The Aesthetics of Empowerment in Primetime: The Case of the Lady Detective

• In Event: Reclaiming Aesthetics in the Realm of Cultural Contents: Multiple Implications of Aestheticism in the Media Culture.

Abstract

Recently, the detective/crime show genre in American television has birthed several long running shows based around the experiences of a woman working in law enforcement. The presence of these characters suggests a progressive response to the criticism of representations of women a helpless victims and/or demeaned eye candy. This paper examines three examples of the new female detective who is a leader, who is
exceptional, and whose innate complexities drive the narrative of the show. Whether
she is the lead interrogator for an elite unit (The Closer), a psychic whose insights solve major cases (Medium) or a forensics specialist whose expertise is often the crux of a successful prosecution (Crossing Jordan), these characters can be relied on to break the case and bring in the bad guy, often while overcoming substantial internal and external
obstacles. What are the aesthetics of empowerment where these characters are concerned? Do the aesthetics of the hour-long television drama lend themselves to the production of qualitatively superior depictions of gender, and ultimately, does the presence of such characters on primetime television signal the production of a critical, feminist aesthetic in American culture?

Author

• Isra Ali, Rutgers University