Television Fiction Research Articles

Video games in selected African novels: playing intermediality in manifold ways

This essay explores the interactions between video games and four African novels. I argue that representations of video games in African fiction are instances of digital intermediality which deserve attention alongside other more widely studied digital-literary interactions. At stake in novelistic representations of video games, I suggest, are not merely the virtual worlds produced by video game software, but also the embodied experience of playing them, an aspect that video games scholar Brendon Keogh has argued is crucial to understanding how games produce meaning. This understanding of game-playing as an embodied world-building practice informs an analysis of two pairs of writers: Pepetela and In Koli Jean Bofane, and Tendai Huchu and Masande Ntshanga. Pepetela and Bofane deploy fictional video games as part of ironic critiques of neocolonialism. In so doing, they echo common conceptions of video games as dangerously isolating of the player or as excessively violent. Huchu and Ntshanga draw on their childhood experiences of games and depict them as meaningful components of the social existences of their young protagonists. In providing an analysis of representations of video games in contemporary African novels, the essay suggests directions for future discussions of this increasingly common intermedial interaction.

Periodismo, género y televisión: la imagen de las mujeres periodistas en las series estadounidenses (1988-2022)

Over the decades, the film industry has perpetuated certain narrative paradigms and stereotypes about female journalists. Some of these have been transferred to television fiction, where such portrayals have been updated with new archetypes. The aim of this research is to determine the way female journalists are portrayed in US fictional series. To this end, an analysis has been carried out regarding eight series broadcast between 1988 and 2022, which focus on journalism, featuring women as the protagonists who work in the profession. A diachronic perspective has been taken, which allows us to see the evolution of these stereotypes over more than three decades. In this way, it is possible to observe changes in archetypes as well those that persist, and to show evidence of social progress related to the diverse portrayals of women journalists.

“Post-Pandemic Political Television and the End of One Day at a Time”

This article analyzes “The Politics Episode” of One Day at a Time, an animated very special episode produced and aired during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. I focus on two aspects that prompt broader considerations about the role of scripted television in responding to pressing social issues. First, I demonstrate how the episode’s narrative structure appeals to democratic deliberation as an idealized form of conflict resolution. Second, I consider how its production and airing timeline responded to—and failed to account for—the current events its narrative attempted to incorporate. Although the disjuncture between these two elements demonstrate the pitfalls for fictional television to address social issues in a time of constant crisis, I conclude by proposing that these “failures” can also serve to illustrate a specific “post-pandemic” structure-of-feeling, one where futures are perpetually deferred and where dealing with new social realities requires constant speculative iterations.

Resolution of Family Conflicts in Fiction: A Comparative Study of TV Series from China and the United States

The main objective of this research paper is to conduct a comparative cross-cultural analysis of family conflicts in two distinct cultural contexts, as represented in television fiction from China and the United States. The author focuses on conflicts arising within families and portrayed in television series in both countries. To achieve this, a systematic and objective content analysis method is employed, examining family conflict situations presented in the narratives of these television productions. The results indicate that, for the most part, conflicts are resolved positively, reflecting the typical trend in television fiction to seek a happy ending, especially in commercial series. However, cultural variabilities are also observed in the paths each region has taken to reach these conclusions.

Spirituality and people with psychosis: A content analysis of influential primetime television programs.

This mixed methods study examined depictions of spirituality among people with psychosis in influential television programming. Spirituality is a central strength for many people with psychosis. Yet, despite the important role media plays in shaping perceptions, little research has examined the intersection between spirituality and psychosis in the popular media. To address this gap, we conducted a content analysis of the 50 most viewed primetime fictional television shows over a 10-year period as determined by the Nielsen rating organization. Characters with psychosis were identified via keyword searches of online sources (Wikis, IMDb, etc.) and subsequently independently coded by two individuals. Characters were rated on 18 items in three domains related to demographics, life status, and character framing. Inter-rater reliability ranged from good to excellent across variables. Of 120 identified characters with psychosis, just 16% (n = 19) had a spiritual identity. Analysis revealed few differences between spiritual and secular characters on demographic and life status variables. Conversely, an examination of framing variables revealed spiritual characters were comparatively less attractive, exhibited a greater negative impact on society, and were more likely to be referred to pejoratively (as a psychopath) and engage in criminal activity. Trend analysis indicated portrayals of spiritual characters decreased over time. The results suggest media depictions of spirituality contribute to the stigmatization of spirituality among people with psychosis, potentially preventing access to important coping resources and discouraging professional help-seeking. Primary care physicians should consider incorporating a spiritual assessment into care to determine spiritual coping assets and then support these.

