Similarities in adaptations of scripted television formats: The global and the local in transnational television culture

Abstract

The current rise in the circulation of audiovisual products has led to the transnational convergence of industry practices, quality standards and language conventions, which may affect the diversity of television discourses and representations worldwide. The present research identifies the similarities in Scripted Television Formats (STF) produced in different cultural contexts by undertaking a case study of the Spanish fictional STF, Los Misterios de Laura, and its US and Italian adaptations. Using a qualitative analysis model that was designed for this study, the context and script of the three adaptations are observed. The results show that the similarities between the versions are related to three aspects: the specific traits that characterize the series as a television format, the process of searching for equivalences among cultural contexts, and the use of audiovisual language with a certain universal value. The study concludes that it is the similarities between STF contents that best describe the tension between local and global aspects.