Page 54 - A Handbook Genre Studies in Mass Media

FORMULAIC ANALYSIS

Figure 3.1 Law & Order

Fred Thompson, Michael Bloomberg, and Sam Waterson, from an episode of Law &
Order. (Photo by Getty Images/Getty)
Under this structural framework, the audience knows who is guilty.
Because 3C is left out of this construct, Law & Order operates from the
point of view of the prosecutor. Consequently, any efforts by the defense
to protect the civil liberties of their clients would be perceived by the
audience as an obstruction of justice. Thus, this structural framework
actually promotes an authoritarian legal system. Unlike the American
system of justice, in which defendants are innocent until proven guilty,
this system of justice is cleaner and simpler, although the prosecutors
are faced with cagey defense lawyers who use civil protections to ensure
that their clients prevail.
On the other hand, Perry Mason always eliminated B1 and B2 and
employed variation B3:
I. Introduction
A. Background–justice system
B. A crime is committed
3. The innocence of the defendant is established

In this configuration, the series is presented from the point of view of
the defendant; the audience does not know if the defendant is innocent
or guilty, or whether the prosecution’s account is accurate.

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