Real life outdoes political dramas
It’s tough to stay ahead of the curve in the Trump era
Spoiler alert: This post contains spoilers for the latest seasons of House of Cards, Scandal and Homeland.
Among the many questions posed by pundits in the 2016 presidential campaign was what it’d be like to have a reality TV star in the White House. And after an explosive first five months for the Trump administration, they may finally have their answer.
President Trump’s twitter feed reads like a prime-time political soap opera. “It’s all a big Dem HOAX!” he wrote Thursday about the Russian hacking investigation.
He used his Apprentice catchphrase “You’re fired!” with former FBI director James Comey last month (if not aloud), abruptly dismissing him in a shroud of confusion.
Comey got his day in court — or a hearing with the Senate Intelligence Committee — which became must-watch television like a season finale of Game of Thrones, minus the dragons.
House of Cards has tried to get in on the fun, tweeting GIFs and show quotes as takes on news of the day.
It’s a clear sign that reality has caught up with House of Cards and other political dramas. Or perhaps it’s the head-spinning news cycle following one of the most contentious elections in American history that has become more captivating than scripts dreamed up in writers’ rooms. But it’s hard to find Kevin Spacey’s Machiavellian Frank Underwood entertaining any longer.
The wave of political dramas that took Washington and the country by storm in 2011 with the premiere of Homeland, followed by Scandal, House of Cards and
The Americans, now feels trite. House of Cards’ newly released fifth season seems more Twilight Zone than West Wing. At its peak, when Cards pre- miered in 2013, the Netflix drama was delicious enough that fans speculated which politicos inspired the characters. Media personalities happily made cameos. Capitol Hill staffers auditioned as extras. The life-influencing-art antics added to the dark humor of it all.
But like much of Washington, writers didn’t fully anticipate the outcome of the 2016 election and the ensuing political climate — as Claire Underwood assumed the presidency in Cards, Mellie Grant took the reigns on Scandal and Elizabeth Keane in the fictitious Oval Office of Homeland — it seems pollsters weren’t the only ones to misread the tea leaves in expecting Hillary Clinton’s victory.
And to be fair, how could they keep up? Anticipating day-to-day happenings in Washington over the past few months has been a challenge in clairvoyance Miss Cleo wouldn’t have taken on.
Even when TV writers have come close, they pale next to the details of the everyday life.
House of Cards hit on anti- immigrant sentiments with Frank Underwood’s takeover of the House floor, pushing legislation to crack down on foreigners, while his wife mounted a campaign akin to an amplified version of Homeland Security’s “If You See Something, Say Something.” But checking news alerts on your phone can inspire more anxiety than Claire Underwood’s icy stare.
Homeland took on the “fake news” obsession with a flamethrowing right-wing talk-show host, which prompted cries from InfoWars, home of fiery commentator Alex Jones, saying the show was a plot to discredit the outlet to appease liberals.
And Elizabeth and Philip Jennings’ love story feels less quaint when flipping from FX’s The
Americans to the 11 o’clock news, filled with reports of leaked NSA documents detailing Russian attempts to influence American elections.
Even Veep, whose Selina Meyer was president before there was the real prospect of a woman in the White House but lost the presidency after a tie, couldn’t help but conjure Hillary Clinton as she navigated life outside the White House last season.
All of which makes the worlds of Scandal’s Olivia Pope and
Homeland’s Carrie Mathison more dystopian than escapist. And when the news already contains all of the astonishing, melodramatic updates one can handle, TV shows with more of the same lack appeal.