It seems as though every time I turn on the television, I seem to notice a particular show that I have never heard of before. Whether it is the newest spin off of Project Runway (The Fashion Show) or a failed attempt to dupe the loved-by-many Sex and the City (ahem, Lipstick Jungle), I am beginning to realize that each TV viewer is as individual as the show in which they are watching. In my very first blog entry I hope to engage you as a reader by spelling out my goals for criticizing television, my view and relationship in studying television, and how I intend to relate to you—my readers and fellow viewers.
This semester, my last semester, at the University of Iowa I have decided to enroll in a class entitled television criticism. And, in all honesty, that is why this blog was created. I must admit, though, that I do watch my fair share of television, and that one of my goals is to grow as a consumer of TV and to make myself more conscious of the shows I am consuming. Through researching goals of “good” TV criticism in class, O’Donnell (2007) writes, “Critical activity enables you to move from casual enjoyment of a television program to a fuller and richer understanding” (3). In another article about the subject of TV criticism, Sillars and Gronbeck (2001) say that, “Hence, analyzing even what appears to be the simplest of works requires textualization to suggest what’s “really” being said” (10). Thus, my goal for this blog is to develop a better and more in depth understanding of the shows I’m consuming on TV. Furthermore, I am challenging myself to dig beyond the surface meaning of the television’s texts and provide an eye opening analysis of the hidden messages that may exist within our favorite shows.
As a beginning and growing critic, my relationship to television as an object of study is still developing. I do think that it’s important that we critique the television programming we watch, though, because TV is such an important media in today’s society. Butler (2002) acknowledges that people in approximately 90% of homes in the United States consume television (3). Despite this enormous number of people subscribing to the messages portrayed through television programming, I feel that many simply sit back and mindlessly consume whatever it is a particular show or network airs. Butler (2002) makes us aware that, “The television text does not present all meanings equally positively or strongly. Through dialogue, acting styles, music, and other attributes of the text, television emphasizes some meanings and deemphasizes others” (10). This is essentially something that I would like to pay close attention to throughout my semester of honing my skills as a critic of television. In the past, I feel that I have merely digested the dialogue of the shows I watch without paying close attention to acting styles, music, or even advertisements shown on commercial breaks. As mentioned by O’Donnell above, I feel that paying close attention to these attributes of television will, indeed, contribute to a fuller and richer understanding of television as a whole.
Corner (1999) writes that television has both a centrifugal and centripetal relationship to our day-to-day culture (5). I agree with this, as many television programs are able to bring meaning out of something ordinary and disperse it to the masses. Furthermore, television also allows us to focus on many meanings—like I mentioned earlier, each viewer of television pulls away different meanings from watching even the exact same program.
So then, this is where I appreciate your help as consumers of this blog: I will try my best to follow Corner’s (1999) advice in thinking of what you as an audience may or may not know, or what may be misunderstood or disagreed with (11). I intend to relate to my audience by creating what Brunsdon (1993) defines as a transparent relationship between myself (critic), and you (viewer). In this transparent relationship, all opinions and values are important and worthwhile.
Whether it be analyzing the latest episode of Top Chef, a controversial episode of South Park, or an old episode of Family Matters, I am excited to begin critiquing and analyzing popular television shows. Even more so, I look forward to hearing what you think and what you have to say about some of these same texts. I promise to be accepting and create a relationship of discourse in which each opinion or gathering of meaning is equally important.
References
Brunsdon, C. (1993). Identity in feminist television criticism. Media, Culture and Society, 15: 309-320.
Butler, J. (2002). Television: Critical Methods and Applications (2nd ed). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Corner, J. (1999). Critical Ideas in Television Studies. New York: Oxford University Press.
O’Donnell, V. (2007). Television Criticism. New York: Sage.
Sillars, M. O. and Gronbeck, B. E. (2001). Communication Criticism: Rhetoric, Social Codes, Cultural Studies. Prospect Heights, IL: Waveland Press.
