Characters are crucial to TV dramas as they drive the narrative and audiences identify with the lead characters. Most teen dramas focus on adolescent concerns like relationships and individuality. Although characters seem real, they are constructed to play roles that often polarize them as "good" or "bad" to structure conflict and character development. This binary opposition is commonly used to set up conflicts that get resolved when good triumphs over bad. Audiences sympathize with some characters and are positioned against others to shape their attitudes and values through involvement with fictional narratives.

1. Characters in TV drama

2. Characters are clearly a crucial element of TV drama. The relationships the characters have, the situations they get themselves in drive the narrative of the show.....

4. Although characters in stories may seem very real, they must be understood as constructed characters, who have roles to play for the sake of the story. The most basic of these roles is the polarisation of characters into 'good' and 'bad'. Theses 'binary opposites' help to structure narrative development and character arch. The majority of narratives involve characters who are in conflict with one another. Many TV dramas set up conflicts between good and bad characters and build the narrative around revealing how good will triumph over bad.

6. Binary opposition is used in the Blackpool extract: Opening scene Mum & Dad discuss daughter's previous boyfriends - representations of wealth clearly evident through aspects of mise-en-scene Daughter comes in with older boyfriend; dad is included in the frame (over the shoulder shot) becasue the scene is about him and his reaction Scene then cuts to a reation shot of mum & dad; boyfriend is still framed (over the shoulder) which reinforces who they are reacting to.

8. Characters are deeply embedded in narratives. Audiences are constantly positioned to sympathise with some characters (and the values and attitudes they represent); And to be antagonistic to others (and the values and attitudes they represent) Audiences attitudes, values and beliefs are being shaped by their involvement with chararacters within a fictionalised narrative Audiences responses to characters can change over time