially while restaurants and cultural destinations around the country are still shuttered. And so, we're hopeful that TV will bounce back and deliver the sort of entertainment we all love to argue about. In the meantime—whether you decide to cut the cord or not—why not use the extra free time to finally catch up on some of the awesome shows you've never had time to get into? Our suggestions range from The Sopranos to Younger and any of these culture-defining '90s TV shows (we also tell you where to stream them today!).
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