Depth isn’t dead.
Unpacking my generation’s favorite TV shows. A dispatch from Emilia, Part II.
Today’s newsletter is written by our intern, Emilia Kim. ICYMI, this is part II in a series she started a couple of weeks ago about her generation’s media and entertainment habits.
A few weeks ago, I unpacked Gen Z’s obsession with Love Island. Two weeks later, the season’s wrapped, Trinity Tatum and Bryce Dettloff have been crowned Season 8’s winners, and group chats are starting to move on.
But on to what, exactly?
Tomorrow, long-awaited films like Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey” and Alice Oseman’s “Heartstopper” will be released, but will they sweep our generation the way Love Island, or even this summer’s hit movies “Backrooms” and “Obsession” have? Perhaps become a new generational favorite?
To learn what makes a TV show or movie a “favorite,” I hosted a listening session with The Up and Up’s summer fellows. Here’s what they told me.
Spoiler alert, depth isn’t dead. It’s just not in your living room. And relatability goes a long way — that can include leaning into my generation’s collective skepticism and distrust.