by Patrick T Fuller on February 4, 2021
Arts & Entertainment
by Grace Whitman ’22 A&E Staff
It is April 15, 2020, roughly one month since the entire student body was sent home and Providence College’s campus was completely shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. You are still taking classes over Zoom, but you have a lot of time on your hands. Sitting down to binge-watch trending shows like Outer Banks, All American, and Tiger King are a highlight of your day.
We can all agree, time traveling back to spring of 2020 would not be anyone’s wish, but there was definitely a boost of serotonin hearing the “ba-boom” sound that Netflix makes when it opens on the screen.
Although there are several television productions that were momentarily shut down due to the pandemic, several popular shows are back on air or finishing up their editing as we speak.
All American, which was Netflix’s most-viewed TV show produced by an outside channel in 2020, is an American sports drama series based on former NFL linebacker Spencer Paysinger’s life. The show’s main character Spencer James is a star athlete from Crenshaw High School who transfers to the prestigious Beverly High School to have more recruiting opportunities. The show incorporates several important topics, such as substance abuse, privilege, and police brutality.Episode one of season three aired on Jan. 18 on the CW, with new episodes coming every Monday.
Another incredibly popular show in 2020 was Euphoria, which can be streamed on HBO Max. Although filming for season two of Euphoria has been delayed due to the pandemic, two special episode titles are currently streaming. These episodes serve as a placeholder in order to set the stage for when the second season is released. Euphoria follows teenager Rue, played by Zendaya, as she narrates her struggles with drug addiction and several mental illnesses to her classmates.
Outer Banks was also a hit sensation during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Forcing us all to wish we were living on the beach, Outer Banks follows the clash between the preppy elite “Kooks” and the working class “Pogues.” As John B, played by Chase Stokes, put it, the Outer Banks is “the sort of place where you either have two jobs or two houses. . .two tribes, one island.” In July 2020, Netflix announced that the teenage drama murder mystery would be renewed for a second season. Filming is currently wrapping up with an expected release date later this year. Summer 2020 may not have felt like “Paradise on Earth,” but maybe there is some hope for 2021.
Finally, it was announced in February 2020 that Stranger Things would be renewed for a fourth season. Although an official release date has yet to be announced due to filming delays, a 2021 premiere is very likely.
The early months of 2021 will see limited shows released due to the delay in production, but with more time in quarantine comes more creativity. The later months of 2021 will be jam-packed with new shows that will definitely be worth the wait.