‘Hacks’ And ‘I Love That For You’ Blast Gendered Age Gaps Onscreen And In Fictional Workplace

When it comes to viewing popular television series, older characters are harder to spot than younger. Female characters age 60 and over are even more rare than male characters in the same age bracket, and few and far between if you’re looking for an older female character with a little workplace power.

Seniors On Television

With respect to high ranking occupations, Annenberg Inclusion Initiative’s Stacy L. Smith et al (2017) found senior male characters left senior females in the dust—claiming 82.8% of the high clout positions in the 72 popular shows examined. Of the 17.1% of senior females depicted with high-clout positions, the majority were women from underrepresented racial/ethnic groups. Positive collegial relationships were found to be more common for senior male characters than for senior female characters. The findings cited by Smith et al (2017) in Annenberg Inclusion Initiative’s Seniors On The Small Screen highlight content trends and media messages that can contribute to ageism and other societal inclusivity challenges, and the data is eye-opening.

Changing The Fictional Workplace

Cue HBO Max comedy Hacks (created by Lucia Aniello, Paul W. Downs, and Jen Statsky) and Showtime’s new series I Love That For You (created by Vanessa Bayer and Jeremy Beiler) to help even the score, thanks in large part to a keen focus on workplace dynamics. Featuring female leads, cross-generational relationships, achievement-driven workers across the life span, and accomplished older and younger women, the series showcase the power that balanced casting and thoughtful comedic writing can have on challenging the narrative and the numbers.

HBO Max is poised to launch season three of its Emmy-winning series Hacks starring Jean Smart, who earned a 2022 Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series as re-invented baby boomer stand-up headliner Deborah Vance, and Hannah Einbinder, as Gen Z comedy writer Ava Daniels. Einbinder also earned a 2022 Emmy for her role (Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series). Focused on the duo’s unlikely and rocky relationship, the show writers have captured the mindset differences and generational challenges of the two while highlighting a rarity in character development—the similarities, both good and bad, that exist across generations.

Cross-generational similarities also shine in Showtime’s I Love That For You, starring co-creator Vanessa Bayer as leukemia survivor and home shopping channel SVN’s newbie host Joanna Gold. Bayer and co-stars Molly Shannon (as SVN queen Jackie Stilton), and Jenifer Lewis (as SVN CEO Patricia Cochran) comedically convey the fact that dreams, drive, and the need for career satisfaction have no expiration date. The storyline drives home the fact that personal obstacles, flaws, and baggage can slam one’s life and career at any age. That type of character age balancing builds a message that isn’t driven by ageist stereotypes.

It’s Not Just Seniors

Hacks also expertly showcases the fact that ageism in the workplace can fly in both directions, limiting the opportunities given to older and younger people, affecting the behavior targeted towards others, and challenging self-image and self-worth. Deborah and Ava’s ageist mudslinging (or was that crystal throwing?) and trial by fire realizations, puncture a hole in the traditional sitcoms where grandmas and grandpas are used merely as lame comic relief—the perpetually confused characters hobbling about a show.

The Cost of Ageism And Gendered Ageism

What’s the big deal? According to the World Health Organization, ageism costs the U.S. $63 billion every year on health care due to the risky health-related behaviors associated with ageism. Given the fact that television and other forms of media can influence ageism, positive changes could mean more inclusive opportunities that maximize talent, and contribute to healthier adults, and more dollars in the bank.

The Bottom Line In Television

“Taken together, senior characters in popular television programming were primarily White, straight, and male. Senior females—particularly those from underrepresented racial/ethnic groups—were rarely depicted on screen. These trends are disconcerting, particularly as senior women outnumber senior men in the U.S. The lack of representation among this segment of the television audience suggests that seniors rarely see themselves or their stories reflected on screen,” concluded Smith et al (2017) from their research.

If current programming data mirrors Smith et al’s (2017) findings, then female characters 60 and over will continue to be out of sight and out of mind with little to no high-powered imagery to fuel unbiased perceptions and inclusive changes. Research has suggested that streaming platforms might play a key role in leveling the playing field for women when it comes to inclusive storytelling (Smith et al, 2022). Initiatives like Hallmark Media’s new female-focused reciprocal mentor program aimed at directors is an upcoming example of a streaming platform push that could change the landscape. But inclusive storytelling also means expanding beyond some arbitrary age cut-off that implies women, especially those over 60 age out of being part of great stories. I Love That For You’s SVN CEO Patricia Cochran knows better than that. So does Deborah Vance.