Shows such as High Maintenance provide an unsentimental, poignant look at city life; it's impossible to avoid reflecting today's real estate realities
If New York City seems inundated by endless rows of film trucks and mazes of spotlights backlighting corners around Brooklyn and Manhattan, it?s because it is. As binge watching and new networks have facilitated a scripted-television renaissance over the last few years, few places have benefitted as much as New York, which now plays host to a local film industry adding $9 billion to the local economy. A record 52 series shot in the city during the 2015?2016 season.
But have our portrayals of New York kept up with the changing metropolis, and deepened our understanding of contemporary city life" The portrayal of the city has come a long way from turn-of-the-Millennium fables such as Friends and Sex in the City, generic, and many would argue fantastical, tales of city living that functioned like glossy lifestyle magazines. But at a time when more and more young adults are moving into cities, the glut of televised dramas set in New York are challenged more than ever to showcase an authentic view of New York, to act less like single-camera situation comedies and more like dispatches. As writers, producers and showrunners continue to mine the city for new stories, should they question the impact of their work after the show airs"
A variety of recent shows have showcased corners of New York life that don?t...