Why Hollywood A-listers are rushing to star in climate shows

How do you turn climate change into compelling TV? What scenarios do you draw on? And how do you make sure a call for climate action isn’t lost to a feeling that a dystopian future is inevitable? 

When Extrapolations premiered in March, it became one of the first major TV shows to put climate change at the core of its narrative. Packed with A-list actors like Meryl Streep, Kit Harington and Sienna Miller, Extrapolations begins in a not too distant 2037. The world feels all too familiar, and with each episode the temperature becomes a little bit hotter, and the impacts of climate change a little bit worse. The planet is less hospitable, but humanity remains much the same.

This week on Zero*, host Akshat Rathi interviews Extrapolations writer and executive producer Dorothy Fortenberry about the growing demand for climate stories, how reality is overtaking the premise of the show, and how choices made this decade will impact the next.

(*this interview was recorded before the ongoing Hollywood strike action)

Read more: 

• Apple TV’s futuristic climate show is already coming true 
• NRDC Rewrite the Future
• Zero’s interviews with Kim Stanley Robinson and Amy Westervelt

Zero is a production of Bloomberg Green. Our producer is Oscar Boyd and our senior producer is Christine Driscoll. Special thanks to John Fraher, Meg Szabo and Kira Bindrim.  Thoughts or suggestions? Email us at [email protected]. For more coverage of climate change and solutions, visit https://www.bloomberg.com/green

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