Thursday, 28 February 2013

Second Draft


 "You're psychic?"   Jane – “No, just paying attention. I used to make a good living pretending to be a psychic. I tell you this because I want you to understand there's no point hiding things from me”[1]

How is the narrative hero in The Mentalist a typical American TV protagonist and how does he appeal to audiences?

Examples of narrative heroes include some comic book heroes such as Superman, Batman, and Spiderman and heroes such as Hercules or Achilles who derive from Greek mythology. They all share similar traits, they are all heroes because of these specific traits. They are all considered brave and courageous because of the sacrifices that they make however audiences are able to see similar traits that they each have as they are two different sides to most characters. The one side where they are considered heroic in terms of their actions and the other when they portray their human emotions which causes the audience to become empathetic towards this hero and is drawn to their side. They are also shown to possess a strength which cannot be matched by others. According to monomyth,[2] a hero’s journey follows a certain pattern and this newfound power supports them and gives them an advantage during the storyline. This is due to their own unique skill-set that they have and therefore often use this to defeat the villains in a particular plot. Narrative heroes in this day and age have come to possess a quality that cannot be matched by others, Jane whose which included his mental insight to various situations. Heroes such as Sherlock Holmes and Patrick Jane who have become very popular among during the 21st century who often subvert these traits and this is important because this could almost be hegemony[3] due to the way that the producers of a certain text intend to show more of the human side which audiences can relate to and thus are likely to maintain their engagement with the character as a result of this.

The Mentalist promotes many specific things such as original thinking and not conforming to society due to the way that the protagonist carries himself out. “Your life is in chaos, you're lonely, you're depressed, you're addicted to drugs and pornography and a little nuts, to be honest. You're exactly the kind of man that does terrible things to women. But I don't think you did this”[4] is one of the examples in which Jane is able to use his deduction skills and his excellent eye for detail to figure something out. When all clues point to someone which makes everyone else believe that they are in fact the committers of a crime, Jane is the character who always opposes their views and points out additional details or goes about his own methods to prove his point when others do not believe him. This is based on the reading that a member of the audience takes as they have preferences when it comes to television however, with Americanisation, they are more likely to take the preferred reading that the creators of a text intends to be taken and become more law-abiding and find the programme more appealing due to the character’s personality and mannerisms. This is an extension of the theory suggested by Stuart Hall[5] which revolved around the audience’s response to a stimulus.

Americanisation[6] is something that could be the reason why people audiences find glamorous actors or something else that is unique more appealing to them and the text that I will be focusing is The Mentalist which is an American fictional television programme which revolves around the protagonist, Patrick Jane, whilst he attempts to find the murderer of his wife and family. He gives up his lucrative facade of being a psychic and becomes a consultant for the California Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The plot[7] mainly focuses on Jane and his methods of solving cases in an unorthodox manner which others do not approve of. He belongs to the Serious Crimes Unit and his team consists of various agents one of which includes Senior Agent Teresa Lisbon who is apparently supposed to be responsible for controlling Jane and his sometimes “wacky schemes”.  The character of Patrick Jane is a likeable one and has many traits that audiences can find appealing and recognise as something that they personally have themselves as individuals. The cultural shift in different countries has changed diversely due to the amount of American programming that is being depicted on our televisions every day through the digital satellite provider BskyB. [8]

