Art imitates life, and the work that we create is shaped by our experiences, our views, and the world around us. For that reason, the ideas conveyed in film and television naturally change along with the political climate of the world we live in. In tumultuous times such as the ones we’re living through now, portraying these ideas through media becomes the most effective way for artists to make a statement about what social issues they want to prioritize.
In the last two years, I’ve seen many people bemoan the lack of actors, writers, and directors speaking out against what’s going on in America, saying that there are not enough public statements or fiery interviews. Looking at the television shows releasing in the spring of 2026, however, I can’t help but think that many people in the entertainment industry have actually been speaking out. They’ve just been doing it in the way they know best: through their art. While I’m sure that more shows are coming out that highlight political issues, I would like to take this opportunity to discuss three of them: the second season of HBO Max’s The Pitt, the second season of Disney Plus’ Daredevil: Born Again, and the fifth and final season of Amazon Prime’s The Boys.
Of these shows, the one that has the most eyes on it is The Pitt; although, ironically, it’s the least obvious of these examples. With each season of The Pitt taking place in real time over the course of a single day shift at a Pittsburgh hospital, one might not expect any political discussions or themes to be thrown around. However, the show is able to make a statement through the different kinds of people coming into the emergency room. Some patients come in without healthcare due to Medicare and Medicaid cuts. There’s an older sister who has had to take care of her brother alone since their parents were deported to Haiti. In a particularly compelling episode, two ICE agents bring in a detained woman for treatment and create an indescribable air of tension throughout the whole hospital. Despite the series seemingly taking place in this closed environment of the emergency room, the writers never let their audience forget the world outside the Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Center and how much worse it is becoming for so many people.
Daredevil: Born Again naturally has a bit more of a disconnect from reality as a superhero series, but that doesn’t mean that it’s unable to make a political statement. The show focuses on the City of New York under the control of Wilson Fisk, a business mogul turned politician. Throughout the series, the protagonists fight against Fisk as he abuses his office to accumulate immense profits, crack down on dissidents, and arrest anyone he considers a “vigilante.” His personal army of morally bankrupt police officers, the Anti-Vigilante Task Force, is basically ICE in all respects but name.
One of the most chilling moments in the show so far occurs in a bodega when the Task Force comes in and arrests everyone involved in a minor scuffle, with witness Angela Del Toro commenting in the aftermath that those arrested by the Task Force are never seen again. Though we’ve yet to see how the series is going to conclude this plotline, I think the writers are sending a clear message that militarized and authoritarian forces such as these are not welcome in American cities.
The final season of The Boys is perhaps the most explicit with its commentary. From its premiere in 2019, The Boys has always held up a mirror to American social issues and thoroughly explored how they affect people across the nation; anyone who’s watched this show can tell that Anthony Starr’s villainous superhero, Homelander, is a Trumpian character, a strongman with massive issues of insecurity.
Season five takes it a step further by turning all of its villainous characters into MAGA analogues. Vice President Ashley Barrett combines the spinelessness of Vice President JD Vance and the PR incompetence of Karoline Leavitt. Superheroes such as The Deep and Black Noir produce a right-wing podcast in the same vein as Charlie Kirk and Nick Fuentes, while Homelander’s ally Firecracker feels like a pre-Epstein Marjorie Taylor Greene. And while there’s no obvious ICE analogue, the superhero team of Teenage Kix spends the second episode dragging dissenters from their homes in a similar way, all while doing soulless corporate ad reads.
When we watch these shows, it’s clear that Hollywood is sending a strong message that this is not okay. It’s not fine for people to go without health insurance, to get snatched off the streets by police, or to fear those who are supposed to protect them. Though explicit public statements remain rare, the artists of the entertainment industry continue to speak out through their work. At every turn, they give us hope that we, too, can resist.
