My complaint:
“This Is Us” is the only television series my wife and I watch. Netflix, Amazon, and YouTube have a plethora of entertaining shows and videos. We watch shows to escape the constant barrage of political news and negativity in the media. I just watched Season 5, Episode 1 and was outraged to see that “This Is Us” is pushing a political agenda and providing misinformation regarding COVID-19. I’m a Doctor that treats COVID-19 and understand the virus well. We should not take this virus lightly and it can be unpredictable but the mortality rate is not what you elude to on television. Why did it begin in China but their GDP is up? Why is the Virology Lab that studies Coronavirus located in Wuhan China? Why does our PPE come from China? These are all good questions and maybe we’ll know the origin of COVID-19 someday and how we could have improved our response. When the current President of the United States tells you China is our biggest adversary open your eyes regardless of what you think about him. I read an article that you tried to defend your Political agenda by stating COVID-19 is a current event. Good try. You are not experts at COVID-19. You are most likely frequently testing your actors and quarantining them because the social distancing and mask use in your episode is inconsistent and insufficient. You are doing an injustice to the American people. They don’t know you are testing and quarantining your actors. You saw how close the popular vote was for the election. Think for a moment about the demographic you are targeting. Also, without Trump as President will anyone be watching NBC Nightly News. All you ever talked about was Trump and your viewership was probably at an all-time high. You took a foolish gamble that provides no net gain for your organization. I do not plan on watching “This Is Us” or any other shows on NBC moving forward unless you take the suggested actions I recommend below. You are an entertainment organization! Amazon and Netflix had movie producers and network television organizations on the ropes before COVID-19 and it was the knock-out punch. This is first time I have ever written a complaint to a network. I’m not the type of person that stops watching NFL football when they take a knee. However, you have clearly overstepped you bounds with COVID-19 and politics. I suggest you take corrective action or start preparing a contingency plan.
Suggested solution:
I suggest you somehow explain to your viewers the COVID-19 precautions you take with your actors. They know you are filming during the Pandemic but do not know the extent of testing and quarantining your actors and staff are subjected too. This can be done with either a disclaimer or a renowned Medical Doctor or Ph.D COVID-19 expert providing an explanation. I feel you should also consider limiting your political rhetoric at a time like this.