engleski

Glancing, gazing and binging: viewers' commitment and contemporary television series

The praise and appreciation that some TV series are getting nowadays shows that Noel Carroll (2001) was right when he stated, over twenty years ago, that TV program is much more valuable and rewarding than recognized by the scholars at the time. Contrasting the metaphors of glancing and gazing, Carroll argued against those who claimed that TV program, for numerous reasons, inspires only a glance, while films inspire and sustain gaze, i.e. long, focused attention on the content. Much of what Carroll said back then proved out to be true ; TV did develop in the direction he predicted, so much so that viewers today not only gaze, but binge. My aim here is to analyze some of the reasons as to why that is, with respect to one particular segment of TV programs: series and serials. These are the formats that are most similar to films, in that these are narratives that tell their stories via actors which act as individual morally and psychologically complex agents. This isn’t to suggest that series and serials are best understood as extended films – I leave that open – but I will use the tools philosophers have designed to explain the appeal of films to analyze the appeal of series and serials. In particular, I will argue that there are four main loci of TV shows’ artistic value, which in the best instances work together, inviting a long term gaze from the viewers. These include the overall aesthetics, the narrative complexity, strong emotional pull and serious mimetic aspect.

series, serials, viewer's engagement

nije evidentirano