Pub Date : 2026-02-09DOI: 10.1177/17496020261424418
James Walters
This ‘Provocation’ explores potential barriers to access in Television Studies in the UK. I consider the rising costs of studying television, and the ways in which this might impact upon different groups in higher education. I propose that unacknowledged pressure may be placed upon scholars and students already experiencing precarity and that, in turn, this has the potential to prevent or discourage engagement in Television Studies. Relatedly, I ask whether a complex financial burden of studying television has implications for the intellectual coherence of the discipline, leading to fragmentation.
{"title":"Provocation: The silent cost of television studies?","authors":"James Walters","doi":"10.1177/17496020261424418","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/17496020261424418","url":null,"abstract":"This ‘Provocation’ explores potential barriers to access in Television Studies in the UK. I consider the rising costs of studying television, and the ways in which this might impact upon different groups in higher education. I propose that unacknowledged pressure may be placed upon scholars and students already experiencing precarity and that, in turn, this has the potential to prevent or discourage engagement in Television Studies. Relatedly, I ask whether a complex financial burden of studying television has implications for the intellectual coherence of the discipline, leading to fragmentation.","PeriodicalId":51917,"journal":{"name":"Critical Studies in Television","volume":"4 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2026-02-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146153481","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"艺术学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-02DOI: 10.1177/17496020251412752
Amy Boyle, Alexander Beare, Robert Boucaut, Marion McCutcheon, Damien John O’Meara, Sue Turnbull, Elke Weissmann
In the age of the Anthropocene, television can play a key role in shifting ideologies. However, achieving this is difficult when television continues to operate as a ‘site struggle’ – pulled between complex negotiations of capital and culture. If in the 20th century, scholars were interested in teasing out the value(s) of television to argue for its potential contribution to socio-cultural transformation, in the 21st century, questions of television’s value(s) and potentialities have become even more critical – and vexing. This dossier brings together the research and reflections of scholars variously tackling questions of television’s value in the contemporary moment.
{"title":"Dossier: Sites of struggle: Television’s cultural and economic value","authors":"Amy Boyle, Alexander Beare, Robert Boucaut, Marion McCutcheon, Damien John O’Meara, Sue Turnbull, Elke Weissmann","doi":"10.1177/17496020251412752","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/17496020251412752","url":null,"abstract":"In the age of the Anthropocene, television can play a key role in shifting ideologies. However, achieving this is difficult when television continues to operate as a ‘site struggle’ – pulled between complex negotiations of capital and culture. If in the 20th century, scholars were interested in teasing out the value(s) of television to argue for its potential contribution to socio-cultural transformation, in the 21st century, questions of television’s value(s) and potentialities have become even more critical – and vexing. This dossier brings together the research and reflections of scholars variously tackling questions of television’s value in the contemporary moment.","PeriodicalId":51917,"journal":{"name":"Critical Studies in Television","volume":"70 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2026-01-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145893707","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"艺术学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-27DOI: 10.1177/17496020251412258
Åsa Kroon
This study explores disability representation in the transnational television crime drama Midsomer Murders (1997-present). It focuses on Lana who has a partial right arm and how she is positioned as a central figure in the Christmas 2023 episode. The analysis reveals a complex and contradictory pattern of interwoven ableist and anti-ableist ideas. Even though negative stereotypes are avoided, Lana’s portrayal is simultaneously visually and emotionally conditioned to avoid alienating audiences. The study speaks to critical scholars across disciplines with a broad interest in the fictional television crime drama and its abilities to communicate social (diversity) issues.
