Notable TV moments somehow related back to Trump
I knew it would be bad, but it’s worse than I thought. U.S. President Donald Trump and his gang of thieves are reallife versions of Dr. Evil’s henchmen, sitting in their underground lair, rubbing their hands together as they cackle, “Let’s kill elephants!” and “Let’s make the lowest-income people pay for tax breaks for the highest!”
Television in 2017 is arguably the best it’s ever been, but the things I watched that affected me the most all seemed to relate, one way or another, to what was happening in the White House and how that impacted North America’s psyche. Trump Himself: There were a couple of funny moments. Melania slapping Donald’s hand away. The Mooch. Angela Merkel shrugging after the handshake that wasn’t. Anthony Atamanuik’s eerily accurate impression on The President Show, which captures that unfillable maw of need at Trump’s core. Trump slurring “God blesh the Uni-ed Shash,” because he was too vain to take a sip of water. There was even one heartwarming moment: the December night that Alabama did not vote for alleged pedophile Roy Moore for U.S. Senate. But as the year wore on, I felt like my soul was being dragged over broken glass and I lost my sense of humour. There were so many low points, but the lowest had to be Trump’s post-Charlottesville Nazi march news conference. “On many sides” is a phrase that will live in infamy. Late Night Comedians: By doing as- tute takedowns of Trump, Stephen Colbert surged ahead, as did Seth Meyers. Trevor Noah found his voice. Samantha Bee stepped fully into her role as avenger of female anger. But the most interesting change, for me, was the politicization of Jimmy Kimmel, as he cited his infant son Billy’s heart problems as a plea to keep the Affordable Care Act. He’s staying woke and keeping the pressure on: earlier this month, he appeared with Billy in his arms, to continue agitating for health care. Women Rule. Beginning with the Women’s March on Washington — that shining sea of pussy hats! — television was dominated by women this year, from Big Little Lies at the beginning through SMILF at the end.
So many of the brightest series dealt with sexism and/or sexual abuse: One Mississippi, I Love Dick, Feud: Bette and Joan, Top of the Lake: China Girl, Transparent. Girls went out strong, with Lena Dunham writing the single best TV episode of the year, as Hannah confronts a revered writer (played by Matthew Rhys) who may or may not be a harasser. Meryl Streep made a speech for the ages at the Golden Globes and even former Fox commentator Megyn Kelly got politicized (and jumped networks). Women Rule, Canadian Division. Two words: Margaret Atwood. The limited series Alias Grace showed us what things were like for women in Canada’s early years, while The Handmaid’s Tale showed us what they (all too easily) could become. We also got a reimagined, kick-ass Anne ( With an E in the U.S.) and Mary Kills People killed south of the border, too. Bye, Fellas. Whether or not you agree that anger against Trump’s election was the catalyst, the #MeToo campaign and the brave women who came forward to speak of their alleged abuse and assault changed the face of television. Gone: comedian Louis C.K.; House of Cards star Kevin Spacey; morning host Matt Lauer; PBS staple Charlie Rose; SNL- starturned U.S. senator Al Franken; The Chew chef Mario Batali; and likely more to come. Comfort Food. Viewers needed refuge from their collective anxiety, too. Perhaps that’s why so many remakes and series revivals floated up. Will & Grace, Dynasty and One Day at a Time broke out of their time capsules. The latter got the freshest update, by centring on a Hispanic family, while the former felt like time hadn’t moved at all. Young Sheldon gave a prequel fix to fans jonesing for more Big Bang Theory and, after a six-year hiatus, Larry David reanimated his unrepentant reprobate routine, Curb Your Enthusiasm. David’s old pal Jerry Seinfeld also popped up again, in the rewarmed Netflix special Jerry Before Seinfeld. If all that wasn’t comforting enough, viewers gorged on U.S. and Canadian versions of The Great British Baking Show — until one of the U.S. hosts, Johnny Iuzzini, was booted off amid allegations of sexual misconduct. Sigh. The Leftovers. Rest in peace, my favourite show of 2017. And 2016. And 2015. You never got any love from the Emmys, maybe because you were just too melancholy, too challenging, too tough to watch, even for our tortured cultural moment. But for me, your three seasons were the most audaciously imagined, brilliantly written and beautifully acted work I’ve seen. You addressed the biggest questions through small character moments. You were strange and sad and soaring. I’ll miss you like a person. Black Voices. Dear White People, She’s Gotta Have It, Insecure and The Chi added long-overdue perspectives from writers, directors and actors of colour. Writer/star Issa Rae, especially, doubled down on Insecure this year, calling Season 2 “very, very Black.” The name stars of HBO’s The Deuce may have been Maggie Gyllenhaal and James Franco, but the marginalization of Black men and the commodification of Black women’s bodies were the most interesting storylines. Rachel Lindsay was the first African-American Bachelorette and brought conversations about the realities of race onto the ski slopes and hearths of that pseudoreality series. Don Lemon became a CNN star last February, when he ended his show early to cut off a right-wing guest; his unabashedly partisan cred now rivals Anderson Cooper’s. Robyn Roberts heaped scorn on Trump apologist Omarosa with one “Bye Felicia.” Black players took over the National Football League by taking a knee during the U.S. national anthem to protest systemic racism. Five documentaries — including John Singleton’s L.A. Burning and PBS’s L.A. 92 — were made about the 25th anniversary of the Los Angeles riots, which were sparked by the acquittals of the cops who beat Rodney King. And the video that Diamond Reynolds took after police shot her boyfriend Philando Castile was the most important five minutes of the year.
Incendiary television, for sure. But I’d trade it for saner times. Johanna Schneller is a media connoisseur who zeroes in on pop-culture moments. She usually appears Tuesday and Thursday.