With 12 shining gold Emmys and millions of viewers, political drama “Veep” is quickly becoming one of America’s favorite shows. In the past decade, political shows like “Veep”, “Scandal,” “The West Wing” and “Madam Secretary” have gained considerable popularity. Here at Aragon, 27 percent of the Aragon community watches politcal TV shows, according to a poll conducted by the Aragon Outlook. At passing glance, the large response to the rise of political TV may seem strange; the lies, manipulation and betrayal can seem a little Hollywood — but is it far from reality?
Isabelle Young, a sophomore at Aragon, watches “Scandal.” Scandal is a political drama that follows the life of Olivia Pope, a powerful woman who has an affair with the president. The show alludes to political scandal by spotlighting political manipulation and electoral fraud. Young likes that the show alludes to current events, such as police shootings and the 2016 presidential race.
“I think Scandal is popular because it provides an entertaining way to understand current events,” says Young. “The show doesn’t really fixate on the government, [but] more on the scandals of politicians.”
Political scandals and drama make for great entertainment. In fact, according to Indiewire, Scandal was the twelfth most-watched TV show among adults ages 18 to 49 during the fall 2015-2016 season. In addition, the upcoming election could also be a factor in the increasing popularity of political shows. At the beginning of George W. Bush’s second term in office, for example,“The West Wing” earned a top 10 spot in general viewership among TV shows. A year later, after the election ended and all the excitement had subsided, it had lost over 3 million viewers.
Political dramas like “Scandal” and “Madam Secretary” often try to stay relevant by covering current issues and events. For example, in “Scandal,” First Lady Mellie Grant separates from her husband after he has an affair and goes on to run for president in 2016; this is an allusion to Hillary Clinton’s bid for presidency after the fallout of Bill Clinton’s scandal with Monica Lewinsky. “Veep,” a political satire, portrays politicians as “political animals” who will do or say anything to remain in power, even if it is absolutely absurd.
“The idea that somebody wants power and will do anything for it is super foreign to most people,” says AP U.S. History teacher Heather Sadlon. She acknowledges that “House of Cards” does portray some of the government accurately, but thinks that they exaggerate to get the attention of viewers. “I don’t think that people are getting murdered and those kinds of things, that’s just for the drama aspect of it,” says Sadlon.
Young has a different perspective. Says Young, “I think [Scandal] does provide an accurate portrayal of the government, the way characters manipulate each other alludes to the corruption of politicians. I don’t think it is biased towards any political party, it shows the good and bad sides of Republican, Democratic, and third parties.”
How might political parties influence a show’s audience? Political satire “Veep” follows Vice President Selina Meyer — and throughout the whole show, does not reveal her political party, perhaps in an attempt to appeal to many different groups of people.
Laurel Bolts, another sophomore at Aragon, is inspired by Pope. “[She shows us that] we can be the strong ones here. We can control. We can become, maybe, the first president of the United States of America. That’s soon to come,” says Bolts.
Sophomore Maya Eclevia, also a fan of Scandal, agrees. Says Eclevia, “I believe that since she is a woman, it is really empowering. It’s good to have another female character to show you that we can also have that as well — to show that women are strong.”
Sadlon can see why some people might admire Claire Underwood, the power-hungry First Lady in the series “House of Cards.” “One of the things people might like about her is that she is an unapologetically strong woman. She unapologetically uses her femininity to get what she wants, but she’s also super powerful,” says Sadlon.
“Scandal” owes some of its popularity to complex and empowering characters like Pope, who have a story to follow along with secrets and vulnerabilities to empathize with. These types of characters captivate their viewers and have helped them understand, and even question, what is going on in our government.
Says Eclevia, “I feel [Scandal] has helped me kind of think about what goes on [behind the scenes].” There is a whole other part to the government that we can’t see, all the people behind the president, all the scandals that never make it to the news.
While many students at Aragon might watch shows such as these, they are directed towards adults who are old enough to participate in the government and are probably more familiar with it. “I think [House of Cards] is more geared towards adults, just because they are probably more likely to understand [the] allusions to current events,” says Young. “It’s in general people who are probably interested in politics [who watch these shows],” says Sadlon.
So, why are political shows so popular?
Maybe these shows owe their popularity to their relatable and empowering characters. Olivia Pope and Claire Underwood have become role models to women who admire their strength and power. Maybe it’s because of the thrilling and mysterious plot that leaves the audience craving more. Either way, political TV shows have a widespread impact and are here to stay. They show us a dark and mysterious, sometimes humorous, side of the government, and might even reveal that our government isn’t quite what we believe.
