Screw warm and fuzzy: Why 2024 is the year of feel-bad TV

When Richard Gadd accepted an award for his breakout Netflix hit “Baby Reindeer” at this month’s Gotham TV Awards, he said he was surprised by the success of his very dark, intense series about his own trauma. 

“It’s weird that a show as messed up as this has gone on to strike a chord with so many people,” he said, according to Vanity Fair. “I think it speaks to the fact that I think a lot of people in the world are struggling right now.”

He's not wrong about “Baby Reindeer” being messed up. It tells Gadd’s (potentially legally liable) story as a victim of stalking, abuse and sexual assault. It is gut-wrenching to watch, full of graphic sexual violence and deep psychological distress, and it has a very unhappy ending. It's not exactly feel-good TV.

Watching "Reindeer" might actually make you feel bad, but that hasn't stopped millions of people: The miniseries has spent nine weeks in the Netflix global top 10 English-language chart, and three weeks at No. 1. 

Gadd's show is not an outlier. So many recent popular and zeitgeisty series are what I like to call "feel-bad TV." They include several Holocaust dramas; documentaries about the Ashley Madison scandal and an alleged TikTok dance cult; a thriller about a kidnapped boy; a video game adaptation that delights in nuclear armageddon; and a reality competition built on the demand that the cast members betray one another.

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Dark, tragic and downright depressing stories have been a TV staple for decades. True crime has long reigned as one of the most popular TV genres. So have murderous dramas like Showtime's "Dexter" or CBS' "Criminal Minds." We’re barely past the antihero drama trend of the 2000s and 2010s, when fans loved rooting for Tony Soprano (HBO’s “The Sopranos”) and Walter White (AMC’s “Breaking Bad”) to commit yet more crimes. Then “The Walking Dead” (AMC) and “Game of Thrones” (HBO) ruled the latter part of the 2010s, and it was easier to keep track of the characters who died than the ones who were still alive. 

But there’s something in the misanthropic air in 2024, and it’s not just one or two hits bringing down the mood. Art reflects life, and in American society we have been on a downward trajectory of tragedy since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Inflation. Bitter politics. War. Court cases. The list of bad news goes on. This isn't the time of Apple's giddy "Ted Lasso" anymore.

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It can feel good to feel bad, especially when it's not about something real. We can empathize with and find catharsis in these stories and then go back to our real lives. Worried about climate change and the end of the world? Amazon's "Fallout" lets you laugh at the absurdity of the apocalypse. Nervous about the dangers of TikTok? Well, at least you're not in an alleged cult!

“Reindeer” is the perfect example of a series that might not have resonated with so many in a different cultural moment. When Gadd laid bare his personal trauma for all the world to see, he granted permission for the rest of us collectively to unclench our shoulders. It’s honest and raw and difficult. And while the show has prompted ethical questions − especially after fans purported to out one of Gadd's alleged abusers who is now suing Netflix and Gadd for defamation − its power as a work of art is undeniable. We tend to shy away from the realities of sexual abuse and assault in our society, but "Reindeer" won't let us look away from harsh truths, and sometimes that's what we need.

Yes, there’s always Netflix's “Bridgerton” or ABC's “Abbott Elementary” for love and laughs on the small screen, but it certainly feels like these sunny shows are in the minority. Even “Bluey” left more parents crying than laughing with its half-hour special. And shows with the most jolly of intentions can be depressing. Remember how much we all adored “The Golden Bachelor” love story? Well, they’re getting divorced. 

So if you find yourself wondering why you're craving some true crime, or the "superheroes are bad, actually" ethos of Amazon's "The Boys" (Season 4 now streaming), you're probably not alone. Get your popcorn, maybe a box of tissues for the tears and feel bad for as long as you need.

"Bridgerton" will be there when you're ready.