Jenji Kohan to debut a ‘Social Distance’ anthology for Netflix
Jenji Kohan Image by Getty/Dia Dipasupil/Staff
By PJ Grisar April 29, 2020
We may not have to wait for the end of the COVID-19 era to get an anthology series about it.
Jenji Kohan, creator of “Orange Is the New Black” is developing a show called “Social Distance,” Deadline reported. The Netflix offering will be produced virtually for reasons of public health and will present narratives delving into the dilemmas of the coronavirus pandemic. Her OITNB collaborator Hilary Weisman Graham will serve as showrunner. A release date has yet to be announced.
“Our job as storytellers is to reflect reality, and in this new, bizarre, bewildering reality we are all experiencing, we feel passionate about finding connection as we all remain at a distance,” Kohan and her fellow producers told Deadline. “The experience of social distancing is currently universal, but no individual story is the same. Through a broad spectrum of tales and moments, some seismic and some mundane, we hope to capture a moment in time. And we hope that ‘Social Distance’ will help people feel closer to one another.”
While an admirable endeavor for a largely production-stalled entertainment industry, one wonders if this is the content we need right now.
It’s tough to say, with such scanty plot details, if the show will click with viewers. But judging by the breakout successes of the past two months, works of unique escapism — the redneck insanity of “Tiger King,” the fish-out-of-water workings of “Unorthodox” or the ode to the Chicago Bulls that is “The Last Dance” (alas, no NBA this year) — seem to be what the public craves. Given those portals to other, more expansive worlds do we really want to relive all of our Zoom meetings?
Still, should “Social Distance” hit our screens before we’re past this troubling moment, it will come in with an advantage: We’re not doing a whole lot else, so we’ll probably give it at least an episode.
PJ Grisar is the Forward’s culture fellow. He can be reached at [email protected].
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning journalism this Passover.
In this age of misinformation, our work is needed like never before. We report on the news that matters most to American Jews, driven by truth, not ideology.
At a time when newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall. That means for the first time in our 126-year history, Forward journalism is free to everyone, everywhere. With an ongoing war, rising antisemitism, and a flood of disinformation that may affect the upcoming election, we believe that free and open access to Jewish journalism is imperative.
Readers like you make it all possible. Right now, we’re in the middle of our Passover Pledge Drive and we still need 300 people to step up and make a gift to sustain our trustworthy, independent journalism.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
Only 300 more gifts needed by April 30
