Mad Truths | Mad Success
Scripted limited-run dramas inspired by recent, buzzy true-crime tales have recently oversaturated the market. And yet for as many as there are, notably few have drawn from what is arguably America’s most consequential (and most intractable) criminal justice phenomenon. The problem of dysfunctional policing and its disproportionate impact on communities of color has been largely […]
Korean dramas were the largest consumed online video content category in Southeast Asia in 2021, according to the latest analysis published by Media Partners Asia (MPA). The MPA report, titled Southeast Asia Online Video Consumer Insights & Analytics, also reveals that the popularity of Korean dramas were followed by local content, particularly Thai and Indonesian, […]
Errors and omissions are standard features of historical dramas everywhere. It is therefore no surprise to find Korean War history being filtered to suit domestic requirements in the three-hour Chinese blockbuster “The Battle at Lake Changjin.” Nor is it unexpected for U.S. military characters to be cardboard cutouts with excruciatingly bad dialogue. And, like many […]
Inspired by U.S. teen dramas such as “Gossip Girl,” “Made in Chelsea” was originally conceived in 2011 as a reality TV series chronicling the lives of wealthy 20-somethings in one of London’s most upmarket districts. Ten years and 22 seasons later, the show — which airs on Channel 4’s digital channel E4 in the U.K. […]
Amid the dramas and controversies spawned by the long-awaited release of Drake’s “Certified Lover Boy” album, the biggest may have been the surprising presence of a songwriting credit on the song “TSU” for fallen R&B superstar R. Kelly, who is currently on trial for sex trafficking and racketeering charges amid allegations of sexual abuse against […]
Try a couple of crime dramas this week on Amazon Prime Video.
Comedies “American Housewife” and “Mixed-ish” and dramas “For Life” and “Rebel” have all been canceled at ABC. A cancellation for the comedy “Call Your Mother” was previously announced. The network also passed on pickups for four pilots, the drama “Acts of Crime” from Sam Esmail and comedies “Adopted,” “Black Don’t Crack” and “Bucktown.” All for […]
Prestige dramas such as Hulu’s “The Handmaid’s Tale,” HBO’s “Mare of Easttown” and Apple’s “The Mosquito Coast” are on tap for April, as streaming services try to squeeze in their awards hopefuls before the Emmy deadline May 31.
Hopes are rising that Korean films and dramas might finally get an airing in China for the first time since they were banned in 2016.
Here I thought cop dramas were the only shows under leftist scrutiny. Before it’s even aired, CBS’s new Silence of the Lambs drama Clarice is drawing attention from transgender activists. So much so, the series now has a token transgender character to discuss the “complicated legacy” of the original film. Liberals should just put out a list of things that aren’t “complicated” at this point.
On February 2, CBS announced that the new series has cast activist and actor Jen Richards in a pivotal role. Richards was originally recommended by GLAAD’s director of trans representation Nick Adams to consult for the show and help “craft the character and make sure some younger, prettier trans actress had a good experience on set,” but eventually, the show decided to put her front and center. According to Richards:
“All I can say is that the character intersects with Clarice’s storyline in a way that her transness isn’t central to her storyline, but her identity as a trans woman prompts her to discuss with Clarice the complicated legacy of Buffalo Bill.”
So being trans isn’t an important part of the character but her being trans is the only reason we need for her to lecture us? The show hasn’t even started and already it’s confusing people.
Along with the fact that this role is essentially a result of a woke mandate, it’s clear what this character is really meant to do: critique the original film. Richards says as much, claiming to have been “crestfallen” at the Buffalo Bill character leaving a “damaging impact on the trans community”:
‘Right prior to my coming out as trans, I started to delicately tell a few friends and colleagues I was thinking about transitioning, kind of treading water to see if I could do it successfully, and one looked at me and said, “Do you mean like Buffalo Bill?” … it was really complicated to try and overcome that first perception of other people.’
One person hardly constitutes a “damaging impact,” but nevertheless, the show is insisting on addressing “the complicated, horrible legacy in a way that didn’t reduce it to that one issue.” Considering The Silence of the Lambs is one of only three movies to win all of the top five Oscar categories, I don’t think anyone on this show is qualified to lecture it, much less a trans activist.
But that’s entertainment nowadays. Half of the time it’s insulting things from the past while the other half lectures us on leftist issues today. It hardly constitutes “entertainment” at all.
Clarice premieres February 11 on CBS.
