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On Tuesday, ABC premiered its latest dark drama, “Wicked City.” Set in LA in the 1980s, the series chronicles a seemingly “normal” couple’s reign of bloody terror on the Sunset Strip. It’s loosely based on the true story of serial killers Doug Clark and Carol M. Bundy, who together murdered seven women during the summer of 1980.
The show joins a long line of TV series (and movies, but that’s for another piece) that romanticize crime and violence. Think “The Sopranos,” “Breaking Bad,” “Sons of Anarchy,” Dexter, “Fargo,” “Boardwalk Empire,” and “House of Cards.” All of these shows are critically-acclaimed, received accolades during awards seasons, and commanded high ratings — or at least a devoted fanbase.
They also all center on white, male protagonists.
For the past decade (or more), there has been a trend of glorifying and romanticizing white crime through popular culture. Television fans root for characters who would normally be the “bad guy” — corrupt politicians like Frank Underwood on “House of Cards” or ruthless mob bosses like Tony Soprano. We root for them because, even in their wrongdoing, they are afforded a certain level of complexity and nuance. They may be criminals, but first and foremost, they are (interesting) human beings.
