477
PREVIOUSLY ON
“The e has o be some hing o hink abou ” – The app op ia ion o quali y TV se ies as a
means o dis inc ion
Sa ah Kump
In oduc ion: ele ision se ies ha e become “good as e”
TV se ies a e a opic a academic con e ences as well as a s uden pa ies and in he euille ons
o Ge man newspape s. Suddenly in academic ci cles i seems o be chic o wa ch ele ision.
E en wa ching se e al hou s o ele ision pe day is no ega ded wi h suspicion bu g ee ed wi h
en husiasm – e en in he F ank u e Allgemeine Zei ung (Kämme lings 2010). The app op ia ion
o TV se ies has become a sign o “good as e” and con ibu es o he social and cul u al dis inc ion
o i s ecipien s.
He e, in he adi ion o Cul u al S udies, he ecipien s o media ex s a e no seen as passi e
ic ims o he media bu as ac i e c ea o s. They ac i ely app op ia e media and media ex s
and alloca e meaning o hem. App op ia ion goes beyond he ac ual con ex o ecep ion and
includes e e y ac ion and expe ience connec ed o TV se ies. The e o e, he app op ia ion o TV
se ies is a cul u al p ac ice which is loca ed in he e e yday li es o he ecipien s. In his way, i
con ibu es o hei social and cul u al dis inc ion.
The ecen esea ch-g ounded discou se abou TV se ies ocuses on so-called quali y TV o he
quali y TV se ies. They a e o en asc ibed some kind o no ma i e “quali y”, which dis inguishes
hem om o he media ex s. The ecipien s o hese TV se ies a e also being esea ched. These
so-called quali y iewe s a e he ocus o his s udy, oo. Mo e p ecisely, his s udy concen a es
on he academic ecipien s o US-Ame ican quali y TV se ies in Ge many, o in sho : In ellies.
The In ellies ha e de eloped ce ain pa e ns o app op ia ion o quali y TV se ies which, o
hem, unde line how special hei app op ia ion is and he e o e con ibu e o hei dis inc ion.
Resea ch o da e: quali y TV se ies and quali y iewe s
In ou lining sho ly wha a quali y TV se ies is i becomes clea how hey can con ibu e o he
dis inc ion o quali y iewe s.
Wha is a quali y TV se ies?
The e is no ixed de ini ion o quali y TV se ies, ye . Howe e , he e is a widely held consensus
ha hese se ies a e special wi h ega ds o con en and p oduc ion. Robe Thompson said
as ea ly as 1996: “[P]eople jus seemed o know i when hey saw i ” (12 ). He de ines wel e
cha ac e is ics o quali y TV se ies o quali y TV as he calls i . These include, o example, he ac
ha quali y TV has mo e complex sc ip s han o he TV se ies, ha i ea s mo e con o e sial
opics, and ha i a ac s a mo e highly educa ed audience (Thompson 1996: 13 ). As o oday,
Sa ah Ca dwell de ines quali y TV se ies as encou aging hei audience o in e p e and e alua e
he p og amme in o de o enable “ac i e disco e y and ongoing e lec ion” (2007: 30). Acco ding
478
PREVIOUSLY ON
o Ca dwell, hese ea u es canno be ound in o he ele ision ex s such as soap ope as o
si coms. Also, Ca dwell unde lines he high p oduc ion alues and a “ce ain sense o isual s yle
c ea ed h ough ca e ul, e en inno a i e, came awo k and edi ing” (Ca dwell 2007: 26). Fo he ,
quali y TV se ies show “a sense o s ylis ic in eg i y, in which hemes and s yle a e in e wined
in an exp essi e and imp essi e way” (Ca dwell 2007: 26). Like Thompson, Ca dwell de ines
quali y TV wi hou an empi ical backg ound, appa en ly based on a gene al obse a ion. Up o
now, his is cha ac e is ic o he discou se abou quali y TV se ies. I shows he impo ance o
empi ical esea ch in his ield.