Panoramic Analysis of the State of the Art in Studies of Brazilian Serial Comic Television Fiction

O presente artigo propõe-se a realizar uma análise panorâmica das publicações científico-acadêmicas sobre a ficção seriada cômica brasileira, com foco especial no gênero denominado sitcom. A metodologia empregada foi a pesquisa exploratória, visando construir um estado da arte sobre esse tema. A seleção dos trabalhos mais relevantes baseou-se em uma busca por palavras-chave relacionadas ao objeto, seguida pela leitura exploratória de seus resumos para coletar os mais pertinentes para o estudo em questão. Três desses trabalhos foram eleitos para uma leitura mais aprofundada, contribuindo para compor um panorama abrangente dos estudos acadêmicos nacionais sobre sitcoms e identificar lacunas existentes nesse campo.

Journalistic Practices in Difficult Times: The Cases of Fictional Television Series Borgen and El Caso in Denmark and Spain

This study sets out to understand how journalism is represented in the Danish fiction series Borgen and the Spanish series El Caso: Crónica de Sucesos. The aim is to provide an understanding of how journalism is conceptualized in non-American fiction. Through textual analysis, we found out that Borgen (years 2010 and up) represents a generational and evolutionary conflict in which journalistic values are restrained by political and commercial imperatives reflecting challenges in Danish journalism. As such, this series criticizes the free press myth—commonly found in American fiction series. El Caso (1960s) also engages with this myth through the representation of journalism practices embedded in Spain’s Francoist regime that balance public and political-religious interests. However, El Caso smooths over this conflict to illustrate how journalists cleverly overcame the censorship of the Catholic church. Both series explore the gendered and cultural obstacles of their respective contexts and eras.

Cli-fi videos can increase charitable donations: experimental evidence from the United Kingdom.

Recent research has begun to investigate if climate fiction, or cli-fi, can increase people's support for pro-climate initiatives. Emerging evidence focuses on whether cli-fi stories affect people's self-reported emotions, attitudes, and intentions. Few studies, however, examine the effect of such stories on revealed behavior, and whether the cli-fi story medium, i.e., whether stories are presented in text, audio, or audio-visual format, matters. We investigate the causal effect of cli-fi stories, and the medium through which they are communicated (textual, audio, or audio-visual) on self-reported support for climate policy, individual and collective action intentions, and a revealed measure of charitable donations. In a pre-registered online experiment (n = 1,085 UK adults), participants were randomly assigned to one of 5 conditions - to read scientific information about climate change (scientific information condition), read a story unrelated to the environment (control), read a cli-fi story in which a protagonist took intentional pro-environmental actions (fiction text), listen to the same cli-fi story in audio format (fiction audio), or watch an animation of the cli-fi story (fiction video). When comparing the fiction-text, fact-text, and control conditions, we found that cli-fi stories are not always more effective than alternative climate communications: participants in the fact-text condition reported higher support for climate policies, and intentions of taking individual environmental actions, and negative feelings of sadness, disappointment, and guilt, compared to the text-based control and cli-fi text condition. When comparing the cli-fi media format, we found that cli-fi videos were most effective in increasing pro-environmental charitable donations in an incentivized choice task, and self-reported feelings of happiness, hope, and inspiration. The findings show that scientific information about the climate and climate-fiction have an important place in the climate communications toolkit and can offer distinct pathways to enhance support for policy and behavioral change. Communicators seeking to inspire individual pro-environmental actions can consider telling cli-fi stories in video, which may be more compelling. And communicators seeking to enhance public support for societal changes, via climate policies, may benefit from disseminating scientific information about climate change.

Upload, Cyber-Spirituality and the Quest for Immortality in Contemporary Science-Fiction Film and Television

As a genre, science fiction has long played with the idea of all-powerful virtual beings and explored notions of transcendence through technological advancements. It has also been at the forefront of exploring our anxieties and hopes regarding new technologies and the ethical and moral consequences of scientific advancement, raising deeply philosophical and theological concerns about an age-old question, namely: what makes us distinct as human beings and what lies beyond our own existence? This article aims to provide an overview of recent themes that have emerged in science fiction film and television, especially with regard to extending our lives beyond their natural biological age. As the article will outline, these ideas generally appear in notions of cyborgization or mind uploading into cyberspace. Both indicate a deeply human desire to avoid death, and the films and shows discussed in this article offer a range of different ideas on this. As we will see, the final case study, the Amazon Prime television show Upload (2020–), brings both of these elements together, touching on a broad range of ideas about cyber-spirituality along the way. The article concludes that although many shows raise interesting questions about the ethical challenges inherent in transhumanist fantasies of mind uploading, they ultimately remain ambiguous in their critique of the dream of digital immortality.

