Page 71 - A Handbook Genre Studies in Mass Media

CHAPTER 3

wrestler pulled the prosthetic leg off of his opponent and beat him with
it—much to the delight of the crowd.

Franchise Formulas
As noted above, a franchise refers to programming based on an estab-
lished series. For instance, CSI (CBS), a crime drama that made its debut
in 2000, has spawned the following franchise properties: CSI: Miami
(2002), CSI: New York (2004), and CSI: Dark Motives (2004). Franchises
contain common formulaic elements that establish points of continuity
with the original program as a way of connecting with its fan base. A
common formulaic element is the premise of the franchise. For instance,
all of the Law & Order series work from a common premise: a crime has
been perpetrated and it is up to an investigating agency to solve it. The
audience is taken through the entire process (i.e., arrest, questioning, court
hearings, and sentencing). Interlaced in the narrative are two subplots
involving the team of characters charged with solving the crime.
Franchise properties may also make use of the appearance of familiar
characters from the original series. Lenny Briscoe (played by Jerry Or-
bach in the original Law & Order for more than a decade, until his death
in 2005) appeared fleetingly during the first season of Trial by Jury. Other
characters from the original, including prosecutor Jack McCoy (played
by Sam Waterston) also made a cameo appearance during the Trial by
Jury pilot episode.
The setting can also provide continuity between the two series. For
instance, a replica of the familiar wood-paneled office of District Attorney
Arthur Branch (Fred Thompson) was built for the Trial by Jury series.
In addition, formulaic elements may also serve as points of departure
for the franchise properties. For instance, unlike the original series, Trial
by Jury presents the case from the point of view of all of the principals
involved in the narrative: prosecutors, police, judges, jurors, grand ju-
rors, suspects, and defense lawyers. This approach gives the audience a
“complete” picture of the crime. (For further discussion of franchises,
see Chapter 8.)

Lines of Inquiry

Formulaic analysis, which defines the formulaic elements that are charac-
teristic of a genre and examines the messages conveyed by the formula,
can involve the following:

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