How COVID-19 is infecting the contemporary media landscape

The media has been portraying pandemic storylines in all facets of fictional storytelling, for better or worse. Photo illustration by SIMRAH AHMAD, Staff Photographer

Following over a year and a half of movie theater shutdowns and halts to production from the COVID-19 pandemic, the cinematic landscape is returning to a sense of normalcy, and some television shows and films have already started to depict the harrowing experience the world went through.

Film, television and all modes of fictional storytelling are often a reflection of our day-to-day lives — a translation of the human experience. When World War II broke out, the industry saw an uptick in war-related content. After the 9/11 terrorist attack, there was a rise in media grappling with the fear of antagonistic outside forces.

Now, the industry is trending toward depictions of social distancing and scavenging for toilet paper as COVID-19 plotlines have crept their way into film and television. And some members of the Chapman community politely say, “No thank you.”

“I think the consensus is that, since (the COVID-19 outbreak) is happening to so many people in real life around us, we don’t necessarily need that on television at this exact moment,” said Brooke Burns, a junior screenwriting major.

Media depicting the pandemic in a variety of different ways have experienced varying forms of feedback. Shows such as “Grey’s Anatomy,” “The Morning Show” and “Shameless” have received their fair share of both praise and criticism, while the film “Songbird,” a thriller based on the COVID-19 pandemic, was left with a measly 9% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. 

Tara Mann, a senior creative writing major, told The Panther that while she has no problem with the way the pandemic has been depicted in shows like “Grey’s Anatomy” and “The Good Doctor,” she and her family personally dislike facing the harsh reality of the global health crisis on screen.

“I watch TV shows and things like that to be distracted and not think about real life for a while, so it’s stressful to see those storylines being played out,” Mann said. “I felt like I couldn’t escape (the pandemic), and I did not want the reminder.”

Some shows have briefly mentioned COVID-19, such as the 2021 “Gossip Girl” sequel, while others like “South Park” have dedicated hour-long specials to it. The 17th season of “Grey’s Anatomy” is centrally based around plotlines of doctors helping patients during the pandemic.

In Chapman professor Lawrence Deutchman’s entertainment communication course, he explores the way health and social issues are portrayed in the media. With the pandemic being so relevant, he brought in an executive producer from “Grey’s Anatomy” to talk to students about depicting such a traumatic global event.

“If you’re not using the opportunity to put out accurate information on a health issue that is having that big of an impact on us, you’re also doing a disservice to your audience,” Deutchman said.

“Grey’s Anatomy” is a longstanding medical drama, and one example Deutchman used to illustrate a series that follows the consequences of the pandemic for an entire season. The writers go as far as to give the main character, Meredith Grey, (Ellen Pompeo) COVID-19, which results in her entering a coma.

Similarly, other shows like "The Morning Show" border on devoting entire storylines to COVID-19. The Apple TV hit wrapped its second season with a finale titled, “Fever,” where protagonist Alex Levy (Jennifer Aniston) also navigates the virus.

“To look at things from a more practical standpoint, you’re paying all these stars big bucks to not see their faces behind masks,” Deutchman said. “Sooner or later, that’s got to come to a stop.”

In the latest (18th) season of “Grey’s Anatomy,” a message is displayed before the first episode, stating the story will now be taking place in a post-pandemic world. While COVID-19 is still a concern within the real world, it seems like the media is starting to move away from these portrayals. 

However, it is highly doubtful that these depictions will be the last. Even so, Burns has hope that future depictions of the pandemic will be more insightful.

“I wouldn’t be opposed to (seeing COVID-19 in media) later on in the future,” Burns said. “Say, you take historical films, and it’s like years later — decades later even. They do get it more right because you have time away from it.”

Correction: An earlier version of the story inaccurately stated Deutchman only knew of one example of a show featuring a COVID-19 plot, and that he doesn’t understand the logic of Hollywood celebrities starring in pandemic storylines.Now, this has been resolved to reflect that Deutchman is aware of other examples in media, and he merely conceded to how the continuation of stars taking on roles in productions about COVID-19 can be seen as impractical.