The class struggle and social inequality over the years have fueled a great deal of television storytelling, becoming the engine of a powerful narrative that has earned incredible worldwide success. Through the portrayal of the class struggle, many TV series have deeply analyzed that divide between those who wield power and those who simply strive to survive. Whether it’s a luxury resort, an underground bunker, or a ruthless arena where the impossible becomes possible, on-screen stories show that social inequality is not merely a political theme: using registers that range from satire to thriller, TV series highlight power, money, and the social structures that shape and ultimately destroy relationships among human beings. Here are three striking examples.
Rich vs. Poor in TV Series: The Map of the Social Divide Between Satire and Dystopia
Squid Game
Having become a global serial phenomenon, Squid Game has transformed the concept of social inequality into the greatest engine in the history of the small screen. Streaming on Netflix and spanning three seasons, Squid Game follows 456 players, all crushed by insurmountable debts, who take part in brutal and deadly games because they are drawn by an astronomical final prize. To reach it, however, they must not only beat everyone else, but also witness their deaths and, above all, preserve their own life. Winning a game by advancing to the next stage in this case means surviving to see a new day, an aspect of the story that shows how poverty and economic desperation deprive people of their dignity and freedom of choice. Solidarity in this instance is synonymous with weakness that can be punished with death, and all of this happens under the amused eyes of VIP, billionaire masked spectators who watch the carnage from the comfort of seats at their feet.
The White Lotus
In The White Lotus, the plot treats social inequality with a sharp edge, turning family dynamics into misadventures that inevitably drag down the staff of splendid resorts around the world. Anthology series streamed on HBO Max and, in Italy, also on NOW, so far it comprises three seasons with a fourth in development, each installment set in a different luxury resort and featuring different characters who interact tragically with one another. Every story, in fact, follows the stay of wealthy guests whose whims have devastating effects on the staff, emotionally and professionally subjugated. At the end of each vacation, each guest realizes they did not get the best out of that experience and that returning comes at a high price, not so much financial as human and moral.
Silo
Third and final example is Silo, a dystopian series set inside a gigantic bunker of 144 floors where the last survivors on Earth reside after a cataclysmic event about which the protagonists know nothing. The inhabitants of the Silo blindly follow the Pact to preserve their own safety, but many questions arise and Juliette Nichols is determined to obtain answers after the sudden death of her partner. Even here, the Silo must submit to a rigid social hierarchy that mirrors the bunker’s very architecture: on the upper floors reside the executives and the administration, while on the lower floors live the humble workers, such as technicians and mechanics. In this case, those in power exploit the ignorance of the citizens to prevent a revolution, turning that social stratification into a true cement cage. The outside is dangerous, as it is poisonous, and anyone who wishes to live is forced to endure the restrictive rules imposed by the judiciary and the mayor. Questioning power, then, becomes a death sentence. The punishment is to go outside to clean, which in most cases means only one thing: not surviving.
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