{"title":"Disability representation in the ITV crime drama Midsomer Murders : A balance between audience acceptance and alienation","authors":"Åsa Kroon","doi":"10.1177/17496020251412258","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/17496020251412258","url":null,"abstract":"This study explores disability representation in the transnational television crime drama <jats:italic toggle=\"yes\">Midsomer Murders</jats:italic> (1997-present). It focuses on Lana who has a partial right arm and how she is positioned as a central figure in the Christmas 2023 episode. The analysis reveals a complex and contradictory pattern of interwoven ableist and anti-ableist ideas. Even though negative stereotypes are avoided, Lana’s portrayal is simultaneously visually and emotionally conditioned to avoid alienating audiences. The study speaks to critical scholars across disciplines with a broad interest in the fictional television crime drama and its abilities to communicate social (diversity) issues.","PeriodicalId":51917,"journal":{"name":"Critical Studies in Television","volume":"8 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2025-12-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145836010","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"艺术学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-13DOI: 10.1177/17496020251406081
Deniz Kablan, Emel Öztürk
This study explores how Turkish history-themed dramas like Diriliş: Ertuğrul [ Resurrection: Ertuğrul ] and Payitaht: Abdülhamid [ The Capital: Abdulhamid ] reconstruct history, shaping socio-political narratives. Using thematic content analysis, it examines selected episodes to identify recurring themes. The findings reveal that history is mediated through populist narratives emphasizing leadership and unity, collective nostalgia invoking the Ottoman heritage, and identity framing reinforcing socio-political ideologies. These dramas function ideologically within Turkey’s mediatized cultural and political environment. This study contributes to understanding the ideological functions of history-themed dramas within Turkey’s mediatized cultural and political landscape, offering a framework for interdisciplinary analyses of media and historiography.
{"title":"Reconstructing history in mediatized reality: The Turkish TV dramas Diriliş: Ertuğrul and Payitaht: Abdülhamid","authors":"Deniz Kablan, Emel Öztürk","doi":"10.1177/17496020251406081","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/17496020251406081","url":null,"abstract":"This study explores how Turkish history-themed dramas like <jats:italic toggle=\"yes\">Diriliş: Ertuğrul</jats:italic> [ <jats:italic toggle=\"yes\">Resurrection: Ertuğrul</jats:italic> ] and <jats:italic toggle=\"yes\">Payitaht: Abdülhamid</jats:italic> [ <jats:italic toggle=\"yes\">The Capital: Abdulhamid</jats:italic> ] reconstruct history, shaping socio-political narratives. Using thematic content analysis, it examines selected episodes to identify recurring themes. The findings reveal that history is mediated through populist narratives emphasizing leadership and unity, collective nostalgia invoking the Ottoman heritage, and identity framing reinforcing socio-political ideologies. These dramas function ideologically within Turkey’s mediatized cultural and political environment. This study contributes to understanding the ideological functions of history-themed dramas within Turkey’s mediatized cultural and political landscape, offering a framework for interdisciplinary analyses of media and historiography.","PeriodicalId":51917,"journal":{"name":"Critical Studies in Television","volume":"29 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2025-12-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145746669","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"艺术学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-08DOI: 10.1177/17496020251404936
Susanne Eichner
This study examines the articulation of Britishness to young German audiences through crime and period dramas, as well as the role Britishness occupies within their marketing strategies. Employing textual, genre, and promotional analyses of Midsomer Murders, Sherlock, Killing Eve, Downton Abbey, Peaky Blinders , and Bridgerton , Britishness is conceptualised as a fluid, genre-specific signifier within transnational cultural exchange and as a promotional strategy. By balancing heritage with modernity, these dramas exemplify how national identity is a flexible asset in global content flows. This fluidity highlights the enduring significance of nationhood as a marker of cultural identity and competitive differentiation within global media markets.
{"title":"The articulation of Britishness on German screens: From Barnaby to Bridgerton","authors":"Susanne Eichner","doi":"10.1177/17496020251404936","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/17496020251404936","url":null,"abstract":"This study examines the articulation of Britishness to young German audiences through crime and period dramas, as well as the role Britishness occupies within their marketing strategies. Employing textual, genre, and promotional analyses of <jats:italic toggle=\"yes\">Midsomer Murders, Sherlock, Killing Eve, Downton Abbey, Peaky Blinders</jats:italic> , and <jats:italic toggle=\"yes\">Bridgerton</jats:italic> , Britishness is conceptualised as a fluid, genre-specific signifier within transnational cultural exchange and as a promotional strategy. By balancing heritage with modernity, these dramas exemplify how national identity is a flexible asset in global content flows. This fluidity highlights the enduring significance of nationhood as a marker of cultural identity and competitive differentiation within global media markets.","PeriodicalId":51917,"journal":{"name":"Critical Studies in Television","volume":"38 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2025-12-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145704030","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"艺术学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-02DOI: 10.1177/17496020251404332
Miriam Berg, Merfat Alardawi, Noura Al Obeidli
This article explores how young audiences in Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates engage with Turkish television serials ( dizi ) within a fragmented digital media environment shaped by international streaming platforms and algorithmically curated social media. Drawing on exploratory, participant-led focus groups, the study examines how participants interact with Turkish serials produced as international streaming originals in comparison to traditional Turkish broadcast serials. Participants expressed a clear preference for broadcast dizi , which they described as emotionally compelling, culturally proximate, and reflective of what this study terms culturally sanctioned fantasy. These are narrative spaces that enable emotionally engaging yet culturally appropriate storytelling. In contrast, Turkish streaming originals were often viewed as emotionally detached and culturally distant. This response reflects an inverse cultural discount effect, in which narratives lose their appeal when reformatted for global audiences. Social media platforms, particularly TikTok and Instagram, played a central role in content discovery, often promoting episodic, short-form engagement. To describe this mode of viewing, the article introduces the analytical term cultural skimming, which captures the fragmented and algorithmically driven nature of serial engagement. These findings contribute to ongoing debates on cultural proximity, mediated authenticity, and transnational media reception within contemporary digital viewing practices.
