TV Goes on a Cocaine Bender

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Modern critically acclaimed streaming series are currently finding humor in a surprisingly high number of scenes featuring actors seemingly rehearsing their lines. Shows such as The Studio, Hacks, Your Friends & Neighbors, and The Righteous Gemstones, among others, have been using these moments for comedic effect, making actions like reading scripts, adjusting glasses, or pacing back and forth amusingly exaggerated. (However, it’s important to note that this might not be as humorous if you are one of the many who have been affected by the rise in drug overdoses from contaminated substances containing deadly fentanyl.)

Concurrently, worldwide cocaine production and usage have significantly increased. As per a United Nations report released in June, approximately 25 million individuals have used cocaine since 2023. This number is a rise from 17 million a decade prior, as reported by The New York Times.

Since the year 2023, global cocaine production and consumption have soared. According to a United Nations report published in June, it’s estimated that around 25 million individuals have consumed cocaine during this period. This figure is an increase from the 17 million users reported by The New York Times a decade ago.

Yet who’s counting? What a buzz kill. The film title Cocaine Bear is funny unto itself.

Reviving smoking scenes alongside socially unacceptable behaviors, popular TV series such as “The Bear” and “The Materialist” portray chain-smoking characters with an allure reminiscent of the film-noir era. This isn’t about modern shows revisiting a nonchalant time when airplanes had ashtrays integrated into the armrests. Shows like “Mad Men” have long been off the air for a decade now.

Numerous dramas, documentaries, and movies showcase the dangerous consequences of using and dealing cocaine, leaving a sour aftertaste in one’s mouth. From “Narcos,” “El Chapo,” and “Breaking Bad” to popular Netflix series like “Cocaine Cowboys” and big-screen films such as “Scarface,” “Blow,” and “Casino,” it is clear that the portrayal of cocaine use isn’t meant to sell the substance. On television, however, snorting cocaine is often portrayed humorously. In TV shows, a celebration wouldn’t be complete without a big bash. A casual snort is even shown as a clever way to get things done quickly. This isn’t your typical Scorsese story of rise and fall.

It’s commonly used to resurrect comedic elements in shows (or performances) that have died down – it rises and falls again. In various aspects, an outrageous drug scene can tie up loose ends in a series’ plot. It’s a dependable tool for writers, often employed when a show needs to secure another season. When the writing team hits a creative roadblock, they might as well bring out the Bolivian marching powder.

Could it be a coincidence that Coke’s resurgence is happening under a seemingly conservative, hardline-on-crime administration headed by a president who doesn’t consume alcohol or drugs? It likely is, as these shows were penned prior to Trump’s re-election being assured. However, it’s quite reminiscent of the Reagan era, which was America’s last period of lavish spending, status preoccupation, and indulgent extravagance – an environment that shaped Trump’s reputation. Greed was admired, excess was tolerated, and cocaine was a driving force behind this culture.

In many current streaming series, a touch of nostalgia is present when characters engage in the act once called “the devil’s dandruff” by Gilda Radner. These characters are often rich and powerful individuals, frequently former high-ranking figures who resort to unethical means to regain their lost status and more. The use of cocaine seems appealing.

In the TV series The Studio, which has been renewed for a second season on Apple TV+, the character Bryan Cranston, a successful movie producer, finds himself in an unusual situation. After consuming a large amount of psychedelic mushrooms and attending a lavish Hollywood dinner (as described by Seth Rogen’s character as a “nerdy opportunist” studio executive), Cranston is in a highly intoxicated state. To help him present his upcoming film projects at a conference, his colleagues come up with an unconventional solution: they snort cocaine up his nose to wake him up. Rejuvenated and ready, Cranston delivers his presentation. In this fictional world, using cocaine appears to have no negative consequences, and his successful completion of the presentation is met with a standing ovation, making it seem as though he is being controlled like a puppet on a string.

In the most recent season of the Emmy-winning series “Hacks”, a similar scenario unfolds. A TikTok sensation, portrayed by Julianne Nicholson, is so heavily intoxicated that her team believes there’s no other choice but to give her significant lines for her performance, referred to as “GATOR TAILS!” An assistant exclaims, “BOOF her!” However, she isn’t actually given a substance in this way (slang for inserting something through an orifice other than the face). Instead, she manages to recover enough to perform alongside a celebrity guest on Deborah Vance’s show, acting as if she were a “Dance Mom.

