Television
fromThe Atlantic
6 hours agoTV's Failing Cure For Middle-Aged Malaise
Imperfect Women exemplifies the decline of the 'messy-mom thriller' genre despite initial viewership success.
The overriding theme defining television in recent years has been a fear of the new. Which is why reboots and spinoffs continue apace, with old titles brought back from the dead ("Scrubs") or from the not-so-distant past ("The Night Manager") and intellectual property milked within an inch of its life (somehow HBO has yet another "Game of Thrones" series coming our way). It's as if everyone in Hollywood ran out of new ideas all at once.
Maybe it's just me, but I have a strong aversion to these sensationalized true-crime stories. I've truly never once pressed play thinking, I'm so glad I took the time to reconsider this horrible murderer in a new light. Remember when The Office's simple, will-they-won't-they workplace romance was all we needed in order to feel fulfilled by TV? If only I could watch Jim propose to Pam at a gas station with new eyes! Sadly, it's not so simple nowadays.