US TV series and politics

US TV series and politics
Eïda Ouchtar
I NTRODUCTION
How are politics depicted by TV series ?
Here are some of the best drama shows on television that are linked
to politics. The following questions are also discussed :
What is the content of TV series exclusively about politics? What
does one expect in this kind of series? Why would we watch it ?
How are the politics dealt with in nonpolitically-centered TV series?
What political messages do they want to share?
A STEP INTO THE WHITE HOUSE
What can be deemed more mysterious than the White House?
Dylan Dronnier
P OWER , LOBBYING AND MEDIA MANIPULATION
... BUT ALSO A SATIRICAL OVERVIEW
But what people definitely want to see are scandals, cynicism, struggles and fierce battles. In our collective imagination, politicians
can’t just be drawn as competent people only trying to do their job
by not hurting anybody. One suspects violence, one suspects the
fierce desire to triumph and its consequences.
There are also series that offer a very critical and satirical look at
politics. Animated shows like Futurama (1999-2013, Fox, Comedy
Central) or American Dad! (2005 – now, fox, TBS) easily address crucial social issues with a lot of humor. They are able to alleviate the
tensions brought by such subjects by adopting a comical approach.
“For those of us climbing to the top of the food chain, there can be
no mercy. There is but one rule: hunt or be hunted. Welcome back.”
says Frank Underwood to the spectator at the beginning of the season 2 of House of Cards (2013 – now, Netflix): this is exactly what we
were hoping for – a state of psychological war.
For instance, one episode depicts an attempt to legalize "robosexual marriage". It closely parodies the events surrounding, as well as
arguments for and against, Proposition 8 of California from the 2008
election.
Haven’t you ever wondered what could happen inside these walls?
The presidential life has always aroused the curiosity of the American people : why, then, not show it on TV series ?
The West Wing (1999 - 2006, NBC) follows the everyday life of a
Democratic president of the United States. Politically speaking, the
features of the series are that it :
Ï Exposes game of power
Ï Shows political battles mixed with personnal ones
Ï Refers to historical political events
Ï Shows empathy to the White House, in sharp contrast with the
cynicism of the media
Ï Deals with real actual political issues (homosexuality, terrorism,
drugs, genocide, domestic issues. . . )
The series received very positive reviews from critics and the public
but is also deemed not realistic enough and a little Manichaean.
E LECTIONS AND STRUGGLE - BEHIND THE MIRROR
Why is the political world so full of mystery? Mainly because of the
back-door conversations, the secret meetings and deals, particularly happening during the elections. These themes are obviously
evoked in The West Wing – but also in the series Political Animals
(2012, USA Networks). Quoting Aristotle, each human is a political
animal. Living in a political system, the citizen is part of the elections, but he often wonders what is going on behind the scenes.
Political Animals highlights this very part of the scene in the big political game. In this six-episode series, the viewer follows the run for
the Democratic nomination for president of Elaine Barrish, a former
First Lady who divorced the unfaithful former president. Still realistic, human because personal, the miniseries gives a condensed
overview on what politics are from the inside.
US TV Series
Figure : Futurama’s fictional president of Earth, Richard Nixon
D ENIAL - WHEN POLITICS LOSES CONTROL
Figure : Advertisement for the new season of the series House of Cards
G LORIFICATION OF THE A MERICAN POLICIES
Last but not least, some series offer a vehement criticism of the contemporary political world. Mr Robot (2015-now, USA Network) is
such a series. It shows politics especially through lobbying and corruption. The only solution is a revolution. Even if its position is
excessive, it casts doubt on the political system.
In every series lies a message to the public. In a period when every
means are good to gather people around politics, TV series are instrumental in reintroducing the feeling of patriotism typical of the
American culture. Americans need to be united when facing attacks
from the outer world.
That’s the basic plot of 24 (2001 – 2010, Fox). The main plot lies
in the fight against terrorism, but the underlying political ideas are
omnipresent. Created in the wake of the September 11 attacks, we
definitely see the sharp cleavage USA vs the world. The series glorifies torture against terrorism, as being part of the American way of
life – as if the torture in Guantanamo was normal and generalized to
every prison. The presidents, not being clearly part of the series at
the beginning, slowly appear and deal with the terrorists. In one of
the sole series made by a Republican, America is here glorified.
Figure : Advertisement for the first season of the series Mr Robot
École des Ponts ParisTech