Watching Big Brother feels surreal in the coronavirus era

Variety

After months of social distancing, it was odd to see so cast members in close proximity to each other during the Big Brother: All-Stars premiere Wednesday, says Daniel D'Addario. He adds: "This season of Big Brother does something upside-down: Rather than having news broken to them while the game is underway, these contestants are entering as fully apprised as they can be of the state of things. And rather than spending hours wondering what is going on in the world outside, as the Big Brother players of 2001 did, they seem contented to use the game as something of an escape. The show’s all-consuming nonsensicalness — physical challenges that take the form of lawn games, strategic conversations that come around to eating their own tail — are the thing that matter absolutely least at this moment, and as such, they end up accidentally becoming a great distraction."