Factory farming isn’t an entertaining topic — sadness- and guilt-provoking, yes, but not something you settle in to think about on a Friday night. But Chipotle (of all things) might be changing all that with Farmed and Dangerous, a four-part miniseries airing on Hulu on Feb. 17.
The web series takes on Big Ag, presenting a fictitious dilemma: A major beef producer starts feeding its cattle petroleum-based chow, but a cow explodes, and the security footage of the explosion goes viral. Enter the creepy dad from Twin Peaks (Ray Wise) as an Olivia Pope-style fixer who tries to smooth the scandal over, even going so far as to pimp out his daughter to the cute activist farmer who leaked the video. There’s even a Matt Damon joke!
It looks … good. Like “I’d totally watch that” good. But we can’t help but be a little skeptical. Is this the new advertising, pitting viewers and Chipotle on the same underdoggish team against a huge, evil villain we can defeat simply by eating more burrito bowls? Chipotle explains:
So why did we make “Farmed and Dangerous”? It’s not every day that a restaurant produces an original series. The answer comes down to the fact that at Chipotle, we’re dedicated to raising awareness about alternatives to factory farming. “Farmed and Dangerous” addresses issues we feel strongly about, and we hope viewers come away with a smile as well as questions about where our food comes from.
Hmm. We’ll be watching you, Chipotle! Literally.
