TV or Not TV: Images of Older Adults

Photo by John Atherton. 

Because I review so many movies featuring older adults, people sometimes recommend that I watch specific series or episodes that depict older characters.

I might start reviewing television shows. I might not.

My first impulse is to stick with movies and books. I find greater character development and a broader spectrum of depictions in films.

I feel as though feature films and documentaries offer greater insights and epiphanies than television series.

Many characters on television shows are flat, unchanging and based on stereotypes.

This is more true of comedies, in my opinion, than television dramas or investigative journalism programs.

But I can't think of one television drama that focuses on age-related challenges.  I have, however,  viewed / reviewed several episodes of age-specific episodes of Frontline.


So with a little hesitation, I rented the first series of HBO's comedy Getting On (2013) this week.

I only made it through 1.5 episodes.

One could say the series satirizes health care and elder care in the hopes of effecting meaningful change.  I mainly found it depressing to watch the employees mired in petty politics and personal dysfunction so severe that the residents functioned more like props than people.

It reminded me of The Office, which I also abandoned watching for the same reason: too cynical.

But maybe I'm throwing the baby out with the bathwater.  Should I take a discerning look at The Golden Girls? Hot in Cleveland? Grace and Frankie?

We'll see.

[Do you have any recommendations?  Give me some guidance in the comments. Thanks!]

Related:

Films about Aging