Pete Buttigieg, the Rory Gilmore of the Democratic primary, seems like a nice enough guy with middling liberal politics. He also, I have recently learned, has questionable taste in television that would drive me absolutely nuts if I ever had to share a remote with him.
In an interview with the Hollywood Reporter, Buttigieg gave us a taste of what he considers good television, and I’m very certain that he would be a chore to watch television with. When asked what shows he’s currently binge-watching, Buttigieg said that while he doesn’t have much time for that these days (fair), he usually opts for Family Guy or Rick and Morty before going to sleep. Woof! What smelly sophomore dude’s dorm room did I just stumble into?
And what about non-cartoons? “I’m trying to get into Succession but I’m struggling,” he offered. “I need a character to root for and I haven’t decided if any of them are good people.”
None of them are good people, Pete! That’s kind of the point! You have to embrace the chaos of knowing that there’s no character to soothe your moral code! They’re all garbage—it’s fun!
Buttigieg seems to struggle with this moral quandary a lot.
On Game of Thrones:
Tyrion is clearly the most interesting political strategist. He’s the one you most want on you team, although you can’t quite call him a politician. Early on I was identifying — more kind of rooting for — Daenerys, because I felt like she was confronted with a lot of interesting leadership decisions. But then she kind of blew it.
On Veep:
You don’t really want to identify with anybody on that show. The only character with any kind of moral purity to them is Gary, the body guy. But it’s not like you really want to be him.
On The Handmaid’s Tale:
I thought I might be able to get into Handmaid’s Tale but I just don’t have the moral energy for it.
(What is moral energy?)
But if one thing about Buttigieg’s taste in television absolutely tracks, it’s this:
Obviously, President Bartlett [from The West Wing] is what we all hope the presidency would be.
Was Bartlett actually a great president or was he kind of mediocre and his flaws are largely glazed over because The West Wing was free therapy for liberals through the Bush years?
Here is a short list of shows Pete Buttigieg should binge-watch instead of Family Guy reruns:
- Succession (try harder)
- Love Island (innit?)
- Terrace House (many a Jezebel writer likes this show)
- Mindhunter (I am the only Jezebel writer who likes this show)
- Bar Rescue (what’s not to love?)