Watching TV As America Descends Into the Abyss

As a seasoned cinephile who has witnessed countless political dramas unfold both on and off the silver screen, I must say that this year’s presidential election night was unlike any other. The digital divide between traditional broadcast media and streaming platforms presented an intriguing spectacle, akin to watching two different movies playing side by side.

That fateful night of the tightest American presidential election marked by three consecutive high-stakes contests, I found myself navigating the nation’s plunge into uncertainty by switching between two distinct streaming television adventures. Peacock, with its innovative Multiview election function that expanded upon its 360-degree Summer Olympics broadcast, offered three concurrent screens: NBC News feed, a rotating display of results, and the Steve Kornacki live cam, providing the nation an unfiltered view into the nerd king’s paper-shuffling, coffee-drinking, data-crunching routine. In contrast, Amazon, the tech titan’s streaming service Prime Video, produced a ten-hour election special as a leaner option compared to its competitors and fronted by NBC veteran Brian Williams.

This back-and-forth motion reflected the sensation of what seemed to be the first genuinely decentralized election, as reality began to resemble a Choose Your Own Adventure story more and more. I could have opted for the conventional broadcast media experience, but watching CNN or MSNBC no longer felt fitting after a campaign season that unfolded more effectively on popular podcasts like The Joe Rogan Experience and This Past Weekend With Theo Von. I could have immersed myself in the conservative perspective by tuning into Fox News or NewsNation, but wasn’t willing to subject myself to such a degree of discomfort. I could have ventured into the realm of livestreams provided by digital-first outlets like The Young Turks, The Free Press, and even The Rest Is Politics from the UK, but I’m not quite ready to let go of the old ways just yet. The Peacock and Prime Video options offered a suitable compromise: the familiar comforts of traditional Election Night programming (reporters, analysts, anchors) presented in a way that acknowledged the unpredictable future ahead.

As dusk fell, approximately 6 p.m. ET, both platforms required some time to adjust and stabilize. Let’s call it the pre-game jitters: The Peacock’s Kornacki cam malfunctioned for roughly ten minutes, and every hour or so, the Multiview feature would fail, indicating the instability of the streamer’s fresh infrastructure. However, before long, everything began to function smoothly, giving off an organized chaos vibe. There’s a sense of control that comes from seeing multiple views at once: images of Jacob Soboroff reporting on voting lines in Philadelphia contrasting with a screen displaying rotating empty electoral maps, all while live footage of Kornacki consulting with a producer played. I always had something to focus on whenever the NBC News stream switched to commercial breaks.

For the relatively new entrant in the scene, Amazon’s Prime Video, there was an unexpectedly nostalgic vibe. The character portrayed by Williams seemed reminiscent of a shady ’60s nightclub owner, yet the sparse production style highlighted this impression unsettlingly. His dry comedic persona, which he had experimented with in his 30 Rock cameos and might have further developed had his career not been impacted by a scandal, was noticeable: “We’re reuniting the old team tonight, some people emerging from the Witness Protection Program, and we’re thankful for that,” he announced early on. However, Prime Video’s election coverage felt overly simplified, failing to fully capture the gravity of the night. Eschewing the usual loud sounds and flashy infographics of its rivals, the broadcast was unusually calm and bare, bordering on amateurish. In a sense, Williams, like an aging deity adapting to his new mortality, presented election updates from his producer by reading them off his phone. When the results finally started coming in, he was often overwhelmed by race calls, and on several occasions, he attempted to transition to a commercial break, only for dramatic music to interrupt, disrupting his rhythm.

As the evening of the election approached 8 o’clock, Peacock’s stream captivated me. The Kornacki cam was mesmerizing; as the initial races were announced, with many predicted red states contributing to Trump’s total, you could see the man’s enthusiasm as he rushed through his folders and screens to offer relevant context. Compared to Lester Holt & Co. on the NBC News stream, who kept their professional composure even as the situation grew grim, Kornacki offered a more human perspective. At this point in the night, the bustling activity was comforting, with the results screen filling up and numbers streaming in. In times of high anxiety, I find an influx of information beneficial – much like how someone afraid of flying might fixate on the flight-information screen during turbulence – and by 10 o’clock, the plane was experiencing some rough patches.

About an hour past, the Prime Video’s election coverage left me feeling bewildered. Although some of the issues were understandable glitches from a debut production – for instance, a meteorologist, Jim Cantore, being referred to before appearing on screen – the overall lack of organization seemed like a significant flaw. The conversations and discussions often ran too long and unfocused, making the quiet set even more noticeable. At one point during a Zoom chat with Pennsylvania representative Madeleine Dean, Williams attempted to switch topics awkwardly through a back-and-forth about the best cheesesteak place. There was a delay between his joke and her hearing it, causing him to prolong the exchange for a few moments too long. It felt like watching a failed joke fall flat and linger, leaving you to watch its demise. The quietness surrounding them was palpable.

As midnight approached and the night grew increasingly ominous, the simplistic and makeshift feel of the Prime Video election broadcast gradually became more attractive – or put it this way, the bustle of the Peacock Multiview feature started to feel irritating. After seven hours of Election Night viewing stretched into eight and nine, your mind starts to liquefy; by 1:30 a.m., there’s only so much flipping between “too close to call” screens one can endure. By this point, the tranquil vibe of the Williams-cast was like a soothing balm for my ears.

Around 2 o’clock at night, I observed Williams airing a quick snippet from Fox News declaring President Trump the winner, making him the nation’s first president with a criminal record. As the commentators vied for words to describe this significant event in this eerily silent studio, the atmosphere resembled that of an odd stage production. Baratunde Thurston, a comedian and writer for Puck, attempted to find depth in the success of Trump’s speech, but I was too tired and strained-eyed to fully grasp his message. In my state of exhaustion, it seemed as though I was watching a troupe enact a distorted portrayal of reality, where the media and American democracy appeared robust. I switched off the screen and went to sleep.

2024-11-06 23:54

Watching TV As America Descends Into the Abyss

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