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In many respects, the 21st century is likely to resemble the 20th. Popular culture is the very oxygen of our collective lives. It glues together affinities. It saturates everyday conversation, forming communities, and circulates materials through the television industry.

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The show I chose to discuss is WandaVision (2021). It is a mix of many genres. It includes genres such as drama, mystery, sitcom, comedy, and action adventure. Without giving too much away, a brief summary of the show: Two super powered beings, Wanda and Vision, living idealized suburban lives begins to suspect that everything is not as it seems.

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Getting caught up to the events of WandaVision (2021)

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Getting caught up to the events of WandaVision (2021)

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WandaVision premiered on January 15, 2021 for the Disney Plus streaming service. For the Marvel fans, they were already caught up, however, to the general audience, Disney Plus launched a program entitled Marvel Studios: Assembled. This program is a comprehensive series of documentary-style specials that provides an overview of the characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).

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Here is a link to the opening sequence of Marvel Studios: Assembled The Making of WandaVision (2021).

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Opening Sequence - ASSEMBLED: The Making of WandaVision | Marvel Scenes

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Phase Four in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU)

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Phase Four in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU)

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WandaVision is the official launch of phase four in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Here's a link that showcases the line-up for future shows and films set to be released in the near future.

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Marvel Studios - Official MCU Phase 4 Trailer (Eternals, Black Panther Wakanda Forever, & More)

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Production Codes and Decades of Television Sitcoms in WandaVision

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Production Codes and Decades of Television Sitcoms in WandaVision

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The look of WandaVision and its production codes largely contributes to the decades of television sitcoms. The first two episodes pays homage to the 1950s and 1960s. With sitcoms like I Love Lucy (1951) and The Dick Van Dyke Show (1961).

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The filming of the first episode was filmed in front of a live studio audience. However, in some scenes the audience was not on set. Director Matt Shakman used different lenses, lighting, and sound design to change the mood for the dinner scene. In the dinner scene, Mr. Hart Vision's boss, chokes on his food while his wife Mrs. Hart repeatedly says, "Stop It" which Shakman directed the actress to act as if she had one emotion on the inside and another on her face. The style of acting and look of the scene was inspired by The Twilight Zone (1959). Here's the scene:

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WandaVision Season 1 Episode 1 Vision Boss Wife  Stop it

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One of the defining aspects of the show, is how it plays with familiar sitcom tropes and styles from the last 60 or so years. From the suburban setting and over-the-top acting, these references creates a strong and fresh tone for this MCU project. WandaVision gives the audience a more calm, collective, and subdued experience the audience expects from. One of the biggest ways it does this, is by setting up everything in the suburbs. Why did the writers choose to place Wanda's story of repressed trauma in the relatively bland setting of the suburbs?

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The concept of the suburban utopia Wanda envisions where problems are easily resolved with no lingering damage or consequences is a defining trope of the genre. Especially in the earlier examples that form her initial basis of Westview. In O'Donnell's Postmodern chapter, she explains the following, "Postmodernism embraces openness, diversity, recognition of cultural differences, and discourse about experiences." In WandaVision, it explores some sitcom tropes within each episode. The writers of the show, cleverly bridges the gap between the viewer and creator.

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The types of shows that have informed Wanda's worldview are referred to as domestic comedies. There's another text that fully explains the significant relationship between television and culture. In Understanding Media and Culture: An Introduction to Mass Communication, it describes domestic comedies as, "...Portrayed the conservative values of an idealized American life. Studiously avoiding prevalent social issues such as racial discrimination and civil rights, the shows focused on mostly white middle-class families with traditional nuclear roles...and implied that most domestic problems could be solved within a 30-minute time slot, always ending with a strong moral lesson." These views emulates Wanda's idealized sitcom "reality" she created.

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The Relationship Between Television and Culture

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Since its inception as an integral part of American life in the 1950s, television has both reflected and nurtured cultural mores and values. From the escapist dramas of the 1960s, which consciously avoided controversial issues and glossed over life's harsher realities in favor of an idealized portrayal, to the copious reality television shows in recent years, on which participants discuss even the most personal and taboo issues, television has held up a mirror to society.

