TV Killed the Movie Star
Meryl Streep is going to be on a TV show. Yeah. If you want to get specific she will be in a ‘limited series’ released on a yet unknown network at a yet unknown date, but still. Just take a moment and let that sink in. The Devil in Prada/ The Sophie who had to make a choice, herself is going to star in JJ Abrams’s adaptation of the novel “The Nix.” MERYL STREEP IS ON A TV SHOW.
We have killed film. Or at least we are seeing its slow, sad death. Yes, you, me, your Netflix account, your parent’s TV and the open tab allowing you to stream and download illegal content online 24/7 have made the world all about television (and Netflix, which thinks it can skip TV entirely). The small-screen that was once reserved for crap and The Brady Bunch now produces watchable and in some cases even fantastic content. Our access to every episode of every show allows us to forget that movie theaters exist, which may be a good thing, considering what’s going on in them these days is a disaster.
How many times did you go to the movie theater this summer? What films did you see? I’m talking major releases in your ordinary AMC or Regal. I have a pretty good guess; you saw Finding Dory and some superhero film. Now how many episodes, or let’s be real, seasons did you binge watch? We like what’s easy, and that’s mostly just the things on our computer screen so what’s the point of making earth-shattering films if all of us are just going to watch Game of Thrones or BoJack Horseman instead?
TV shows have become a respectable means of telling stories we would expect to see in theaters during Oscar season. We have demanded more of our small screens, and we got it, yet our The People vs. O.J. Simpson and Stranger Things have come at a price. These stories are left to television, while the cinema becomes a space for remakes and sequels.
So as the Emmys roll out their red carpet this weekend please remember that while you cheer for Modern Family’s hundredth award and stare at Sofia Vergara’s boobs, Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg are fighting over who gets to remake The Terminator.
Maybe it’s time to embrace that we won’t be sitting in squeaky chairs enjoying stale popcorn for much longer, or maybe it’s time to protest, I’m not one to tell you what to do. Just be cautious because your principal/ unknown counselor in middle school was right: your actions do have consequences. So mourn the death of film with me or burn your movie theater because Seth Rogen and his hot dog porn won’t satisfy us for long, and when you sit down and watch three hours of TV tonight remember that this is partly your fault.
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