Two ac o s a e ega ded as c ucial o quali y TV in i s p esen o m: he legisla i e changes
by he US-Ame ican Telecommunica ions Ac and he echnological changes b ough abou by
digi aliza ion. Because o he Telecommunica ions Ac , compe i ion shi ed om he mass o
mic o-cul u es “ o busy p o essionals who selec he bes en e ainmen o hei limi ed leisu e
ime” (Nelson 2007: 44). Sascha Seile s esses: Wi hou he es ic ions o he ne wo ks, i is
possible o wo k as eely as in ilm o in no els – linguis ically as well as hema ically (Seile
2008: 7). And he cu en TV se ies do ea a wide a ay o opics: om he double li e o a se ial
kille (Dex e ), ia he co-exis ence o men and ampi es (T ue Blood), o li e in he 1960s (Mad
Men), o enume a e jus a ew.
This shi o he p og amme ocus has been accompanied by he de elopmen o digi al
echnologies. These ha e “blu ed he bounda y be ween ilm and ele ision in e ms o
bo h p oduc ion p ocesses and echnical quali y o p oduc ” (Nelson 2007: 43). As a esul ,
quali y TV se ies ha e de eloped an aes he ic dimension which is compa able o he isual
aes he ics o cinema. The e o e, quali y TV se ies a ac a special kind o audience: “Selec
g oups eel hemsel es o be dis inc i e in cul u e and hus choose cul u al goods (o all kinds)
o a i m hei s a us” (Nelson 2007: 44). As cul u al goods o cul u al alue, quali y TV se ies
ea i m he habi us o ce ain ecipien s by being di e en om “common” ele ision ex s and
o he media ex s.
The c i ique o he quali y TV discou se s a s om his poin : in he eyes o he c i ics, he ocus
should be less on di e ences ega ding he o m o con en o quali y TV se ies in compa ison o
o he ele ision ex s. Ra he , he impo an ques ion is ha o he ecipien s o such TV se ies,
who posi ion hemsel es as quali y iewe s by app op ia ing hem.
Wha is a quali y iewe ?
The cu en esea ch-g ounded discou se abou quali y TV se ies is mos ly conce ned wi h he
“quali y” which is supposed o be cha ac e is ic o hese TV se ies. Howe e , he idea o wha
cons i u es “quali y” is cul u ally cons uc ed and he e o e dependen on ime, place and con ex .
The e o e, discou ses abou “quali y” a e mos ly legi imiza ion discou ses which nego ia e wha
is socially accep able o desi able.
In his way, concep s abou wha cons i u es “good as e” a e “no na u al o uni e sal; a he , hey
a e oo ed in social expe iences and e lec pa icula class in e es s” (Jenkins 1992: 16). Tas e,
479
PREVIOUSLY ON
hen, becomes a means o main ain social dis inc ion and o ge class iden i ies. By a ce ain
as e ecipien s posi ion hemsel es as membe s o a ce ain class, because “ as e is he basis
o all ha one has – people and hings – and all ha one is o o he s, whe eby one classi ies
onesel and is classi ied by o he s” (Bou dieu 1984: 56). Thus, as e as well as he no ion o
wha cons i u es “quali y” o “a ” is shaped by powe s uc u es. The e o e he dicho omy o
he alleged “high cul u e” in con as o he alleged “cul u ally wo hless” is closely con es ed. In
his ega d, i is no a bi a y wha ecipien s choose o wa ch bu a he is de e mined by hei
habi us: I is no an indi idual decision which TV se ies one likes bu a decision which is made
acco ding o one’s posi ion in socie y.
