Gearing Up Their Audience For TV-Shows That Sensitively Portray Mental Illness?
Recent shows like “BoJack Horseman” and “Modern Love” chart protagonists with serious conditions like depression, anxiety, and bipolar disorder.
In the recent decade, the streaming giants, Netflix and Amazon, have financed tv-series that document their protagonists’ struggles against several mental health disorders, including depression, anxiety, etc.
For instance, Raphael Bob-Waksberg’s adult animated series “BoJack Horseman” (2014–20) shows anthropomorphic horseman BoJack deal with alcoholism, depression, social anxiety, and childhood trauma.
Melissa Rosenberg’s “Jessica Jones” (2015–19) offered a nuanced portrayal of severe post-traumatic stress. The American comedy drama “Atypical” (2017–21) portrayed the life of 18-year-old Sam Gardner who has autism and how his mental health condition impacted his relationships.
Similarly, in John Carney’s “Modern Love”, Anne Hathway’s character Lexi—who is also a successful lawyer—suffers from debilitating bipolar disorder. Her struggle with and acceptance of the mental disorder comes across as a refreshing portrayal of mental health disorders.
The American comedy series “Lady Dynamite” (2016–18) also charts stand-up comedian and actor Maria Bamford’s fight with bipolar disorder.
Most of these works are received with positive reviews and are even lauded for the extremely compassionate and realistic portrayals of people with mental health conditions and mental disorders. These also enjoy critical acclaim, thanks to their sincere efforts to do away with the stigmatization of mental illness.