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Intentionally or not, these early sitcoms created a new set of cultural values. The urban historian Robert Fishman said that the American suburban ideal was developed solely by the 19th century middle class reflecting their economic desires and cultural values. The result is what he termed, "The Cultural Creation of the Bourgeois." By 1950, a huge number of Americans lived in the suburbs and chased their ideals the times, comfort, security, and home ownership. The first two episodes of WandaVision, depicts the perfect version of the suburban utopia. The inhabitants own comfortable homes with everything they need, and have no real worries. Or at least any that they seem willing to acknowledge. In other words, they fulfilled the American dream. In WandaVision, it's only possible because Wanda, standing in the foundations, where she planned to build her home with Vision, based on her grief -- creates it by literally altering reality.

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Overall, there are many elements in WandaVision that represent multiple interpretations but I think it's clear the limited series is about a woman in a suburban setting, overcoming her stages of grief to realize her true potential.

Marvel Studios first attempt of a sitcom was met with critical and audience praise from its release. This is indicative of Marvel's success and continues to bring in more subscribers for its exclusive content. People are going to subscribe to available streaming services for additional shows instead of one show. One thing is clear: Disney will need to consistently build the Disney Plus subscriber base to deliver on its forecasts and continue its expansion towards an international audience.

Here's a link to a press release from Disney's CEO Bob Chapek explaining the future of Disney Plus:

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Disney Plus has officially surpassed 100 million subscribers, less than a year and a half after the streaming service launched.

Executives announced the milestone during Disney's annual shareholders meeting. The last time Disney gave an update on Disney Plus' subscribers number was in February during its first quarter earnings; there, it announced that, as of January 2nd, 2021, there were just over 94 million. Although executives didn't say what pushed Disney Plus over 100 million subscribers, the recent success of WandaVisionand Raya and the Last Dragon likely helped. The next big series for Disney Plus is The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, out on March 19th.

"The enormous success of Disney Plus ... has inspired us to be even more ambitious, and to significantly increase our investment in the development of high-quality content," CEO Bob Chapek said in a press release. "In fact, we set a target of [more than] 100 new titles per year, and this includes Disney Animation, Disney Live Action, Marvel, Star Wars, and National Geographic."

Direct-to-consumer business is the company's top priority

Disney's streaming success has caught the attention of everyone in the industry. Netflix co-CEO Reed Hastings didn't think it was possible that Disney could generate 60 million subscribers for Disney Plus within its first year, and now it has passed 100 million subscribers within 16 months.

Disney executives originally predicted that Disney Plus would amass between 60 and 90 million subscribers by 2024. The company has blown past that goal and is now targeting between 300 and 350 million subscribers across all of its streaming platforms (Disney Plus, Hulu, ESPN Plus, Star Plus, HotStar) by 2024.

To try to continue growing Disney Plus' subscriber base, Chapek reiterated that Disney's "direct-to-consumer business is the company's top priority, and our robust pipeline of content will continue to fuel its growth." There are currently several series from every major franchise and brand in development, and it seems likely more mid-tier films (movies that aren't on the same level as Star Wars, Marvel, or Frozen) will migrate to Disney Plus.

There's no question that Disney has pulled off an incredible feat with Disney Plus

While 100 million subscribers is an accomplishment, analysts will likely have questions about the revenue breakdown. In December, Christine McCarthy, Disney's chief financial officer, announced that 30 percent of Disney Plus' subscriber base comes from Disney Plus HotStar, where the average revenue per customer is lower. As Netflix's vice president of investor relations, Spencer Wang, pointed out in January, the overall revenue is lower.

Still, there's no question that Disney has pulled off an incredible feat with Disney Plus. Other competitors, like WarnerMedia and NBCUniversal, are trying to scale their own streaming services ( HBO Max and Peacock, respectively) but are growing at a much slower pace.

During the meeting, Disney executive chairman Bob Iger reiterated that he was going to leave the company at the end of the year. This mark's his final shareholder meeting. Considering he saw the conception and launch of Disney Plus, what an incredible feat to go out on.

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Disney Plus surpasses 100 million subscribers

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Disney Plus has officially surpassed 100 million subscribers, less than a year and a half after the streaming service launched. Executives announced the milestone during Disney's annual shareholders meeting. The last time Disney gave an update on Disney Plus' subscribers number was in February during its first quarter earnings; there, it announced that, as of January 2nd, 2021, there were just over 94 million.