By Jae-Ha Kim
Media Life Magazine
May 9, 2006
There’s nothing like a potential pandemic to rouse audiences, especially as a movie of the week airing during sweeps and on a network that could use the boost. Thus tonight’s movie, from ABC: “Fatal Contact: Bird Flu in America,” airing at 8 p.m.
ABC points out that while this film is meticulously researched, it’s still a fictional account of what could happen should avian flu break out in the U.S. This scenario has an American businessman bringing the virus home after a trip to China. The end result is horrific, with millions of people worldwide dying from the flu.
It wasn’t that long ago that travelers were worried that the SARS outbreak would result in a similar tragedy. Who can forget the images of people walking around airports in Asia and Canada wearing facemasks?
The ABC two-hour movie’s purpose is to entertain, but the filmmakers have also claimed that if they can scare viewers into being aware of the virus and prepare for what could happen, then the movie will have served its purpose.
Of course for ABC the purpose is to boost ratings on its struggling Tuesday night, where it ranks fourth among the Big Four in 18-49s. Any bump over its 3.1 season average could help it catch up to Fox, which already has a big sweeps lead.