The discou se abou quali y TV se ies is he e o e mainly a discou se abou whe he i is now
accep able o academic ci cles o be wa ching ele ision o , mo e speci ically, o enjoy wa ching
TV se ies. Thus, he label “quali y TV se ies” o “quali y TV” says mo e abou he ecipien s
han abou he media ex s hemsel es. Ca dwell (2007), o example, is o he opinion ha
he ecipien s o quali y TV a e mo e ac i a ed by quali y TV han hose who wa ch non-quali y
TV: “I also places he iewe in o he ac i e posi ion ha one akes up when making a c i ical
judgemen ” (Ca dwell 2007: 27). Nowadays, quali y TV se ies a e conside ed o be “high cul u e”
and he e o e i is jus i ied o engage wi h hem in ellec ually.
In his way, he ecep ion and app op ia ion o quali y TV se ies becomes an accep ed cul u al
p axis. The e is no longe any need o he sel -i onic a i ude which is usually aken up o
e en expec ed when educa ed membe s o he middle class admi o wa ching soap ope as o
eali y shows (Bu y 2008: 195). Fo example, he ecipien s o quali y TV se ies no longe ha e
o dis ance hemsel es by making un o he TV se ies, as was he case wi h Dallas (Ang 1985:
97). Now, e en academics do no ha e o ou hemsel es bash ully as ecipien s o TV se ies bu
a e ac ually able o hapsodize abou quali y TV se ies.
In his way, quali y TV ac ually c ea es quali y iewe s, such as by showing ha hey “ ecognize and
app ecia e he aes he ic s anda ds o he quali y ex […] such eade s/ iewe s ma k hemsel es
ou as legi ima e membe s o he cul u ed middle class” (Bu y 2008: 195). The discou se abou
quali y TV se ies is he e o e a discou se abou he legi imacy o ac ually enjoying TV se ies
wi hou dis ancing onesel emo ionally and in ellec ually. Bu which pa e ns o app op ia ion a e
c ea ed by his kind o ecep ion? Fou dis inc pa e ns ha e been disce nible in he quali a i e
app op ia ion s udy a hand.
Resea ch design: quali a i e guideline in e iews
The da a basis o he s udy a hand comp ises en quali a i e in e iews based on a guideline.
The quali a i e me hod was chosen as he e was only e y li le insigh in o he app op ia ion
o ecipien s o ecen ele ision se ies a ha ime. Fo an explo a i e s udy he me hodology
used should no eso o hypo heses which a e de ised ex an e (Keuneke 2005: 254). Also,
he ecipien s should ha e he possibili y o explain he con ex o hei ecep ion o TV se ies
hemsel es. Wi h a s anda dized me hod his would no ha e been possible.
480
PREVIOUSLY ON
The guideline combined mos ly heo e ical conside a ions ela ing o he ollowing opics: se ial
biog aphy, ecep ion con ex s in e e yday li e, iden i y and iden i ica ion, cons uc ion o meaning,
changes conce ning ecep ion and app op ia ion, de e i o ial collec i isa ions, posi ioning
owa ds an cul u e, in e ex ual connec ions and app op ia ion, owne ship in connec ion wi h
TV se ies, o mal aspec s o TV se ies, as well as demog aphic da a such as age, p o ession o
educa ion.
26 po en ial in e iewees esponded o no ices placed ia e-mail, in ideo en al shops and on
bulle in boa ds on Facebook and S udiVZ. In all he no ices he e m “ an o TV se ies” was used
o y o e balize he no ion ha people wi h a ce ain amoun o expe ise in TV se ies we e
wan ed.
On he basis o heo e ical sampling (K o z 2005: 192) i e men and i e women we e selec ed
and in e iewed. The in e iews ook place mos ly in he homes o he in e iewees and we e
conduc ed be ween No embe 2009 and Janua y 2010. The in e iewees comp ised a pupil, a
high school g adua e who was doing an in e nship as a midwi e, ou s uden s o di e en subjec s,
a child he apis , a media designe , a policeman and a uni e si y lec u e . The in e iewees we e
be ween 17 and 41 yea s old, wi h he 17-yea -old pupil and he 41-yea -old uni e si y lec u e
being he younges and oldes espec i ely. All he o he in e iewees we e be ween 22 and 32
yea s old.
