2017's “Weinstein Moment” was anticipated on television

The Atlantic

“At the beginning of the year, no one could have anticipated what was coming. But television, in some ways, did,” says Sophie Gilbert, pointing to shows ranging from The Keepers to National Treasure. “2017 on the small screen was defined by a wealth of stories that thoughtfully and powerfully considered sexual assault,” she adds. “There were dramas that focused on the personal ramifications of abuse, like HBO’s Big Little Lies and SundanceTV’s Liar. But more common were shows that interpreted it as a wider, institutionalized phenomenon, and sought to engage with how deeply entrenched assault and harassment can be in systems of power. Top of the Lake: China Girl investigated workplace misogyny, male online culture, and the sex industry. The Handmaid’s Tale brought Margaret Atwood’s narrative of a theocratic reproductive dystopia to life onscreen for the first time since 1990. The Deuce explored the dynamic between 1970s sex workers and the men who control them with both physical and sexual cruelty.”