TV in the coronavirus era: A surreal mix of news, video chats and shows where characters still hug - OregonLive

In these stressful times, when the public is fearful about the coronavirus pandemic, people are out of work, nearly everything seems to be closed, and we’re all advised to stay home, TV would seem to be the ultimate escape.

After all, it’s not like we can go to a movie, the theater, a concert, a museum, or even dine out at a restaurant. But in the age of social distancing, TV often seems less like a calming diversion than a confusing, surreal blend of the very recent past and the alarming present.

Anything filmed before social distancing and quarantines came into effect feels like an artifact of yesteryear. Sitcom characters hug. Grandpas share cereal with their grandkids in cheery commercials. Talk show guests enter studios that ring with the sound of clapping audiences. Game show contestants come on down, high-fiving audience members who are packed closely together. Couples kiss.

They’re all scenes that were ordinary TV just a few weeks ago. And now, they can’t help but make us think about the pandemic, and the huge changes it’s made to our behavior, in a dizzyingly short amount of time.

Amid shows and commercials that became vintage virtually overnight, we also see reflections of the fast-evolving coronavirus story. On local news, anchors who are in the studio sit or stand several feet apart. On KGW Monday, weather anchor Rod Hill gave the forecast from his home.

Though network morning shows try to mix coronavirus reporting with their usual feel-good stories (cooking demos done with social distancing in mind), the strain is apparent. On the “Today” show Monday, for example, Hoda Kotb sat in the 30 Rockefeller Plaza studio all by herself, with her colleagues Savannah Guthrie, Al Roker, and Craig Melvin working from home.

No wonder the pre-coronavirus outbreak-filmed shows can be a comfort. Ratings have been up for broadcast TV, where networks like ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox had previously seen young viewers becoming scarce.

As Deadline reports, “Broadcast networks have been posting across-the-board, week-to-week, Live+SD (live-plus-same-day) ratings increases the likes of which we had not seen in ages, and which had been considered a thing of the past amid the proliferation of streaming.”

Most industry experts predicted that streaming would increase, as adults and kids hunkering down at home amid the coronavirus outbreak turn to Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, and more.

In addition to the streaming boost, the uptick in ratings for meat-and-potatoes broadcast fare like “NCIS: Los Angeles” and “American Idol” indicates that, for many viewers, at least, watching familiar shows go through their familiar paces is a relief.

In "American Idol" episodes filmed before the coronavirus outbreak, it's musical business as usual. Pictured, from left, Lionel Richie, Katy Perry and Luke Bryan. (Photo: ABC/Eric McCandless) ABC

When you’re not sure about the future, it’s soothing to see “Chicago P.D.,” “Chicago Fire” or “Grey’s Anatomy” characters solve problems by the time the episode’s over.

A hunger for shows that reassure us recalls the days following the terrorist attacks on 9/11. Back then, networks aired news coverage, fundraising telethons, and hours of programs analyzing what happened, and what it meant.

Serious and necessary as the coverage was, after a while, I remember desperately craving a new episode of “Friends,” not because I was the world’s biggest “Friends” fan, but because I needed a break from a reality that felt scary, and overwhelming.

The link between TV as a vehicle to show grim news and its role as a pressure-reliever was highlighted by the first “Saturday Night Live” to tape after the show had a brief hiatus in response to the 9/11 attacks.

In a memorable opening, Rudy Giuliani, then mayor of New York City, stood onstage, surrounded by Ground Zero first responders. It was important, Giuliani said, to have “institutions up and running,” to send the message that “New York City is open for business.”

The tone remained hushed, as Paul Simon sang his song, “The Boxer.” Then “SNL” executive producer Lorne Michaels appeared, and asked Giuliani, “Can we be funny?”

“Why start now?” Giuliani said.

Much has changed since then, not the least how Giuliani is perceived. But the anxieties of 2001 don’t feel too far away in the midst of the pandemic crisis.

Technology now allows performers and producers to create content on the fly, which wasn’t possible in 2001. So, instead of celebrities encouraging us to do our part in telethons, we see the daytime show, “Live With Kelly and Ryan,” featuring Kelly Ripa’s audio cutting out as she does a long-distance teleconference version of the show with cohost Ryan Seacrest.

After first announcing they would do their shows without studio audiences, late-night TV hosts such as Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel, Samantha Bee, Trevor Noah and Stephen Colbert have instead taken social distancing to heart, and are doing at-home monologues and interviews, with lots of low-tech closeups of the hosts as they talk into their phones or computers.

We can’t control how fast the virus will spread, or what authorities will do to protect us. About all we can control is what we do once we stay home, and watch TV.

For now, TV is our companion, our mirror, and our time machine, confronting the present, beckoning us to remember how things used to be, and making us wonder what the future will look like.

More of our coverage:

-- Kristi Turnquist

kturnquist@oregonian.com 503-221-8227 @Kristiturnquist

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