‘I Am they.’ Non-Binary Representation in Television Fiction as a Manifestation of Social Conceptions

ABSTRACT This qualitative research uses a case study to observe non-binary representation in TV fiction. The Dan character from the Spanish series HIT (RTVE, 2020–present), who is the first openly non-binary character in Spanish TV fiction, is analyzed through the lens of Queer Media Studies. The research applies a combination of content and discourse analysis. Qualitative content categories include a character’s visibility, identity, relevance, embodiment, and social interaction. Discourse analysis categories include character’s construction, lexicalization, propositional framing, and focus. Results show that Dan’s non-binary depiction revolves around three significant axes: dualism, confusion, and exceptional talent. These axes frame social attitudes toward non-binary people and are composed by a set of features identified in Dan’s case which also informs society’s mind-sets. These traits are proposed as an analytical-theoretical tool for further analyses of non-binary representation in different cultural contexts. The outcomes of this research may inform audiovisual industries, regulations and academia, and are useful to consolidate non-binary media studies.

Migrant arrests and deportations on fictional television during the Trump era (2017–2021): from tokenistic storytelling to narrative activism

ABSTRACT This article is a comparative analysis discussing the representation of migrant deportations, apprehensions, and raids by ICE in contemporary US television and streaming. The depiction of migration issues was a narrative and rhetorical constant in some fictional US television shows during the Donald Trump presidency (2017–2021), dramatizing the struggles of undocumented and newly arrived migrants and their families. These shows, which range from drama to comedy, include, among numerous others, Netflix’s Orange is the New Black and Gentefied, the reboot of Party of Five (produced by Sony Pictures Television for Disney’s cable channel Freeform), Vida (STARZ), and Superstore (NBC). This article argues some of these shows enact a form of narrative activism to denounce or put the spotlight on the plight of millions, while others use these types of narratives in an opportunistic way that falls into the cultural practice of tokenism . In these series, the ethnic origin and life story of the talent in front and behind the camera is key for self-representation and authenticity.

A critical qualitative content analysis of media representations of underrepresented groups in the context of health identity

Information accuracy is imperative for the media representation regardless of what information or context is. A variety of health-related information is conveyed to viewers through television news and entertainment programs, which include but not restrict to the information about healthcare structure and health professionals, knowledge regarding general health issues, specific illnesses, or topics, and health-promoting behaviors. It is crucial to examine what messages viewers perceive through television programs given the impact on their perceptions, expectations, and actions in reality. Apart from the portrayal of health information, the framing of characters within a context can significantly contribute to the understanding of how exposure to media influences viewers’ lives. By conducting a critical content analysis, this qualitative study has explored media portrayals of individuals from underrepresented groups within the context of health in a fictional medical television drama. The findings provide a critical understanding of media exposure on how viewers perceive the social positioning of underrepresented groups in the context of health identity. Portrayals of underrepresented groups are understood through the discourses of condescension, cultural appropriation, stereotyping, and negativity.

Neo-anachronism? The coiled temporalities of South-South media flows

This article mobilizes Jesus Martín Barbero’s magnum opus, Communication, Culture, and Hegemony, towards a better understanding of the contemporary global success of Turkish television drama, known as dizi, in Latin America, the land of the once-mighty telenovela. Hilighting Martín-Barbero’s centrality to my own intellectual project on the transnational connection and transcultural resonances between the Middle East and Latin America, I draw on preliminary fieldwork in Argentina and Mexico, where Turkish dizi have been hits, to revisit Martín-Barbero’s pivotal conceptualization of mediaciones and accounts for forces of global media competition, aesthetic mimicry, and the fundamental problematic of South-to-South relations that got a new lease on life with the success of dizi in Latin America. Ultimately, I probe Martín-Barbero’s “precious anachronism” to elaborate a notion of “coiled temporality” that emerges between different geocultural zones through the consumption of narrative television fiction.

What affects perceived quality? An examination of television fiction series

With the number of television series increasing almost daily and resources becoming increasingly sparse, it is more important than ever for companies to determine which series will have market success or not. This paper attempts to identify the characteristics of television fiction series that cause consumers to perceive them as being of high quality. In a nation-wide survey, we surveyed 874 television viewers about ten series from four genres to investigate which characteristics of television series predict consumers’ perception of their quality. Although in most cases the coherence of the plot and the dialogues have a strong and positive effect on perceived quality, overall, we find that different genres have different predictors of perceived quality. We discuss the implications of our findings and provide recommendations for future research and practice.

Gendered framing and victim-blaming in fictional sexual assault survivor portrayals

ABSTRACT Evidence of victim-blaming has become a reoccurring feature in media portrayals of female sexual assault survivors, but considerably less attention has been devoted to victim-blaming in portrayals of male survivors. This study explores how framing of portrayals and potential presentations of rape myths in fictional television dramas differ based on gender of the survivor in the same fictional television program. Data was collected and analyzed using a content analysis of fictionalized sexual assault experiences in 41 episodes of 13 Reasons Why and 20 episodes of Law & Order: SVU, two widely consumed programs depicting sexual assault. Findings indicate improvement, to some extent, in reducing the level of victim-blaming of survivors in television drama episodes airing in the post #MeToo era. Despite improvement, the continued emphasis of notions present in common male and female rape myths, even following #MeToo, make it imperative to understand how these types of portrayals may be influencing viewers’ perceptions of sexual assault survivors.