{"title":"Cultural skimming, authenticity, and streaming preferences: Turkish serials ( dizi ) among young audiences in Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE","authors":"Miriam Berg, Merfat Alardawi, Noura Al Obeidli","doi":"10.1177/17496020251404332","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/17496020251404332","url":null,"abstract":"This article explores how young audiences in Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates engage with Turkish television serials ( <jats:italic toggle=\"yes\">dizi</jats:italic> ) within a fragmented digital media environment shaped by international streaming platforms and algorithmically curated social media. Drawing on exploratory, participant-led focus groups, the study examines how participants interact with Turkish serials produced as international streaming originals in comparison to traditional Turkish broadcast serials. Participants expressed a clear preference for broadcast <jats:italic toggle=\"yes\">dizi</jats:italic> , which they described as emotionally compelling, culturally proximate, and reflective of what this study terms culturally sanctioned fantasy. These are narrative spaces that enable emotionally engaging yet culturally appropriate storytelling. In contrast, Turkish streaming originals were often viewed as emotionally detached and culturally distant. This response reflects an inverse cultural discount effect, in which narratives lose their appeal when reformatted for global audiences. Social media platforms, particularly TikTok and Instagram, played a central role in content discovery, often promoting episodic, short-form engagement. To describe this mode of viewing, the article introduces the analytical term cultural skimming, which captures the fragmented and algorithmically driven nature of serial engagement. These findings contribute to ongoing debates on cultural proximity, mediated authenticity, and transnational media reception within contemporary digital viewing practices.","PeriodicalId":51917,"journal":{"name":"Critical Studies in Television","volume":"118 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2025-12-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145664918","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"艺术学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-11-27DOI: 10.1177/17496020251405465
Beth Johnson
{"title":"Beyond tokenism: Power, partnership, and the craft of authentic portrayal","authors":"Beth Johnson","doi":"10.1177/17496020251405465","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/17496020251405465","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":51917,"journal":{"name":"Critical Studies in Television","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2025-11-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145610924","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"艺术学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-11-13DOI: 10.1177/17496020251398338
Sreedarsana R Nair, Luke Gerard Christie
This paper addresses a void in academic discourse by scrutinising Indian OTT web series as exemplars of ‘quality’ television, referencing the criteria outlined by television scholar Thompson (1996). Drawing on Albrecht’s (2016) examination of masculinity in contemporary quality television, the study endeavours to explore how Indian web series provide fertile ground for diverse portrayals of masculinity in contrast to conventional soap operas that are sometimes seen to reinforce gender stereotypes. Focussing on two Amazon Prime Video series, the analysis seeks to shed light on the cultural significance of Indian web series and their subversive masculine representations.
