The Covid-19 pandemic undoubtedly affected all of us, whether it was losing a loved one, suffering from the virus yourself or dealing with, what felt like, endless lockdowns.
In situations like this, escapism is sometimes the only way one can cope with everything that’s going on, whether it be watching a film, reading a book, or finding a new hobby.
But what do you do when you’re watching a TV show or film in an attempt to take your mind off things and then there it is…Covid-19. You just can’t seem to escape.
So, should we be incorporating this in our TV shows and films? Do we really want to be reminded?
A good example is Ricky Gervais’ After Life. The show premiered pre-pandemic in 2019. Seasons two and three were released post-pandemic with no mention or hint of Covid and only a subtle mention in season three.
Gervais explained to Birmingham Live “I assumed by the time it came out, people wouldn’t be wearing masks or talking about it.”
Schitt’s Creek on the other hand took a different approach. The show premiered in 2015 well before the pandemic. The show ended in 2020 but in their last season, they did incorporate the pandemic.
Schitt’s Creek was a comedy and what they did well was adding a light-hearted comedic effect to a very depressing situation that the whole world was going through.
You also have hospital dramas, like Casualty and Holby City, where it would now be incredibly strange if they completely denied the existence of Covid, especially because they’re a soap based on real-life.
If they didn’t include it in their show, it would just feel like they were part of a parallel universe where Covid didn’t exist.
I think a lot of us are suffering from ‘pandemic fatigue’ because we’ve had Covid-19 in our faces for the last two years, whether it be on the news, having to work from home or even discussing it with friends.
Do we want to constantly be reminded of something we want to escape?
Alice E Rickman
Jade Oates
Shaunelle Harrydass-Clark