‘Fast-paced,' ‘snakey' and ‘commercial': How American student audiences make sense of representations of journalism in fictional television series

This study set out to understand how student audiences make sense of fictional representations of journalism in television series. To do so, we conducted five focus groups with American students. First, participants expressed a need for more diversity in representations of journalism in terms of narratives and characters as they see fiction as a complementary source of information on the profession. They relied on non-fictional reference media, normative journalistic discourses, and if applicable, experiences with working in (school) newsrooms to make sense of these representations. Second, they discussed how public opinion on journalism is influenced by fiction and consequently fear that one-sided and stereotypical representations of journalism contribute to increasing the already low levels of mistrust in U.S. news media. This fear was also found to be gendered as the participants expressed concerns about the stereotypical representation of female and minority journalists as “bitchy” and “promiscuous.” This manuscript puts forward journalism fiction as a metajournalistic discourse in which non-fictional and fictional journalism blur in confounding ways.

Book Review: A European television fiction renaissance: Premium production models and transnational circulation

Book Review: A European television fiction renaissance: Premium production models and transnational circulation

Inheriting a dynasty: Family succession dramas and the moral economy of Downton Abbey

The role of inherited or family wealth in reproducing and even exacerbating wealth inequalities has been addressed in various studies in recent years. Bringing together representation studies with studies on cultural and moral economies, this article analyses how cultural norms indispensable to the preservation of dynastic wealth are negotiated through contemporary popular culture and television series. It introduces the concept of family succession drama, referring to television fiction that focuses on issues concerning intergenerational transmission of wealth and/or privileges and analyses the series Downton Abbey as a case study for interrogating the ambiguous affirmation of inherited wealth and dynastic privileges in a historical melodrama. By focusing on Downton Abbey, the article considers how hereditary rights and dynastic privileges are negotiated in a heritage drama in ways that also enable the legitimation of contemporary dynasty-making. While acknowledging the anxieties caused by class differences, Downton Abbey nevertheless affirms the necessity for various hereditary privileges and fortunes, thereby excluding any true alternatives for (contemporary) dynastic dynamics.

Latin American Prototypes of Prostitutes and Wives in the Miniseries “Amorteamo”: Reinforced Continuities and Rupture Attempts

The article focuses on the Brazilian miniseries “Amorteamo” as its empirical object, discussing Latin American melodramatic prototypes of the prostitute and the wife. The main objective is to identify reinforced continuities and rupture attempts in the analyzed melodramatic images. The literature review and theoretical framework address studies on the representation of prostitutes and wives in television fiction, with a specific focus on the melodramatic prototypes discussed by Oroz and Cassano Iturri. The methodology adopts a multimethod perspective, examining descriptive and interpretive dimensions, as well as the visual and sound aspects of the analyzed scenes. The findings highlight the intrinsic contradictions of television melodrama, particularly evident in three characters: Dora, the prostitute (in her suicide as a reinforced continuity of moral punishment and the “deserved” fate in the world of prostitution), and Lena and Arlinda, the wives (in their symbolic attempts to break away from the traditional “happily ever after” theme that pervades their marital lives).

Impact of Television Depictions of Gout on Perceptions of Illness: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Gout is a chronic disease that can be effectively managed with long-term urate-lowering therapy. However, it is frequently portrayed on screen as an acute disease caused by a poor diet that should be managed with lifestyle changes. This study was undertaken to investigate the impact of a fictional television depiction of gout on perceptions of the disease and its management. In a randomized controlled single-blind study, 200 members of the public watched either a 19-minute commercial television comedy episode that depicted gout as an acute disease caused by poor diet and managed with lifestyle changes, or a control episode from the same television series that did not mention gout or other diseases. Participants completed a survey regarding their perceptions of gout, its likely causes, and management strategies. Participants randomized to watch the gout-related episode believed gout had greater consequences (mean score of 7.1 versus 6.2 on an 11-point Likert scale; P < 0.001) and were more likely to rank the most important cause as poor eating habits compared to the control group (70% versus 38%; P < 0.001). They were also less likely to believe it is caused by genetic factors or chance. Participants watching the gout-related episode believed a change in diet would be a more effective management strategy (9.0 versus 8.4; P=0.004) and long-term medication use would be less effective (6.9 versus 7.6; P=0.007) compared to participants in the control group. Television depictions of gout can perpetuate inaccurate beliefs regarding causes of the disease and underemphasize effective medical strategies required in chronic disease management.