Scandal, indeed. In this political drama produced by Shonda Rhimes, liberals are glorified and conservatives are portrayed as unfeeling idiots. For example, in the episode “That’s My Girl,” Republican campaign manager Elizabeth North states: “I'm a Republican. I don't believe in free college. I don't believe in free, and I don't believe in college. Everything should have a price, especially education, which is worthless.” Earlier in the show, protagonist Olivia Pope (played by outspoken liberal Kerry Washington) had an abortion while Silent Night played in the background.  An episode subtly titled “Trump Card” featured the Republican presidential candidate Hollis Doyle making a fool of himself.

Normalization and acceptance are the obvious goals of this show about a single father who begins identifying as and transitioning to a woman. When the show first came out (pun intended), Slate’s Willa Paskin urged readers to “figure out how to get Amazon Prime” so they could watch the series that features dysfunction, sexual promiscuity, a lesbian relationship and sexually fluidity among other issues. At the 2015 Emmy Awards, Jill Soloway won “Outstanding Director in a Comedy Series,” while lead actor Jeffrey Tambor won “Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series.” Although Transparent was the first critically acclaimed show to feature a transgender protagonist, the LGBT community is annoyed that cisgender people continue to play transgender characters, which they naturally feel should be portrayed by transgender actors. 

Called “contemporary and culturally resonant” by USA Network, Mr. Robot is clearly anti-American and anti-business. The show, which follows a cyber-security expert who hacks by night, has garnered six Emmy nominations.  But the sentiments featured on the Mr. Robot website are not so award-winning. Reading as though they were written in the hacker’s chat log, statements include: “Patriot: The American Dream is a myth,” “Executive: Everyone steals. That’s how it works,” and “Capitalist: Give a man a gun and he’ll rob a bank. Give a man a bank and he’ll rob the world.”

What’s not to love about a show that centers on foul-mouthed female felons? Having launched transgender star Laverne Cox to fame, OINTB has continually striven to bring LGBT themes to the fore. The show has also handled abortion in an appallingly crass manner. In the episode “Mother’s Day,” Big Boo convinced fellow inmate Pennsatucky to get over the guilt she feels at her past abortions. “You were a meth-head white trash piece of sh*t and your children, had they been born, would have been meth-head white trash pieces of sh*t,” Boo consoled. “Maybe what was best for your children was wiping ’em out before they had to live miserable f*cking lives.” Just great. To top that off, Vulture’s Brian Moylan called Boo’s “politically profound statement … jagged, warped, and lovely.”

Reveling in the freedom Netflix has given her, comedian Chelsea Handler has enjoyed throwing f-bombs, attacking conservatives and making all-around ridiculous statements on her eponymous talk show. Although she complains about hate in our society today, she encouraged Mexican schoolchildren to beat a Trump piñata with sticks in one episode. She has also stated that “right now, you can’t be a Republican” and “you shouldn’t be able to vote without a fucking passport.”

In ABC’s Modern Family, Christians have been portrayed as violent and “judgy,” gay marriage is glorified and normalized, and unfunny jokes are made about conservatives. Yet, according to IndieWire, the popular show is number nine in a list of the top 100 most watched shows in America. It has received 22 Emmys over the course of its run, and has been nominated for another for this year’s awards season. 

Blackish humorously addresses issues of race and feminism, but generally from an obvious liberal slant. In one episode, character Dre states as “fact” that “Black people aren’t Republicans.” In another, he mentions how his children’s “athletic abilities have been … watered down” by their white grandfather, although his son has managed to avoid the “Caucasian Curse.” Now tell me – a similar invocation of the “Black Curse” wouldn’t have gone over so well, hmm?