The nation's poverty rate rose last year to 15.1 percent, the highest level in 17 years, according to new data from the Census Bureau. The agency's latest poverty report, released Tuesday, shows that 46 million people were poor and that the median income dropped last year by more than two percent to about $49,445.
TV writers are already adjusting to the times and creating shows for the fastest growing demographic group in the country, i.e., poor people, such as Two Broke Girls, described in Wikipedia thusly:
Set in New York City, the series chronicles the lives of two waitresses in their twenties—Max (Kat Dennings), who comes from a poor working-class family, and Caroline (Beth Behrs), who was born rich but is now down on her luck—working together at a Brooklyn restaurant. The two become fast friends and build their dream of one day opening a cupcake shop (for which they need to raise $250,000), although they can barely afford anything with the pay they receive at work, and must continually find ways to make ends meet.
Which led me to think of some more promising TV series pilots for the times:
Homeless in Seattle - A reality show modeled after Survivor follows 12 homeless people camped out at Steinbrueck Park in downtown Seattle. The homeless contestants go through challenges, e.g., putting together a dinner menu out of food scraps salvaged from dumpsters (think Top Chef, except it's really Bottom Chef!). At the end of each episode, one contestant is voted outta the park. At the end of the series, the last surviving homeless person wins a prize--free psychiatric care for life.
My Indentured Servant - A sit-com about Charles, a down-in-his-luck black man, who, after losing his decent-paying construction job, agrees to become the indentured servant of a daffy billionaire as a last desperate way of keeping his family from living on the street. The comedy ensues as the audience is "in the know" that the wise-cracking Charles is so much smarter than his bumbling boss. (Note to self: Charles should come across as an adult Gary Coleman [playful!], but be careful not to cross the line into Benson territory [bitter!]) The first episode ends with a touching scene in which Charles convinces his son, who's embarrassed about his dad's new "job", that it's "cool" to be an indentured servant.
G.S.I. America - The acronym stands for God Squad Investigations. The show is a crime drama about evangelical vigilantes, er, sleuths, who re-investigate closed cases that were solved by specious methods, e.g., use of a psychic (witchcraft) or science (unproven "theories"). The reliance on scripture and signs from God, which the heathen authorities are blind to, lead the investigators to a different conclusion to each case. Every episode ends in a suprise death penalty for someone who almost got away with a heinous crime, preferably a scary-looking black male, but every once in a while to a gay-looking white man to keep it fair and balanced. Viewers will be satisfied after every episode for the heaping serving of Justice!
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