This document discusses typical character types found in TV crime dramas. It identifies protagonists as heroes, often strong and angry detectives or law enforcement officers. Other common types include buddies who assist protagonists, victims whose stories are shown through flashbacks, suspects who are wrongly accused, and criminals who oppose the law. Binary oppositions between good and evil, experienced and rookie characters are often used to create drama. The document also questions whether TV crime dramas fairly represent gender and features of the police force.

1. 06/03/12
What are the typical character types in a TV Crime Drama?
TV Drama Protagonist
Characteristics
Strong Angry
EXT: Define the word

2. Main Character Types:
Officers of the
law//FBI/Psychologist/Foren
sics
Protagonist
Hero
Heroine
Anti Hero
Rookie
Quirky
Angry but brilliant

3. Main Character Types:
Watch the extracts- which character type do
these represent- what clues do their
visual and verbal codes give us?

4. Type of Protagonist Definition Example Example visual and verbal codes

5. Binary Opposites:
Where media texts are organised around sets of
opposite values:
Good vs Evil,
Men Vs Women,
Experienced Officer Vs Rookie
The TV Crime genre operates
around these binary oppositions
and often through the
representation of characters
which can provide conflict and
drama
Hero/Anti Hero
VS
Sidekick

6. Planning for the Exam: Your TV Crime Drama
1) Decide on which of the three sub genres of
TV Crime Drama your new TV programme
will fit into-what is it called and what does
it connote?
3) Design two characters for this new
Programme-they should represent binary
opposites ( hero and sidekick, detective and
criminal) and fulfill one of the character
types we discussed at the beginning of the
lesson

7. 06/03/12
What are the typical character types in a TV Crime Drama?
TV Drama Protagonist
Characteristics
Strong Angry
Can we knock down the wall?

8. Other character types:
Acts as an assistant to the
Buddy protagonist-often helps them and
is an oppositional character. Luther, Colombo, Cagney & Lacey, Jack Bauer
New victims every episode.
Victims Audience tend to sympathise.
Flashbacks sometimes used.
CSI uses flashbacks to show us the victims story
Suspected of committing the
Suspects crime. Wrongly arrested. Treated
badly when innocent.
Represent the opposition to the
Criminals law. Weak, misguided, stupid or
clever.

10. Consider the following statements about
c h a r a c t e r s in TV Crime drama
TV Crime Drama presents us with unfair
representations of gender
Using your DVD covers,
notes on character from
Crime drama still portrays a very masculine culture in
the screening and
the police force
sketches which do you
agree with and why?
Crime drama shows women playing powerful and
intelligent characters
Leading detectives in television crime drama are
mostly white and male