Page 96 - A Handbook Genre Studies in Mass Media

HISTORICAL CONTEXT

It can be argued that this return to flawed protagonists in the detective
genre is a comment on the complexities of modern society. Even though
these visionaries can catch criminals, they cannot change the world. In-
deed, they are trapped, unable to solve their own problems. Jill Hennessy,
who stars as Jordan Cavanaugh on Crossing Jordan, explains, “I think
we all feel that we are imperfect or that we’ve made mistakes, and are
struggling to make sense of our lives.” Vincent D’Onofrio, who plays
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Robert Goren on Law & Order: Criminal Intent, adds:

Because of all we’ve gone through as a society, I think that the only heroes
you can get away with now are the imperfect heroes. What we’re seeing
now are people who, yes, might save the day if the circumstance arises,
but their lives are a mess just like my life is and they are afraid of the
same things I’m afraid of because I think we are all afraid of the same
things right now. 29

Sitcom Dads. Tracing the evolution of the stock character of the sitcom
dad reveals a radical transformation, which provides insight into changes
in American culture. According to John Tierney, the omnipotent sitcom
father, epitomized in such characters as Ward Cleaver of Leave It To Beaver,
has been replaced by Doofus Dads like Doug Heffernan of The King of
Queens: “There have always been some bumbling fathers like Dagwood
Bumstead and Fred Flintstone, but now they’re the norm. A study by the
National Fatherhood Initiative found that fathers are eight times more likely
than mothers to be portrayed negatively on network television.” 30
Not only are these modern TV sitcom dads incompetent, but they are
fat, lazy slobs. Reporter Rick Marin observes:

From CBS, the network of “The King of Queens”’ and “Still Standing”
comes “Listen Up,” the new Jason Alexander show, and “Center of the
Universe,” starring John Goodman’s jowls. . . . And they’re not just fat.
They’re lazy beer-and-TV slobs who never lift a finger around the house,
have barely met their kids and think an emotion is something you only
express on the Back Nine. 31

The slovenly appearance of this stock character serves as a metaphor
for the relative powerlessness of males, as women (and children as well)
have begun to assert themselves in American culture. Fathers are no
longer in absolute control—of their families or even of their own diets.
According to psychiatrist Scott Haltzman, the cumulative messages about

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