PICK A SIDE: Will you watch TV shows and movies about the pandemic after it ends?

 

If you’ve found yourself watching more TV shows and movies during the pandemic, you’re not alone. The average amount of screen time per Canadian household has skyrocketed during the pandemic, as people have little else to do.

Additionally, many viewers have been drawn to content that portrays circumstances that are similar to what we’re all currently going through—movies like Contagion, Pandemic, and Outbreak have all seen a spike in their number of streaming views.

It should therefore come as no surprise if we start to see an increase in COVID-19-related content once things start to return to normal, and the film industries return to work.

We will probably see an increase in documentaries covering the aftermath and devastation the virus has wrought, or possibly even the experience of being quarantined.

We’ll also likely see several movies dramatizing the virus’s outbreak, as several scientists race to create a vaccine.

We could even see TV shows related to the pandemic—perhaps a reboot of the odd couple wherein two diametrically opposed people are forced to be together during quarantine, or perhaps we’ll see a show set in an alternate reality where economic fallout caused by the virus has created an apocalyptic future.

We might even get a COVID-19-related love story—the next cheesy romantic comedy about a couple whose relationship is on the rocks, but who manages to work things out while being quarantined during the pandemic.

But, does anyone want this?

When this is all over, and we finally get through these difficult times, will anyone want to relive them?

This pandemic has caused so much devastation across the world, people have lost their loved ones, their jobs, their businesses, and even their lives—would they really want to revisit those times in 30, 60, or 90 minutes bursts?

So, Mississauga, how do you feel? Will you watch movies and TV shows about the pandemic after it ends?