HBO

At the outset of its creation, 
television was an indicator 
of status. Only the rich could 
have more than four channels, 
a colored screen and a TV 
larger than a window. Now, 
television is one of the most 
accessible forms of media. 
With 
streaming 
services 
galore and channels cranking 
out new content every day, we 
appear to be in the midst of a 
renaissance of television — or 
perhaps, reaching the end of 
one.
Let’s take a step back for a 
second — 7,368 steps back to be 
exact. That is how many days 
its been since “The Sopranos” 
debuted 
on 
HBO. 
The 
premiere of “The Sopranos” 
marks the beginning of the 
TV renaissance, essentially 
making 
David 
Chase 
the 
television 
equivalent 
of 
Masolino or DaVinci. Before 
“The 
Sopranos,” 
television 
was nothing more than a 
medium of distraction for 
middle 
class 
Americans. 
Then 
Tony 
Soprano 
lost 
his ducks, and the entire 
country sat at attention. “The 
Sopranos” showed viewers 
that television could be deep, 
heartfelt, witty and brutal all 
at once. It ended the parade 
of loveable characters whose 
only job on screen was to 
appear relatable and deliver 
polished one liners, and paved 
the way for 20 years of top-
notch television.
Then came the early 21st 
century, 
and 
TV 
screens 
were flooded with audacious 
programs. First up was David 
Simon’s 
“The 
Wire,” 
an 
intrepid pursuit to follow the 
narcotics scene of Baltimore 
through the eyes of both the 
drug dealers and those trying 
to stop them. Then came 
“Lost,” “Dexter,” “Breaking 
Bad” and “Mad Men,” all truly 
incredible shows (yes, that 
alpha male in your life was 
right about one thing) that 
developed cult followings and 
stay relevant and beloved to 
this day.
Of 
course, 
the 
golden 
age of television is not to 
the 
credit 
of 
only 
these 
dramatic, masculinity-heavy 
expositions. 
Comedy, 
too, 

saw a rise in both popularity 
and quality as the 2000s 
progressed. 
With 
sitcom 
staples like “Seinfeld” and 
“Friends” coming to an end in 
the late ’90s and early 2000s 
respectively, new half-hour 
comedies 
were 
a 
highly-
demanded 
luxury. 
Larry 
David’s 
recently-rebooted 
“Curb Your Enthusiasm” took 
care of that need, swooping in 
at such a perfect time it’s as 
if David ended “Seinfeld” for 
the sole purpose of replacing 
it with this show. Soon after, 
shows 
including 
“Scrubs,” 
“Arrested Development,” “It’s 
Always Sunny in Philadelphia” 
and “30 Rock” came marching 
onto American screens like 
a militia dedicated to the 
preservation of great comedy, 
and this is all before 2010.
Coming into the 2010s, 

television had already been 
established by the previously 
mentioned shows to be a 
complex and dynamic form 
of media. Yet there was still a 
glaring problem: TV was still 
pretty white. Casts were full 
of homogenous people leading 
fairly similar lives, with the 
occasional 
token 
minority 
thrown in as a sidekick or the 
butt of a joke. The growth 
of television in the 2010s 
came with the growth of 
representation, ranging from 
the inclusion of people of color 
to the LGBTQ community in 
all kinds of roles. Netflix’s 
“Orange Is the New Black” 
is an early example of this, 
depicting 
trans 
women, 
lesbian 
relationships 
and 
complex characters of color 

in a popular, groundbreaking 
show. 
Of 
course, 
the 
setting of a prison creates 
a 
problematic 
association 
with these characters, but 
it laid the groundwork for 
later shows to take the reins 
in representation to fight the 
ingrained television principle 
that only middle class white 
Americans can be cast as 
primary characters.
Looking at television today, 
you’ll see an array of faces, 
backgrounds and storylines 
that are starting to align more 
equally with what being an 
“American” 
means. 
Shows 
like “Brooklyn 99,” “blackish,” 
“One Day at a Time” and 
“Master of None” are diverse 
and 
tackle 
contemporary 
issues 
without 
making 
them the forefront of their 
storylines. The renaissance 
of television has experienced 
a renaissance within itself 
— 
one 
of 
representation. 
Though media representation 
is nowhere near matched to 
the population of the United 
States, it is on the rise, from 
primetime comedies to Disney 
Channel originals.
Some will say that the 
golden age of television is 
coming to a storied end. 
There is so much television 
now 
that 
the 
market 
is 
oversaturated, 
reaching 
a 
slow but sure collapse. While 
many iconic shows are ending 
this year — including “Broad 
City,” “Veep” and “Game of 
Thrones” — that’s not to say 
that even greater shows won’t 
take their place. There was a 
time nobody could imagine a 
world beyond “The Sopranos,” 
“Lost” or “Breaking Bad,” 
but here we are. People will 
always look for something 
accessible and entertaining 
to rally around, to bond 
with millions of strangers 
and see themselves in the 
faces of characters they love. 
Maybe you can’t stand sitting 
through a two-hour film or 
the thought of trying to figure 
out which music streaming 
service to subscribe to makes 
you want to scream. There will 
always be a Homer Simpson to 
laugh at, a Carrie Bradshaw 
to aspire to, a Don Draper to 
hate, a Lorelai Gilmore to cry 
with. They may just have a 
different face.

Tracking the rise and the 
fall of TV’s golden age

SAMANTHA DELLA FERA
Daily Arts Writer

HBO

B-SIDE: TV

Comedy, too, 
saw a rise in 
both popularity 
and quality 
and the 2000s 
progressed.

WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Flipping through the channel 
guide over spring break, I 
stumbled across an early 2000s 
gem in my Florida-heat fueled 
haze: 
“Hannah 
Montana.” 
For those readers who are 
(sadly) unfamiliar with 
the 
show, 
“Hannah 
Montana” 
was 
a 
children’s 
television 
program from Disney’s long-
gone Golden Age. The show 
followed the shenanigans of a 
teenage popstar: By day, she 
was Miley Stewart, a “normal” 
teenage girl; by night, the 
international celebrity, Hannah 
Montana. As I reminisced while 
binging, my thoughts swirled 
around the program’s iconic 
catchphrase and the refrain of 
its title song, “You get the best 
of 
both 
worlds.” 
This 
concept of maintaining 
dual identities was true to 
both the show, and Miley 
Cyrus’s 
actual 
career. 
“Hannah Montana” was 
Cyrus’s alter-ego, a way 
for Cyrus to maintain a 
normal life while also 
pursuing a very public 
career.
This idea of cultivating 
a separate, public image 
has also been significant 
within the greater music 
industry, too. Having a 
public image, or alter-
ego, allowed artists to 
push 
boundaries 
and 
focus on their careers 
without 
compromising 
their personal lives. Take, 
for instance, Lady Gaga 
and stunts like the iconic 
meat dress. Her early 
public image catered to 
the 
shocking, 
strange 
and creative, and these 
displays 
significantly 
contributed 
to 
Lady 
Gaga’s 
ascension to global fame. In 
turn, the persona “Lady Gaga” 
protected the creator, Stefani 
Germanotta, from the darker 
edge of fame.
Of course, the practice of 
crafting a particular celebrity 
image hasn’t been used by 
all artists, nor has it always 
been successful. For some, it 
may have been necessary — 
whether to grab attention, or 
to preserve some treasured 
privacy — while for others, it 

may have simply been for fun. 
After all, who hasn’t envisioned 
what their stage name might 
be, or who they could be, with 
a little fame (and a little money, 
too). Some artists have even 
utilized temporary identities 
to produce and perform music 
that otherwise conflicted with 
their already developed image: 
Think of David Bowie’s “Ziggy 
Stardust,” or Hank Williams’s 
“Luke the Drifter.” And while 
Hannah 
Montana’s 
fan-base 
was limited to prepubescent 
youth, the concept of “Hannah 
Montana” 
— 
what 
she 
represented, and how she came 
into being — exemplifies this 
practice of separating private 
and personal life within the 
public spotlight.
The music industry, however, 
is changing. The public of the 
21st century is demanding a 

reform: These days it seems the 
fine-art of “show-biz” is out, 
and transparency is now in. 
No longer do global audiences 
want 
a 
carefully 
cultivated 
celebrity 
persona. 
Instead, 
listeners 
desire 
authenticity, 
vulnerability and truth.
In the past, artists could hide 
behind the shield of a stage-
name, a wig or an eye-catching 
outfit. However, in the digital 
age it is becoming more and more 
difficult for anyone — celebrity 
or regular Joe — to maintain 

privacy. Part of this is a result 
of social media culture, which 
encourages individuals to share 
the minutiae of daily life. On the 
other hand, the ease with which 
information 
is 
shared 
with 
nearly uninhibited accessibility 
also makes it easy for the 
personal lives of high profile 
individuals 
to 
be 
exposed. 
Whether it’s scrutinizing the 
President’s tweets, gossiping 
over voyeuristic tabloid shots or 
analyzing the ups and downs of 
the Kardashian family politics 
via 
Instagram 
“follows,” 
everything is up for grabs.
Now, artists are obligated 
to not only impress the public 
with their performances and 
entertainment 
value, 
but 
also 
uphold 
their 
personal 
reputations. Nothing highlights 
this better than the recent 
string of sexual assault scandals 
which dog the steps of 
some of the most esteemed 
members of the global 
music industry. From R. 
Kelley to the King of Pop 
Michael Jackson, no one 
is exempt from the public 
demand for accountability 
and 
transparency. 
And 
whether you believe the 
allegations against these 
two aforementioned stars 
or not –– and that’s simply 
scraping the surface of 
the disconcerting, dark 
underbelly of the celebrity 
ranks –– the 21st century 
has declared itself to be 
the end of an era where 
fame 
and 
fortune 
are 
enough to impede the 
quest for justice.
That 
is 
not 
to 
say 
that this is the end of 
excitement and creativity 
within 
music. 
Rather, 
the 
music 
industry 
is 
slowly 
shifting 
to 
accommodate 
this 
demand for transparency. The 
artist has reached a new level 
of significance. Not only must 
their music be inspiring and 
original, but the artist themself 
must similarly be an individual 
of good character, moral and 
principle.
This 
is 
the 
so-called 
“renaissance” 
of 
the 
music 
industry. Now, who is making 
the music we consume, and 
how it is being made, is just as 
important (if not more) as the 
art itself.

Reforming the methods of 
consuming music, media

MADELEINE VIRGINIA GANNON
Daily Arts Writer

DISNEY CHANNEL

B-SIDE: MUSIC

The music industry, 
however, is changing. The 
public of the 21st century is 
demanding a reform: These 
days it seems the fine-art 
of “show-biz” is out, and 
transparency is now in.

4B —Thursday, March 14, 2019
b-side
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

