Once the actors’ union, SAG-AFTRA, went on strike back in July, everyone who follows pop culture knew that everything about Hollywood marketing was going to change. With no actors available to promote upcoming shows, studios were forced to find other angles to get press and fans excited. Mileage on these attempts has definitely varied.
If you’ve not been watching certain shows, or have given up certain streaming services in support of the strikes, remember that writers and actors still get paid for work they’ve already done. Watching shows created by your fave writers and performed by your fave actors will put at least some money in their pocket during a financially trying time.
Here are some shows that we don’t want to lose in the shuffle and that deserve more marketing love than they’ve been able to get during the Hollywood labor strikes.
Twisted Metal (Peacock)
The lack of actor participation on behalf of Twisted Metal was one of the many things that made this year’s San Diego Comic-Con pretty lackluster. A TV adaptation of a popular video game series starring Falcon and Mirabel should’ve been a slam-dunk for getting oodles of press at SDCC. As it was, they had Sisqó singing “The Thong Song,” an ice cream truck … and not much else.
Yet this show deserves attention! It’s a hilarious, action-packed ride you should jump onto, whether you’ve played the Twisted Metal games or not. The cast is awesome (anchored by Anthony Mackie and Stephanie Beatriz), the writing is smart, and the show has created a compelling world rife with possibilities.
The show isn’t totally lost. As reported by Deadline, Twisted Metal was one of the most-watched streaming originals the week it premiered, and Peacock announced that it was the service’s “most binged” comedy to date—meaning that most people who started it finished it, with most Peacock account holders knocking them out three at a time, but with many watching all 10 episodes in one sitting. Yet buzz around the show remains quieter than it might be ordinarily.
If you wanna support a show that features BIPOC protagonists and questions capitalism even as it gives you exciting car fights, check out Twisted Metal!
Good Omens (Prime Video)
While season 1 of Good Omens had plenty of promotion and garnered lots of good will among fans who love watching Michael Sheen and David Tennant be in love with each other, season 2 of the show dropped on Amazon Prime Video literally two weeks after SAG-AFTRA went on strike, meaning that marketing efforts leading up to the premiere couldn’t make use of the show’s main draws.
But this is still the same fun, funny, and clever show based on Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett’s classic novel that it was in season 1. While you may have missed the Good Omens second season premiere amidst all the strike hullabaloo, you can catch up now!
The Horrors of Dolores Roach (Prime Video)
While this TV adaptation of the narrative podcast of the same name (which itself was an adaptation of the Sweeney Todd-inspired stage play, Empanada Loca) debuted before the SAG-AFTRA strike, it was only just before. The Horrors of Dolores Roach is the rare dark comedy with a Latina protagonist. Shows with Latina protagonists in general are few and far between and under-marketed in the best of times, so this show might have really benefited from a continued push from its cast in the weeks following its premiere.
If you love horror, suspense, and gore, do yourself a favor and check out The Horrors of Dolores Roach. Star Justina Machado is an undersung, powerhouse actress who should really be more famous than she is. Her performance alone is worth the price of admission. Get that woman (and all the show’s actors and writers) all the meager residuals she has coming to her!
Our Flag Means Death (Max)
If you’re reading this site, you’re likely already a huge fan of Max’s Our Flag Means Death, a comedy about queer and gender non-conforming pirates in ye olden days. However, it getting a second season wasn’t guaranteed, and as a Max show (rather than being a show under the main HBO banner) it’s one of the company’s smaller, more vulnerable titles.
Its second season arrives on October 5. Normally, we’d be seeing its actors and creators doing all sorts of press by now in the lead-up to the premiere, but the ongoing strikes make that impossible. While we hope the strikes will be over soon, and the AMPTP will give both writers and actors the fair deals they deserve, it’s possible that the strike will drag on through OFMD‘s premiere, which is only a little over three weeks away.
So, if you love the show, let your friends know about it, and maybe get them to watch the first season if they haven’t already. Then, mark your calendars for the return of Bonnet and Blackbeard next month and make sure y’all watch. This is exactly the kind of well-made, hilarious, and inclusive show we want to encourage!
Loki (Disney+)
One show that it’s downright disconcerting not to be hearing more about in the lead-up to its October premiere is Loki. Sure, we’ve seen tie-in fast food ads and whatnot. But we don’t want tie-in fast food ads. What we want is Tom Hiddleston to be Tom Hiddleston-ing all over the internet. Well, we’re not getting it.
Despite Loki being one of Marvel’s more popular series offerings, the lack of actor and creator participation could hurt the season 2 premiere, because when you don’t hear about a show a lot, it’s easy to lose track of it. If you loved Loki season 1 as much as we did, and are looking forward to Loki‘s second season, mark your calendars for October 6 so you don’t miss it.
What shows do you think deserve more attention than they’re able to get right now? Share them with the community in the comments!
(featured image: Peacock)
