The Recession and Prime Time
The Simpsons has long been known for tongue-in-cheek addresses to popular culture and the important themes of the time. Now everything from overspending to adjustable rate mortgages has found their way into the show:
The Simpsons is not alone, though, in addressing the new climate:
The economic meltdown has come to prime time. While each of those situations seems real enough to have resulted from the global financial crisis, they are plotlines of recent or coming episodes of popular prime-time television series, including “Desperate Housewives” and “Ugly Betty” on ABC, “The Simpsons” on Fox, “Flashpoint” on CBS and “30 Rock” on NBC.
Popular entertainment often takes the form of escapism in tough economic times. But a growing number of broadcast network shows have recently incorporated more real-life issues into their stories — a reflection, producers say, of how widespread the current financial troubles are.
More at the NYTimes.
At least in these cases, it’s clear prime time television is a lagging indicator of the sentiment of average consumer.
