Lasting recession works way into pop culture

Allison Linn Senior writer • Profile • E-mail

The new HBO series “Hung” premiered this summer with scenes of abandoned Detroit factories and a voiceover lamenting how the city has gone to seed — along, we soon learn, with the life of the show’s protagonist, Ray Drecker.

Drecker is a guy many Americans can relate to these days. A star athlete in his youth, he now finds himself struggling: divorced, behind on his adjustable-rate mortgage and worried he might lose his job as a high school basketball coach because of budget cuts.

“Sex and the City” it is not.

As the recession drags well into its second year, the battered economy is being reflected in all aspects of popular culture, including television shows about tough times, "chick lit" books offering penny-pinching tips and movies about downsized executives.

Even long-running pop culture icons have not been spared. On "The Simpsons," Homer and Marge were forced to sell their house after their mortgage payment skyrocketed, characters at “30 Rock” grappled with budget cuts and the boys from “South Park” were taught a lesson in the dizzying effects of the financial crisis.

Barry Ritholtz, author of “Bailout Nation” and an investor who runs a popular financial blog, said he used to see pop culture references to hard economic times as a contrary indicator. That’s because most recessions since World War II have been so short that they were over by the time they were portrayed on television or in movies.

But this time, he said, the recession has dragged on long enough that financial issues already have been reflected in every aspect of entertainment, from soft sales of concert tickets to favorite television characters cutting back on lavish dinners.

“On the one hand, it’s good when it becomes part of popular culture because people are talking about it and thinking about it,” he said. But on the other hand, “It’s bad when people are obsessing about it to the point of absurdity.”

Indeed, in past downturns popular culture often has been seen as a way to escape from, rather than delve into, economic problems.

Robert Thompson, professor of popular culture at Syracuse University, notes that shows such as “Dynasty,” which portrayed an opulent lifestyle, thrived during the economic hard times of the 1980s, while elaborate musicals were popular during the Great Depression.

“If you’ve got a loved one dying of cancer, you may not want to watch, as your entertainment, movies of loved ones dying of cancer,” Thompson said.

'Hung' hangs on economic themes
Michael Lombardo, HBO’s president of programming and West Coast operations, said it was largely coincidence that “Hung” went into production just as the economy was faltering. But the show's writers have taken the opportunity to work the recession themes more heavily into the plotline, he said.

In one scene, Drecker laments taking out an ARM on his parent’s house “that’s now got a hand around my throat.” In another, a character who plays a personal shopper explains that “my ladies are so loaded, they’re recession-proof.”

Lombardo noted that it’s far from the first HBO show to delve into difficult subject matter.

“Our programming, although hopefully being entertaining, is grounded in reality,” he said. “I don’t think we’ve ever been a company that’s looked for escapist programming.” 

It’s not just premium cable channels like HBO that are reflecting the recession. From sitcoms to dramas, many shows have made reference to the economy, and experts expect to see even more when the new TV season launches in the fall.

The Fox show “Til Death” will have a story line about a character who is having a difficult time finding a job because of the weak economy. Fox also is working on a reality show, “Someone’s Gotta Go,” in which a worker gets laid off at the end of each episode, although an air date hasn’t been set.

Next year, Ben Affleck will star in a new movie, “The Company Men,” about the aftermath of a corporate downsizing. Activist filmmaker Michael Moore’s new movie, “Capitalism: A Love Story,” will be about the global economic crisis.

Chick lit meets financial self-help
Even so-called chick lit, novels that traditionally are more escapist in nature, are addressing the economy. A new book by author Sarah Strohmeyer, “The Penny Pinchers Club,” tells the tale of a suburban shopaholic who embraces frugality because she is afraid her husband is going to leave her, leading to a pricey divorce.

Strohmeyer said she was inspired to write a book dealing with financial themes after watching how many people were getting caught up in both the housing craze and consumer consumption. Like the novel’s protagonist, she also admits to having had a soft spot for shopping.

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