For Everything But...'s January 2021 issue, I designed and lead the publication, while also writing a piece about TV musical episodes. The story in original format can be found here.
TV actors aren’t all singers, but that’s not going to stop them from belting out those untrained pipes and somewhat carrying a tune rather than… you know… speaking their lines. I’ve often wondered how so many actors go from accepting Emmys (daytime counts!) on glistening stages and then finding themselves ensnared in the world of lip-syncing and pas de barres the next season. Does every contract include a provisional musical episode, and they have bad agents? I just can’t imagine that so many people—from writers to actors to producers allow these episodes to happen. Sure, musical episodes of shows can become cult classics, but that doesn’t mean that they should.
Now, don’t get me wrong: I’m not a musical hater. I did musical theater all through elementary and middle school, and I love a night out going to Broadway shows just as much as anyone else. This is all to say that I do believe singing is a viable storytelling strategy. But a lot of shows feel less “The-character’s-emotions-are-so-strong-that-all-they-can-do-is-belt-out-a-song” and more “Hey-we-want-to-sell-CDs-too.” (Let’s just entertain the idea that people still buy CDs, okay?)
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