“In today’s culture, our sense of what is real is determined, conditioned, and mediated as never before by movies and other … media. Nowhere [is there] more confusion and controversy than in the media’s depiction of violence.”
In order for an entertainment show to be effective, the audience must identify in some way with the characters and what they are doing, even if some aspects of the situation are unrealistic. Crime drama is the most viewed genre of television in the United States since the 1950’s (Gever, 2005) and it continues to be a growing trend. This judgement is made evident from the simple fact of a show like Law and Order, which has been on air for thirteen consecutive years and the popularity level has yet to decrease (Lee, 2004). One might question why crime drama is so popular and how much of these shows relate to our everyday life? This essay will look at crime drama and its effect on our sense of realism. In terms of senses, we will narrow it down to our perception of real life and how much the media and television influence our understanding of crime and whether it affects, influences or conditions this understanding in anyway.
Television crime fiction deals with issues of crime and law enforcement in a way, which is consistent. Although we may not believe parts of it, majority of us do not have a first hand experience in dealing with crime (Sparks, 1990). Violence for us is words and pictures, and knowledge of crime comes directly from the media, especially the daily news. Shows like Law and Order take its narrative from the news, so the public and the characters are in a sense witnessing the same murder (Lee, 2004). A question worth asking is why are people like us so intrigued by shows like Law and Order? Well, a simple answer is that shows like this show us how humans respond to crime – it is about a schematic resolution to social disorder. The show contains an uncontainable rush of violence but at the same time assures us there are...