In compa ison o he o he in e iews, he in e iews wi h he pupil and he uni e si y lec u e
di e ed g ea ly in con en and p og ession. While he pupil was much less e lec i e han he
o he in e iewees, he uni e si y lec u e was e en mo e e lec i e. These wo in e iews we e
so comple ely di e en in compa ison o he o he s ha hey we e no included in he analysis.
The e o e, he basis o he ollowing analysis is eigh quali a i e guideline in e iews, each
app oxima ely one hou long. The in e iews we e ansc ibed li e ally. A e wa ds, hey we e
coded i s openly and hen axially as de ined by G ounded Theo y.
Analysis: ou pa e ns o app op ia ion
The In ellies’ app op ia ion o TV se ies is dis inguished by ou pa e ns: he In ellies judge se ies
c i ically, hey wa ch hem beyond he medium o ele ision, hey ac i ely shape he con ex o
ecep ion, and hey expe ience he se ies’ wo ld emo ionally.
Judging TV se ies c i ically
As academic ecipien s i is impo an o he In ellies o engage wi h se ies in ellec ually. In he
in e iews, hey o en s ess how impo an an ac i e app op ia ion is o hem. Fu he mo e,
hey ha e a e y clea idea abou he “quali y c i e ia” a TV se ies has o mee : se ies should
be hema ically special, emo ionally ealis ic, in elligen ly unny, na a i ely su p ising, as well
as aes he ically demanding. These c i e ia a e s ikingly simila o he c i e ia desc ibed by
Thompson (1996) and Ca dwell (2007). The e seems o be a consensus abou wha cons i u es
“quali y” in TV se ies.
481
PREVIOUSLY ON
Fo he In ellies hema ically special means di e en om he e e yday ou ine. Se ies ha e o
o e some hing new, o he wise “one can jus simply go ou on he s ee s” and dispense wi h
wa ching (Jonas, 26, biology s uden ). Tha means he In ellies expec mo e han en e ainmen
om he TV se ies: “The e has o be some hing o hink abou ; some hing o philosophize abou
a bi ” (Simon, 23, physics s uden ). Hence, he In ellies ask o jus he kind o ac i a ion which
Ca dwell claims o be cha ac e is ic o quali y TV se ies.
Like Ien Ang (1985) showed wi h ecipien s o Dallas he In ellies ind i impo an ha se ies a e
emo ionally ealis ic. This does no exclude exo ic se ings. The es , howe e , should be “like i is
in eal li e” (Ch is oph, 30, policeman). This also means ha cha ac e s should no be oo pe ec
as his is pe cei ed as being a i icial: “Well, hey we e so unny and quick-wi ed, nobody could
e e eally be like his” (Elisabe h, 32, child he apis ). Fo he In ellies, se ies ha e o emain
emo ionally comp ehensible. As a gen e he TV se ies con ince hem as hey ge o know he
cha ac e s in ima ely because “o e ime one jus knows exac ly wha he pe son is hinking”
(Nina, 24, me eo ology s uden ). I a se ies is emo ionally ealis ic, he In ellies like being swep
away and o “di e in o hei wo ld. Tha ’s he g ea hing abou i ” (Lina, 22, midwi e y in e n). This
o he wo ld is as i hey would “obse e a pa allel wo ld” (Nina, 24, me eo ology s uden ).
This pa allel wo ld is, as he In ellies say, in elligen ly unny. Tha means “I don’ eally ancy
c ap like slaps ick and e e yone ge ing one on he nose” (Ch is oph, 30, policeman). Ra he ,
he In ellies expec some kind o biza e humou which is “jus a li le bi di e en ” (Simon, 23,
physics s uden ). Thus, TV se ies should dis inguish hemsel es by a humou which appeals o
he In ellies in ellec ually.