{"title":"Disrupting masculinity: Locating Indian OTT web series as quality television and sites of subversive masculine representations","authors":"Sreedarsana R Nair, Luke Gerard Christie","doi":"10.1177/17496020251398338","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/17496020251398338","url":null,"abstract":"This paper addresses a void in academic discourse by scrutinising Indian OTT web series as exemplars of ‘quality’ television, referencing the criteria outlined by television scholar Thompson (1996). Drawing on Albrecht’s (2016) examination of masculinity in contemporary quality television, the study endeavours to explore how Indian web series provide fertile ground for diverse portrayals of masculinity in contrast to conventional soap operas that are sometimes seen to reinforce gender stereotypes. Focussing on two Amazon Prime Video series, the analysis seeks to shed light on the cultural significance of Indian web series and their subversive masculine representations.","PeriodicalId":51917,"journal":{"name":"Critical Studies in Television","volume":"51 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2025-11-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145498992","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"艺术学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-11-03DOI: 10.1177/17496020251394827
Salma Mediavilla Aboulaoula
This article analyses whether and how the popular coming-of-age adaptations SKAM France/Belgique (2018–23) and wtFOCK (2018–present) employ a white gaze to depict diasporic Muslim girls in Western Europe, amidst a rise in ‘progressive’ Muslim representations. Drawing on a postcolonial feminist lens, it situates these series within the broader context of rising gendered Islamophobia in France and Belgium. Despite nuancing diasporic Muslim teen girls’ intersectional lived experiences, these series continue to reiterate a dominant white gaze. The article contends that through this unquestioned white gaze ‘racialized anger’ is misrepresented. Finally, it argues that the neoliberal logics informing these misrepresentations consequently naturalise what the article coins a racialised knowledge binary : ‘accepted ignorance’ for white teens versus ‘expected knowledge’ for Muslim/racialised teens.
{"title":"Alienating through anger? Diasporic Muslim girls’ coming-of-age in France and Belgium through the white gaze of the SKAM franchise","authors":"Salma Mediavilla Aboulaoula","doi":"10.1177/17496020251394827","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/17496020251394827","url":null,"abstract":"This article analyses whether and how the popular coming-of-age adaptations <jats:italic toggle=\"yes\">SKAM France/Belgique</jats:italic> (2018–23) and <jats:italic toggle=\"yes\">wtFOCK</jats:italic> (2018–present) employ a white gaze to depict diasporic Muslim girls in Western Europe, amidst a rise in ‘progressive’ Muslim representations. Drawing on a postcolonial feminist lens, it situates these series within the broader context of rising gendered Islamophobia in France and Belgium. Despite nuancing diasporic Muslim teen girls’ intersectional lived experiences, these series continue to reiterate a dominant white gaze. The article contends that through this unquestioned white gaze ‘racialized anger’ is misrepresented. Finally, it argues that the neoliberal logics informing these misrepresentations consequently naturalise what the article coins a <jats:italic toggle=\"yes\">racialised knowledge binary</jats:italic> : ‘accepted ignorance’ for white teens versus ‘expected knowledge’ for Muslim/racialised teens.","PeriodicalId":51917,"journal":{"name":"Critical Studies in Television","volume":"249 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2025-11-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145434944","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"艺术学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-10-24DOI: 10.1177/17496020251391962
Luca Barra, Emiliano Rossi
In recent years, Italian public service broadcaster Rai has developed strategies to engage young audiences and maintain its relevance for these traditionally under-represented consumers, notably through the production and commissioning of accessible, dedicated scripted content. This article explores recent trends in Rai’s targeting of young audiences from a production and distribution standpoint. Drawing on in-depth industry interviews and industrial materials, it maps key strategies developed by Rai’s digital platform, RaiPlay, and traces the trajectories of three teen dramas ( Mare fuori , Un professore , and Nudes ), highlighting how the connection with young audiences is built through a stratified, contradictory yet productive process.
{"title":"Young, wild, and free? Rai and its industrial challenges for contemporary Italian teen content","authors":"Luca Barra, Emiliano Rossi","doi":"10.1177/17496020251391962","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/17496020251391962","url":null,"abstract":"In recent years, Italian public service broadcaster Rai has developed strategies to engage young audiences and maintain its relevance for these traditionally under-represented consumers, notably through the production and commissioning of accessible, dedicated scripted content. This article explores recent trends in Rai’s targeting of young audiences from a production and distribution standpoint. Drawing on in-depth industry interviews and industrial materials, it maps key strategies developed by Rai’s digital platform, RaiPlay, and traces the trajectories of three teen dramas ( <jats:italic toggle=\"yes\">Mare fuori</jats:italic> , <jats:italic toggle=\"yes\">Un professore</jats:italic> , and <jats:italic toggle=\"yes\">Nudes</jats:italic> ), highlighting how the connection with young audiences is built through a stratified, contradictory yet productive process.","PeriodicalId":51917,"journal":{"name":"Critical Studies in Television","volume":"14 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2025-10-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145397892","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"艺术学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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