New drama's aimed to satisfy 'morbid' audiences
We follow cops on their beats through temptation and triumph. We follow firefighters into burning buildings and deeper into their lives that are burning down around their ears. We watch the good men and women of any crime scene investigation room dissect, discuss and get into and out of danger week after week. The inherent appeal of any workplace drama or comedy is to watch other people in situations you can’t/won’t/shouldn’t/are incapable of being in yourself. We’d all like to think we can make it as a tough-as-nails police detective or a crack pathologist. Truth is, these jobs are probably not nearly as fun or glamorous as they look on TV. So what’s the appeal of these shows anyway?
They offer us an opportunity to explore the less-than-savory aspects of our interests and personalities in a safe, judgement-free zone. It’s not your fault you have to look at pictures of a dead body suffering from the most obscure and disgusting of ailments. It’s simply a waypoint toward finding the perp and granting justice to that poor, extremely fascinating corpse. But these dead body exploitation vehicles parading around as police procedurals are going to have to step up their game if they want to continue to shock audiences. Guilt-free gore just doesn’t cut it with increasingly jaded audiences looking to satisfy their morbid curiosity and thirst for high-powered exclusive clubs.
There’s a new, high-risk business venture ready and waiting for its time in the limelight. It combines the morbid curiosity of a police procedural with the acceptable bad behavior of any crime show. Ladies and gentlemen, prostitution is the new police procedural.
Take for example Showtime’s “Secret Diary of a Call Girl” or HBO’s “Hung.” Both follow the lives of seemingly normal people who turn to prostitution as a way to make ends meet. “Secret Diary” uses a more procedural approach by focusing the show more on the tricks and tips of an already established call girl working in London. It allows viewers to peek into a taboo world that most would otherwise never see. The secrecy is the appealing part of the premise. It’s hard to be a police officer. It’s hard to be a firefighter. It’s not particularly challenging to be a prostitute, it’s just something most of us would rather avoid if at all possible. That doesn’t mean we don’t want to hear about it.
“Hung” takes an entirely different view on the subject. The show centers around Ray, (Thomas Jane) a down-and-out high school basketball coach who turns to prostitution after a divorce and fire wreck his admittedly paltry life. Set in metro Detroit, the so-called “ground zero of our current economic depression,” in the most depressingly suburban place for a spiritual crisis ever, “Hung” offers a glimpse into the world of a desperate man with an unusual talent. The vast majority of people, especially straight males, would not bring in astounding amounts of cash working as a prostitute, but still, “Hung” makes it work. It offers a relatable look into the psychology behind becoming a prostitute. These shows satisfy a morbid curiosity while including relatable characters and a glimpse into a secret world. It’s the ultimate “edgy” pay dirt in the era of the anti-hero sitcom.
Steven Soderbergh’s “The Girlfriend Experience” takes a similar approach to “Secret Diary.” We get the dirty little secrets and scintillating business details. Soderbergh even took the curiosity factor one step further by featuring a real-live adult film star in the form of Sasha Grey. He created a triumvirate of interest that has fueled the prostitute lifestyle boom currently hitting the airwaves and cinemas. Sex, especially for money, is still taboo in a way that gore has become mainstream. Coupled with the current economic crisis and increasingly desperate people looking for a way out of the lives they’ve created for themselves means curiosity for “alternative” business ventures is at an all-time high. So enjoy the new wave of subversive entertainment. It won’t be too long before prostitution goes mainstream. Then where will we turn?
The opinions expressed above are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent those of the State News.