The In ellies also expec a quali y TV se ies o be na a i ely su p ising. They do no ole a e
edundancies: This “is some hing which is dull and s upid and I don’ LIKE i ” (Ch is oph, 30,
policeman). The e o e, se ies do no ge be e wi h ime in he eyes o he In ellies. Qui e he
con a y, hey coun on TV se ies o wo sen: “I ha e ne e expe ienced a se ies which didn’
decline, which didn’ ge wo se” (Elisabe h, 32, child he apis ). Hence, hey a e happy i a se ies
comes o an adequa e end: “Yes, he g ea hing is i a s o y has been es ablished o e he cou se
o a season and he cha ac e FINALLY inds he solu ion o does wha he should ha e done
ages ago” (Jonas, 26, biology s uden ). The e o e, he In ellies a e happy when a se ies ends –
e en i hey eally liked i . As soon as a se ies is suspec ed o only being con inued o “milk he
audience” (Elisabeh , 32, child he apis ), e.g. o comme cial easons, he dis inguishing ea u e
is los o he In ellies and wi h i he oppo uni y o pe sonal dis inc ion. As a esul he In ellies
s op wa ching he se ies.
The In ellies ollow TV se ies because “i is un o wa ch his” (Ma en, 28, media designe ). And
a lo o his un depends on he aes he ic appea ance o he se ies. They like he way in which
US-Ame ican quali y TV se ies a e aes he ically demanding; hey like he look o he se ies. Also,
music plays an impo an ole “in o de o empa hize […], jus o le go, […], ha causes a eeling
wi hin onesel ” (Ma en, 28, media designe ). Hence, music enables he In ellies o di e e en
deepe in o he pa allel wo ld o he se ies.

482
PREVIOUSLY ON
In e ms o hese aes he ic aspec s he In ellies do no app o e o Ge man TV se ies. None o he
o he c i e ia a e me ei he . On he con a y: o he In ellies Ge man TV se ies a e hema ically
a e age, emo ionally cliché, la ly unny, na a i ely o eseeable, as well as aes he ically bo ing.
Hence, i is no su p ising ha he In ellies do no wa ch Ge man TV se ies.
Recei ing TV se ies beyond he medium o ele ision
The In ellies do no only u n away om Ge man TV se ies. Ge man ele ision as a medium does
no play a ole o he In ellies anymo e. This co esponds wi h he no ion ha wa ching ele ision
is no ashionable o ecipien s o a ce ain habi us. The cable channel Home Box O ice (HBO)
angled a whole campaign in his di ec ion and was able o p o i “ om cul u al snobbe y a ound
ele ision as i se s ou o appeal o he college-educa ed audience who supposedly do no wa ch
TV” (McCabe/Akass 2008: 85).
Howe e , o he In ellies he e a e also p ac ical easons o u n hei backs on he medium o
ele ision: i s ly, mos o hei se ies a e no on Ge man TV. Secondly, he In ellies gene ally
p e e o wa ch hei se ies in English. And hi dly, i is impo an o he In ellies o de e mine hei
hy hm o ecep ion hemsel es. The e o e, hei medium o choice o he ecep ion o TV se ies
is he In e ne .
Only e y ew quali y TV se ies make i on o he Ge man ele ision sc een. Mos ly, “ hey do
no un he e. O hey s a and hen hey cancel hem again” (Lina, 22, midwi e y in e n). This
us a es he In ellies and i is his us a ion which makes hem wa ch TV se ies on he In e ne .
Quickly, hey u n away comple ely om he medium o ele ision: They ind new se ies on he
websi es om which hey download he se ies o whe e hey wa ch hem as online s eams.
They wa ch hese new se ies on he In e ne again. Also, hey ind all o he addi ional o e s
connec ed o TV se ies online, o example bulle in boa ds o backg ound in o ma ion on he
ac o s. In he p ocess o app op ia ion ele ision no longe plays a decisi e, o indeed e en any,
ole o he In ellies. This de elopmen is a ou ed by he ac ha he In ellies a e In e ne -sa y.
