Covid-19 has left millions of Americans unemployed, out of school and trapped at home. However, the seemingly never-ending break from school and work has left citizens with more than enough time to stream all their favorite television shows and movies. But what, exactly, is out there for students to enjoy during the hiatus of, well, daily life?
Various streaming service viewership has unironically increased following the stay-at-home orders across the country, informed Netflix Chief of Content Ted Sarandos.
“We’re proud to be part of that, which is trying to make that stay-home experience a little more bearable for folks, a little more enjoyable, even, and give some families something to gather around,” continued Sarandos, “something for people to talk about, making us feel a little less isolated while we are being physically isolated,” said Sarandos in a CNN interview in late March.
The extended time at home has bestowed sites such as Netflix, Hulu and many other well-known streaming sites with heightened viewership of their shows. With access to new and old television content, more and more Americans create video streaming accounts everyday.
Covid-19 has left many Americans on the couch raving about a popular new Netflix docuseries called “Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness.” The seven episode documentary reveals the lives of the employees at the Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park in Wynnewood, Oklahoma, known for being home to hundreds of tigers and for its notorious owner, Joe Exotic.
The “Tiger King” documentary shares the background and personal experiences of the staff at the Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park and the other individuals who had a connection to Joe exotic before he was sent to prison for hiring a hitman to kill Carol Baskin, owner of Big Cat Rescue; another tiger zoo in Florida.
“Tiger King” was held as the number one most popular show on Netflix for 25 days and was the most popular show in the United States for almost a month. The documentary left millions of viewers in shock after every episode and even gained so much national recognition that celebrity talk show host Joel McHale released an eighth episode on April 13, 2020. The episode featured his own current, personal interviews with each employee of Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park.
Hulu is another well-known subscription-based, on-demand service that has had success with a mass amount of American viewers. Of course, the spike in viewership, like that of the other platforms and shows alike, is attributed to consumers’ ample time to purchase Hulu subscriptions and start binge watching new shows.
The new Hulu drama series called “Little Fires Everywhere” was released in March of this year and is another fantastic option for students to check out. The mini-series is based in the late 1990s, diving into the life of an upper-middle-class mother known as Elena Richardson, who is played by well-known actress Reeese Witherspoon. Her four adolescent children are also along for the ride throughout the course of the series.
In the show, Richardson offers a young African American mother and her high school daughter to move into their rental property and work as a maid at her house. Throughout the mini-series, the maid begins to mess with Richardson’s family; although being a journalist, Elena begins to investigate her newly hired maid as stories from their pasts begin to come to light.
“I have enjoyed this show because there are a lot of different storylines to follow that all combine and unravel throughout the show,” said third-year Sonoma State student, Hannah Opiel.
Fortunately for viewers across the United States and throughout the world, the plethora of subscription-based streaming services has equipped people with a never ending amount of content to please the eyes. Due to the unprecedented nature of COVID-19, which has left millions of Americans inside for over the past month, there has perhaps never been a better time to stream all of the new Netflix and Hulu favorites.