WHAT IS OUR OBSESSION WITH DARK TV SHOWS ABOUT MESSY PEOPLE?
Landscapes, no matter what they are, will always change. From culture to television shows and the stories they tell, things shift. This is all true. Regardless, the things TV shows of today tackle really aren’t all that different from yesteryear. What is different is they now take full advantage of showing rather than telling their stories. One of the things that seems to be trending in today’s age of television is dark and dramatic characters or stories. Off the top of my head, I can think of at least five shows that fit this frame and seeing them in succession makes me wonder, what is our obsession with stories about messy people? Why are dark TV shows trending? The appeal is lost on me but since I’m watching so many (to cover the ones trending), I’m curious.
The way we watch shows has certainly changed over the years. No longer do we have to sit in front of a TV at 8 PM sharp or miss our show. Network TV continues to dwindle while streaming explodes, and binge-releases become more popular on platforms like Prime Video or Netflix. Some of the most popular on these specific platforms currently is The Summer I Turned Pretty and We Were Liars and Sirens and Untamed, respectively. On Prime Video, ‘Summer’ (or TSITP) and We Were Liars are teen dramas based on young adult novels. But they share more than just being an adaptation centering on a summer beach house.
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WHAT IS OUR OBSESSION WITH DARK TV STORIES ABOUT MESSY PEOPLE? Talking about dark TV shows and wondering, why are we obsessed? #PopCulture #Discussion #TV #TVShows Share on X
These plots also feature messed up teenagers trying to find a way in the world. I don’t just mean “messy,” which we understand and sympathize with. No, I mean, they are troubled. In TSITP, a girl is torn between two guys (brothers, which feels weird) and has intimate relationships with both; the best friend and her lover are both cheating on people, and the list goes on. Good shows need some kind of loyalty or moral pinning for viewers to fully invest in the stories they want us to champion. The trending Netflix programs share this in common with these adaptations.
In Sirens, a woman lets her desire for prestige and power outweigh healthy emotional responses then Untamed, while surprisingly good, features characters struggling. Also climbing charts is the soapy drama The Hunting Wives. It follows outwardly “perfect” couples misbehaving behind closed doors. On Apple TV+, there is the troubling Smoke and the period drama The Buccaneers which has next to no characters who understand loyalty. On the list could drag on.
As long as these types of shows continue to trend, I don’t see their production stopping. But this doesn’t stop me from wondering, what’s the appeal? There’s a difference between characters who have story arc flaws that lead to growth, and characters who are dark and leave us to wonder if they’re on the verge of a breakdown or worse. There are certain dark arcs I “get,” but a truly good story also gives us goodness and people trying to do the right things.
It’s rare to find this today, at least in the shows that chart.
I’m not sure if depressed is part of the dark TV shows “appeal” because it brings us back for the outcome or if we like the contrast to our life. While a darker mystery can be interesting, we also still need shows that, even if darker in nature, have characters who prove they have discernment and goodness. It’s exhausting to watch characters betray everyone (The Buccaneers, Smoke, Sirens); live in an emotionally unhealthy environment (Sirens, We Were Liars); or be unable to understand why the truth and moving on (TSITP, Untamed, Sirens) matters.
Time will tell if this type of show will have longevity or if a shift will occur, but what I do think needs to shift is the idea that there cannot be goodness. We need these types of characters to balance out the darkness of the ones who seem to have no line at all. This is part of what makes a story matter.
Photos: LightField Studios, Alamy
What are your thoughts on why we see so many dark TV shows? Do you think it matters? Do you disagree that this type of show is popular? Have you seen a show recently that balances it well? Comment all of your thoughts below! Let’s talk.
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