This migh also be a eason why he In ellies a e aged om app oxima ely 20 o 35. E en hough
he In ellies ha e no g own up wi h he In e ne , hey ha e lea ned o use i o hei ad an age
and eel a ease b owsing he web o he in o ma ion hey need.
Fu he mo e, he In ellies ind i e y s imula ing o wa ch he se ies in i s o iginal language,
e.g. English. As i is no so common in Ge many o speak o unde s and English luen ly, his
heigh ens he means o dis inc ion o he In ellies. Howe e , o he In ellies he pe cei ed main
eason is ha oo much is los in ansla ion: “Mos ly, i is ansla ed ho ibly. Especially unny
hings do no ansla e well in o Ge man” (Jonas, 26, biology s uden ). In Ge man he se ies
loses i s wi y humou which he In ellies app ecia e so much. Also, in he eyes o he In ellies,
he TV se ies lose au hen ici y when ansla ed. Thanks o hei high le el o o mal educa ion he
In ellies a ely ha e p oblems wa ching TV se ies in English. On he con a y: “I hink my English
has become much be e because o wa ching so many se ies” (Jonas, 26, biology s uden ).
483
PREVIOUSLY ON
Because o his pe cei ed educa ional alue, i is e en mo e legi ima e o he In ellies o wa ch
TV se ies.
I is also impo an o hem ha hei ecep ion o TV se ies is no de e mined by he b oadcas ing
hy hm o ele ision channels. The In ellies wan o main ain con ol o e when and whe e hey
wa ch TV se ies. Howe e , hey ha e o succumb o one cons ain : he cons ain o se iali y
because “i I know ha he e’s a new episode, hen I do ha e o wa ch i immedia ely. I jus
couldn’ s and o wai ano he day” (Lina, 22, midwi e y in e n). Hence, he In ellies can choose
when o whe e o wa ch bu hey s ill wan o know wha will happen nex .
Tha is why hey ha e de eloped ano he s a egy o ecep ion which al e s undamen al p inciples
o he se ies: some TV se ies a e no longe wa ched when hey a e new and ai ing o he i s
ime bu when hey ha e been b oadcas in ull o e en e mina ed. In his way “I can decide how
much I wa ch on one day” (S en, 24, sociology s uden ). The In ellies download whole se ies
and a e echnically able o wa ch a se ies in one week which ai ed o e h ee yea s o iginally.
This me hod o ecep ion changes he pe cep ion o se ies because “some se ies do no s e ch
o e yea s anymo e bu only o e one o wo mon hs un il I am h ough wi h hem” (Ma en, 28,
media designe ). The eby he emo ional connec ion o he In ellies o he se ies diminishes. The
ac ion o ecep ion, howe e , becomes a mo e in ensi e expe ience as i enables he ecipien s
o wa ch o hou s a a s e ch.
As he In ellies ob ain TV se ies wi h he help o he In e ne and wa ch hem on hei compu e s,
his a ec s he way in which hey shape hei ecep ion con ex .
Shaping he con ex o ecep ion
The app op ia ion o se ies akes place in a pe sonal and p i a e space o expe ience o he
In ellies. He e, hey a e able o ac i ely shape he con ex o hei ecep ion in a ious espec s:
hey can choose he place o ecep ion, imewise he ecep ion ma ks he change om wo k o
leisu e and he In ellies can choose wha hey wan o wa ch acco ding o hei mood.
