Televised Crime Dramas in the Post-George Floyd Era - CANCELLED

• In Event: Poster Session 2

Abstract

Scripted crime dramas have been popular since televisions emerged as a part of our daily lives. While many core elements remain consistent, these programs reflect the culture in which they are released. In early 2020, Color of Change published a report indicating that these shows normalized injustice and ignored racial disparities in the criminal justice system. As the events of summer 2020 unfolded, people turned a critical eye towards this type of programming classifying it as “copaganda” and calling for change. But has this traditional type of crime programming heeded this call or have it returned to business as usual? This study seeks to answer that question by first examining the prevalence and general content of scripted crime dramas from the four main broadcast channels (ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC) during the 2020, 2021, and 2022 seasons. This is followed by a qualitative media analysis of a sample of episodes to explore how race-related issues have been addressed.

Author

• Dawn K. Cecil, University of South Florida