Click here to read the New York Times article: The Four (at least) Faces of Tara

This article was written about my new favorite show, United States of Tara.  In the article one of the creators is interviewed:

“I was nervous at the outset,” Ms. Cody said. “The pilot couldn’t be ‘sitcomy’ but, at the same time, it had to be funny. It was a big challenge to find the humor in everyday life and not poke fun at the disorder. And I wanted to be as sensitive as possible.”

It’s an interesting challenge Ms. Cody was facing.  She wanted to make an engaging and interesting TV show that would include a woman diagnosed with DID while not making fun of the disorder or those who are diagnosed with it.

The article compares the show with other media excursions into the realm of DID.  These include the Farrelly brothers’ Me, Myself & Irene, a movie I could not stand before I knew anything about mental health issues; Sybil, starring Sally Field and perhaps the most recognized film dealing with DID; and The Three Faces of Eve, which perhaps overshadows Sybil as the most recognizable film dealing with this topic.

The article goes on to say the creators and executives believe they found a good balance describing it as “a combustible mix of humor, morbid fascination, and empathy.”  Though I’m uncomfortable with ‘morbid fascination’ I can’t deny that it is a strong draw for many to shows like United States of Tara.

This article also mentions Showtime’s other programs featuring “deeply flawed” characters such as Dexter, a show about a serial killer and Californication about a sex addict.  It seems to be a fad to feature characters with some form of mental health issue.  Dexter, a serial killer is the protagonist as he justifies his killings in a way that the audience is usually able to sympathize with and Californication features a character who is off-putting and charming at the same time so one can look past his promiscuity.  Neither have any focus on treatment, to my knowledge, the way United States of Tara does.

I really have no conclusion.  I just find it interesting.  Mental illness equals “deeply flawed” characters and they seem to be quite prominent at the moment.