Sumith Prasad
The episodes of Apple TV+’s crime drama series ‘Bad Monkey’ feature WZPZ, a television network that broadcasts regular weather updates with the host Heather. Andrew Yancy comes across the channel when he talks about the severed hand with his friend, Keith Fitzpatrick, the boat captain who brings the body part to the land. The channel becomes part of Rosa’s storyline through her sister, who works as Heather’s makeup artist. Towards the end of the third episode, Eve Stripling watches the network after Heather goes mysteriously missing. Interestingly, WZPZ has appeared in several movies and TV shows. However, it does not mean that we can tune into the network ourselves!
WZPZ is a Fictional TV and Radio Channel
Over the years, films and TV shows have used fictional TV and radio channels/stations in scenes that are set or feature such networks. WZPZ is one among them. The particular channel is featured in several high-profile projects, starting with ‘Iron Man 3.’ In the superhero movie, WZPZ is a channel based in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Tony Stark uses the station’s satellite-equipped van to find Mandarin with Gary’s permission. In FOX’s superhero series ‘Gotham,’ WZPZ is a radio station rather than a television channel. In the sixteenth episode of the fourth series, there is a scene in which James “Jim” Gordon apprehends Jervis Tetch/Mad Hatter at the radio station.
Similarly, in Amazon Studios’ comedy-drama film ‘Troop Zero,’ WZPZ is a radio station that is specifically dedicated to rock and roll music. The radio channel plays the work of David Bowie in the “Wilderness Survival Badge” scene. Disney Channel’s teen sitcom ‘The Suite Life of Zack & Cody’ is another example. Netflix’s globally renowned political series ‘House of Cards’ features WZPZ as a radio station based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. In one of the episodes, Corey Stoll’s Peter Russo, a Congressman, gives an interview to the channel ahead of his governor election. Furthermore, WZPZ is not the only fictional TV/radio channel that features regularly in films and shows.
There are more than fifty fictional television and radio networks used extensively in productions of various kinds. KACL in NBC’s sitcom ‘Frasier’ is an iconic example. A major part of the entire series is set in the radio station, similar to how WNYX is integral to the narrative of another NBC show, ‘NewsRadio.’ WKRP in CBS’ ‘WKRP in Cincinnati’ and Syndication’s ‘The New WKRP in Cincinnati’ can also be named among the most popular fictional channels. Interestingly, after the broadcasts of these two shows, a real FM station named WKRP was launched in Raleigh, North Carolina. The existence of the fictional KBHR can be traced to CBS’ comedy-drama series ‘Northern Exposure.’
The legendary animated sitcom ‘The Simpsons’ features several similar channels, such as KBBL and KFSL. The narrative of the 2007 horror film ‘Resident Evil: Extinction’ includes KLKB, which is based in Salt Lake City, Utah. WZPZ in ‘Bad Monkey’ must have been created to place Heather in the narrative. Her disappearance in the third episode makes it clear that the character has a mysterious relevance to Andrew Yancy’s storyline, which is expected to be explored in the upcoming episodes.
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