Graceland was a TV show which ran for two and a half years on the USA Network. The three-season run came to an end in 2015 when the network canceled the show. It was a well-reviewed show for the time, but current audiences will find the show hard to watch considering what is happening in the US.
Graceland follows five agents living by the beach in California, in an undercover house. FBI, DEA, and ICE agents all live together, collaborating on undercover operations and working towards a similar goal. But things are not as amazing as it seems when one of the agents is asked to investigate the team leader.
I only recently got turned towards the show. After over six months of locked inside my house, I have seen almost everything I have wanted to see by now. Looking for new TV shows, I stumbled into Graceland, but watching the show made me a little uncomfortable.
Graceland TV Shows – Why It Does Not Work For the Current Climate?
Graceland TV show was a USA Channel series which ran from 2013 to 2015.
Source: IMDb
Police and law enforcement agencies do not have a great standing in the news and social media platform right. Videos show them shooting a person seven times, shooting a 13-year-old kid, kneeling on the neck of people to the point of suffocation and death.
The extra-judicial authority law enforcement seems to hold has been called into question. This is one particular reason why Graceland does not work in the current climate. The end justifies the means methodology employed by the agents in the show is just alarming.
There are scenes where FBI agents burn a small girl’s body to make sure the investigation is not shut down. Another FBI agent not only pretends but also becomes one of the biggest drug dealers in California so that he can have his revenge.
There is even a scene where one agent kills another, and no one faces any consequences. The lack of accountability of free reign given to undercover agents is nauseating, and it does nothing but hurt the image of law enforcement further.
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I was not comfortable watching the show; moments I would’ve cheered as a kid or teenager just brought terror. The idea of entertainment is that it is somewhat removed from reality, but when police kill people, Graceland’s story and moments hit extremely hard.
Graceland was a perfect procedural show for a time, which seems so distant now. I liked the characters and the show’s amazing cast, but in Graceland, no lines are separating the good guys from the bad. Ambiguous heroes, with the end justifying the means type of mentality, were my thing before, but not anymore.
Graceland Suffers From the Same Hindsight as 24
24, starring Keifer Sutherland, was my jam. I have watched all the episodes and the movie but recently, re-watching some of my favorite episodes from the show; there was a simple lack of excitement.
I know that every show and movie is not about the political statement, but when a TV show takes place in the real world, dealing with real-world issues, the fun part just evaporates. Now, all I am looking at is if the law enforcement officer would do something like 24 and Graceland characters did.
We are in a tricky situation, and I think it will take a while for some us to find enjoyment in 24, Graceland (and other TV shows like them). But when the truth is harsher than fiction, I just cannot take the show as entertainment anymore.
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Last modified: September 22, 2020