When he In ellies wa ch se ies, hey si in on o hei compu e s. This is ue o hose who
wa ch li e s eams online as well as hose who download hem illegally om ile hos ing se ices
because “ o me i is oo labo ious o bu n hem on DVD o some hing like ha ” (S en, 24,
sociology s uden ). The e o e, hei compu e s o lap ops a e he cen e o he ecep ion o
TV se ies. An addi ional ad an age o he lap op is ha he ecipien s can ake hem in o bed
wi h hem. The In ellies do ha some imes “especially i i is jus be o e going o bed” (Simon,
23, physics s uden ). In his way, he ecep ion o TV se ies becomes e y p i a e: “Fo me i ’s
jus like he book you ead in he e ening when you go o bed and wan o elax” (S en, 24,
sociology s uden ). The lap op on which he se ies is ecei ed en e s in o a space which used o
be ese ed o books. Like eading a book he ecep ion o TV se ies s ays p i a e e en i he
In ellies sha e hei la wi h o he people.
Fo he In ellies i is no mal o wa ch se ies on hei own. They only make excep ions o hose
484
PREVIOUSLY ON
who a e e y close o hem, o example la ma es, siblings o pa ne s. The sha ed ecep ion
o se ies connec s hem; i “imp o es he spi i o he la sha e” (Jonas, 26, biology s uden ).
Howe e , no e e y se ies quali ies o a sha ed ecep ion because “some episodes I e y much
like wa ching by mysel ” (Ma en, 28, media designe ). In gene al, wa ching TV se ies is s ill
p i a e o he In ellies and hey p e e i like his because i is a space whe e hey ha e ime
o hemsel es. This is especially aluable o hem as hey ha e e y li le leisu e ime and a e
wo king in p o essions whe e leisu e and wo k o en me ge – especially i hey a e s ill s uden s.
The e o e, he se ies ma k he end o he wo king day o he In ellies. They wa ch se ies “when I
am done wi h all my s u ” (Lina, 22, midwi e y in e n). When e e y hing is inished, he TV se ies
a e good o “le he day ease down” (S en, 24, sociology s uden ). O en i is impo an o he
In ellies o wa ch mo e han one episode a a s e ch “because i is made in a way ha one wan s
o know how i con inues” (Simon, 23, physics s uden ). Thus, he eeling o being in a “pa allel
wo ld” (Nina, 24, me eo ology s uden ) is p olonged: a wo ld which is no only a ic i e wo ld o
he In ellies bu a space ha hey can come home o.
I is especially handy o he In ellies ha hey can choose on a daily basis which wo ld hey
wan o come home o. Depending on hei mood hey choose om hei epe oi e o se ies
which new episode hey wan o wa ch. On a s enuous day hey do no choose s enuous se ies
like Dex e because “he kills people in he nas ies ways” (Lina, 22, midwi e y in e n). This is
“some imes oo ne e- acking” (Lina, 22, midwi e y in e n). A e a s enuous day he In ellies do
no wan o di e in o jus any pa allel wo ld.
Al oge he , he se ies’ wo ld becomes a p i a e space o he In ellies o wi hd aw om hei
e e yday li es. This p i acy is impo an o hem o be able o expe ience he se ies emo ionally.
Expe iencing he se ies’ wo ld emo ionally
The key o he In ellies’ app op ia ion o TV se ies is he emo ional expe ience. Tha means
hey do no only analyse se ies on an in ellec ual le el bu hey also allow o emo ions. This
dis inguishes he In ellies om an aes he ic dis ancing which is, a e Bou dieu (1984: 34)
cha ac e is ic o he (academic) middle o uppe class. Acco ding o his iew, which is also
called bou geois aes he ics (Jenkins 1992: 18), uppe class ecipien s do no eel empa hy o
he cha ac e s o a media ex . Ra he , hey analyse he o m o a TV se ies and compa e hem
o o he media ex s such as o he se ies, plays o e en ilms.
The In ellies do analyse he TV se ies. Howe e , he e is also a le el o emo ional expe ience
pe cep ible. This emo ional expe ience becomes appa en in h ee di e en espec s: i s ly,
he In ellies a e in ol ed emo ionally when wa ching TV se ies. Secondly he app op ia ion o
TV se ies goes beyond he ecep ion i sel : he e a e consequen ac i i ies which ollow he
ecep ion. And hi dly, he In ellies pe o m iden i y wo k ela ed o se ies.
