Why must every TV show and movie be a musical now?

I love musicals. I’ve reviewed them on Broadway for years and have been a fan all my life.They are, in my opinion, an irresistible art form that America has singularly perfected.That undeniable soft spot for the genre, however, does not mean that I long for singing and dancing to grand jeté into every damn thing. And yet, TV and film writers and directors have a very different view.

There is a growing infatuation with shoving ballads and jazz squares into television series and movies like a teapot into an overpacked suitcase.Aka, we don’t really need them.Songs in a DC Studios sequel about a murderous psychopathic clown? Sure! In Oscar bait that centers around a Mexican drug dealer who transitions into a woman? Sí! In a Marvel show depicting a quirky coven of witches? Something tuneful this way comes.Actors in “Joker: Folie à Deux,” Netflix’s “Emilia Perez” and Disney+’s “Agatha All Along” are belting like they’re gunning for a Tony Award.Why, God, why is everything suddenly a musical? Has Hollywood grown weary of that old warhorse of interpersonal communication — talking? Is the entertainment industry attempting to appeal to Millennials who were reared on “High School Musical” and “Glee” and have kicked traditional media to the curb in favor of YouTube clips? Whatever the reason, the takeaway at the end credits is almost always, “That was nice, but I could’ve used less singing.”Music is moderation is OK.

Having a ditty pop up out of nowhere was once an escapist surprise.The 2001 “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” musical episode “Once More, With Feeling” is a famous example.“The Drew Carey Show,” about oddball Clevelandites, had some memorable group dances from “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” and “How to Succeed In Business Without Really Trying.” “Ally McBeal” and “The Simpsons” loved them some razzle-dazzle.But none of those programs were conceived around a hummable score and choreography, and ...