Although the news magazine shows of the Big Three networks have seemed mired lately in true crime investigations and pedophile capturing, the stalwart 20/20 (DISH 73, ABC, 10 PM, Fridays) recently aired an interesting hour on the rise and fall of GM.
It was nearly everything that used to be good about the mags: actual investigative journalism, interesting interviews, tie-ins with popular culture. The show led, as a matter of fact, with a parade of GM cars which are now woven into the fabric of America: The Lunar Rover, the Batmobile, the Ghostbuster’s ECTO 1, and Knight Rider were all GM products. For a viewer unfamiliar with the cultural impact of GM cars, the montage served as an easily digestible history lesson.
The special took the trouble to reach beyond the usual handful of economists and executives to tell the story. In a truly incredible moment of network non-pimping, NBC's Jay Leno and His Incredible Garage of Endless Cars was interviewed; Leno mostly played the chat straight, discussing the GM crisis in terms understandable for a non- gearhead. Also consulted? Tim Allen, who used to work for GM before making his fortune via grunting on Home Improvement. Journalist and author P.J. O’Rourke provided a consumer’s perspective—a funny one at that. Even the inevitable discussion of labor and management was evenly handled. Blame was sprinkled between both parties when there’s plenty to go around.
While the special did its best to wrap on an upbeat note, it’s easy to see how quickly politics and special interests can throttle even the mightiest of private entities. We’ll see what happens next, but for now, I’ll stick with a Batmobile over the latest out of Detroit.