While wa ching TV se ies he In ellies expe ience he emo ions o he se ies’ cha ac e s. They
a e emo ionally in ol ed: “Well, i one pu s onesel in o hei posi ion, hen, o cou se you a e
485
PREVIOUSLY ON
ang y abou hings, o happy abou hings” (Lina, 22, midwi e y in e n). I is impo an o he
In ellies ha hey can allow o and enjoy his emo ional expe ience. Howe e , i is also e y
impo an o hem ha his emo ional expe ience emains an “ins an eeling”: “I does no s ay
wi h me o he whole day” (Nina, 24, me eo ology s uden ). In he in e iews, hey make i e y
clea ha hey limi hei eelings o he ecep ion si ua ion.
Fo he emale In ellies hese eelings can become e y s ong. They do no ha e a p oblem
wi h admi ing ha hey o en c y while wa ching TV se ies. This is di e en o he male In ellies:
“Well, i some hing sad happens, o cou se you a e conce ned. I hink hey do ha on pu pose
bu i ’s no like I bu s in o ea s o some hing” (S en, 24, sociology s uden ). They can admi o
eeling conce ned bu hey d aw a line a c ying. Howe e , ha he male In ellies do no c y does
no necessa ily mean ha hey expe ience he se ies less emo ionally han he emale In ellies. I
is possible ha o he cul u al con en ions become appa en he e, e.g. “boys don’ c y”. Also, he
gende o he in e iewing pe son could ha e played a ole; maybe hey did no wan o admi o
a woman ha hey c y when wa ching TV.
In gene al, all he In ellies se e y s ic ules o hemsel es abou he bounda ies o hei
emo ional in ol emen . I a season o a se ies comes o an end, hey a e sad. Howe e , i is “no
like I am o ally de as a ed” (Lina, 22, midwi e y in e n). The In ellies do no allow he se ies o
cause oo many emo ions compa ed o “ eal” e en s in hei li es.
A e he ac ual wa ching he consequen ac i i ies ela ed o he TV se ies p olong he emo ional
expe ience. Among o he s his is one o he ea u es which dis inguishes he In ellies as ans
o he gen e ele ision se ies. They al eady ha e accumula ed an imp essi e knowledge abou
se ies and sha e his knowledge wi h o he s. The e o e, hey can be classi ied as “ ou is s” in
ela ion o he ypical ca ee o a an (Win e 1995: 170). The consequen ac i i ies include
eli ing he emo ions on hei own, eli ing hem wi h o he s, as well as o he ac ions conce ning
se ies.
Fo he In ellies i is impo an o sha e hei se ies wi h o he s: “You jus look o like-minded people
in o de o alk abou i wi h hem” (Lina, 22, midwi e y in e n) because only like-minded people
unde s and he allusions he In ellies use. In he eyes o he In ellies such jokes o quo a ions only
aim a os e ing unde s anding wi h like-minded people: “I would no quo e a se ies jus because I
hough he hings someone said we e especially cle e ” (Nina, 24, me eo ology s uden ). These
allusions a e a code which ensu es he coun e pa ha hey sha e he same inside knowledge.
Thus, i s eng hens he eeling o oge he ness and he pe cep ion o dis inc ion.
This sha ed eli ing is e y impo an o he In ellies: “Well, some imes I go on my iends’
ne es un il hey s a ed wa ching he se ies” (Nina, 24, me eo ology s uden ). I he e is eally
nobody in he icini y who enjoys wa ching TV se ies, bulle in boa ds ill his gap: “i I ead he
hings ha o he people pos , hen I ha e a eeling o ecip oci y” (Elisabe h, 32, child he apis ).
Howe e , ha he In ellies ead bulle in boa ds does no mean ha hey also con ibu e o he
discussion. On Facebook and S udiVZ o example hey ha e joined g oups o hei a ou i e