(A “boofing” reference alone on a television show is gold, Jerry, gold!)

Apart from HBO’s series, “The Righteous Gemstones,” which frequently uses humor surrounding drug use, particularly cocaine, let’s talk about Brother Pastor Uncle Baby Billy Freeman, portrayed by Walton Goggins. His character is often seen with a pinky ring adorned like a clamshell, containing his stash. In one episode, Baby Billy presents an idea for a show to his family – it’s titled “Teenjus, short for Teen Jesus.” He claims he only requires “an eight ball and $2 million” to bring it to life. In another instance, before facing a beating, Baby Billy prays to the heavens, “Lord, God, bless this eight ball one last time to give me the strength to overcome these demons.” Despite his prayer, he still endures the beating. Quite amusing!

In the finale of the eighth episode of Apple TV+’s dramedy series “Your Friends & Neighbors,” starring Jon Hamm, affectionately dubbed the “eight-ball” episode, there’s a lively boys’ night out gathering depicted. The scene makes a boisterous party appear incredibly appealing, as experiencing it vicariously spares one from the subsequent hangover. However, the episode concludes with the three principal characters sprawled on a golf course in the dark, with an overturned cart nearby… what a fabulous party indeed! This event seems to pave the way for Hamm’s character, “Coop,” the former hedge fund manager turned burglar, to have another chance in season two.

The title of that episode is “When Did We Turn Into These People?” – this is a nod to the opening lines of Jay McInerney’s novel, Bright Lights, Big City, which was heavily influenced by cocaine and defined the Reagan era. To help clarify the reference, Hamm is shown dozing by the pool with a copy of that book open on his chest.

In June, Amazon Prime released a comedy titled “Deep Cover” that features a humorous cocaine scene. The story revolves around three improv actors, headed by Orlando Bloom, who are hired by a narcotics squad and find themselves in over their heads. A drug lord mistakes one of the actors, who had never taken drugs before, for asking for a small amount when he says “a bump.” Thinking he wants more, the drug lord makes him consume three large amounts, leading to chaos.

Entertainers have often found humor in the drug’s quirks while also recognizing its dangers. On a talk show before his death in 2014, Robin Williams made light of his addiction, saying, “What an amazing drug! Any drug that makes you paranoid and unable to perform? What fun can one have?” More recently, on his popular podcast last year, Theo Von spoke candidly about recovery with Trump. He warned Trump, “Cocaine will turn you into a nocturnal owl, man. You’ll become your own street lamp.

Before streaming services made it possible to break free from the traditional rules of TV comedy, it would have been challenging to find a storyline involving cocaine in a sitcom. Think about the cast of Seinfeld dealing drugs with ketchup containers at Monk’s Cafe, or the Friends characters secretly using the bathroom at Central Perk – something we now know was not too far from reality given Matthew Perry’s personal challenges off-set.

Movies have always been unique in their storytelling. One notable instance of drug humor can be traced back to Woody Allen’s sneeze into a bag of untouched narcotics in “Annie Hall” from 1977. Similarly, the 1993 film “True Romance,” directed by Tony Scott and written by Quentin Tarantino, featured a scene reminiscent of the drug-related chaos in “Annie Hall.” In this scene, Elliot, portrayed by Bronson Pinchot, is driving his open-top Porsche at a speed that exceeds the 15 mph limit on Mulholland Drive with a girl in his lap. As police lights appear behind him, he has an abundance of drugs with him. He implores her to hide it, but she refuses. Instead, when he calls her a profanity, she throws the bag at him. With his face powdered by cocaine, all he can do is present the officers with a “search me?” smile.

In a conversation with The Hollywood Reporter, Pinchot shared that there wasn’t even the slightest hint of worry about the cocaine scene appearing inappropriate, as it was actually represented by sifted flour. He pointed out that the concept of political correctness hadn’t taken shape yet at that time.

Pinchot declares that he has never used cocaine or even witnessed it, but he finds the discussion about cocaine amusingly outdated, similar to the sensationalistic movie poster for ‘Reefer Madness.’

We’ll need to be patient until the upcoming season of the always innovative “White Lotus” to find out if there will still be traces of cocaine or if it loses its appeal when everyone partakes.

The story you’re reading was published in the July 9 edition of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. If you’d like to receive future issues, consider subscribing.

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2025-07-10 19:55