Americanisation is the influence that the United States of America has on other countries across the world. For example, there are ideologies that are portrayed on television programmes and films such as teenagers getting involved with drugs or sexual encounters and this is easily seen through British programming through films such as Anuvahood[9] and Kidulthood[10].  These two films are completely different concepts however they both contain similar elements which Kidulthood could have included as a result of the influential American programming that we see daily. The Mentalist contains American stereotypes such as the vulnerable female character (Lisbon) who requires the help from Jane which could reinforce patriarchal societies although Lisbon is a physical able woman who can take care of herself however she requests help from Jane when struggling with emotional distress an illustration of this is in an episode called Little Red Corvette[11].This makes Jane seem the hero whereas in reality he is quite timorous when it comes to physical confrontations and prefers to remain at the background of scenes “Yeah, you guys go find out. I'll find the couch. [Stands up and turns around] Oh, there it is”[12]. If this is a case of hegemony which is a theory that Antonio Gramsci created about the worlds elites and with America acting as an over-powering presence then this could mean that “In their process of Americanization these elites have had to open up to the general public’s demand to new kinds of entertainment and to market forces geared to meet these demands”[13]. This would relate to the audiences’ values and beliefs being altered to fit the ideologies that are promoted to them through the programming that they watch. This is also relatively close to cultivating audiences which is a theory put forward by Gerbner because they are basing morals and principles on characters because of the amount of television that is watched across the world. [14]

In the past of cinematic drama, there are similarities that The Mentalist has with other texts one of which includes Sherlock Holmes: The Sleeping Cardinal which a great comparison to make as the character of Holmes was played by one of the best Holmes according to reviews on IMDb[15]. The characters have similar mental acuity and Jane has been described as the modern day Sherlock Holmes by the creator, Bruno Heller. This similarity with the characters’ likeability can be seen as something that has been maintained by audiences as something that is attractive to them and they find pleasure in viewing these sorts of characters and this could be for many reasons such as personal identification which links in with the theory of uses and gratifications by Blumer and Katz or escapism; a concept explained by Katz and Foultz.
"The 'whodunit' makes its dramatic question absolutely explicit, and the quest to find the answer is led by the protagonist.[16]" This is a quote which relates to the two texts that are in discussion and is a simple paradigm of how these two texts can appeal to audiences as they are more likely to become involved since they feel that they are being invited to join in to solve the crime because of the questions asked by characters. For example, Lisbon often asks Jane who he thinks did it because she trusts his judgement, and this will encourage audiences to begin to figure out who the perpetrator of a crime is and Jane then ends up leading the investigation into the culprit following his own instincts. This is an example of escapism[17] that can be felt by the audience and they remain entertained as they are engaged with the plot and maintain this through each episode and most culprits are revealed at the end of the episode which can act as an invitation to view the next episode. Furthermore, at the end of each episode, you hear the voice of the protagonist, Jane, say “stay tuned to see scenes from our next episode” which is also something that engrosses them because it makes the audience feel as if they are being spoken to which will excite and encourage loyalty with the television programme. Genre appeal is one of the key factors that maintains audience’s engagement and reinforce their beliefs in the protagonist and therefore root for him to overcome the odds as everyone loves an underdog. In the works of Stephen Neale “Mere repetition would not attract the audience”. This quote relates to the hybridised genres that The Mentalist includes in its programming. The main two genres that are always included are comedy and drama the latter of which is the most popular genre in the world according to research.[18]

Vladimir Propp created a theory suggesting that all characters have role within a media text and the protagonist is considered as the narrative hero. They “have to be all or most of the following: intelligent, strong, resilient, selfless, caring, charismatic, reliable, and inspiring. A hero is the person who can be bothered, who does get off the sofa, who will save the day.”[19] This is a key element of The Mentalist because this can further promote ideologies and behavioural traits which can be observed and possibly replicated by audiences subconsciously or even intentionally. However, Patrick Jane is not a character that is physically strong and his selflessness is debatable because he is a character that is only working with the CBI due to his ulterior motive nevertheless his character applies to the other traits of a narrative hero. This could be motivational factors that appeal to audiences to constantly watch the programme and maintain the audience’s engagement which can also relate to the audiences needs and gratifications being fulfilled through escapism and intrinsic enjoyment using the entertainment factor. On the other hand, the narrative hero is a character that audiences can make their own judgement about and this is based on the readings that are taken when consuming a media text again tying in with the reception theory that was put concerning Stuart Hall’s works. 

"However there has been a shift toward investigative crime series, where the protagonist must think instead of fight" which is important to consider because the protagonist does exactly this. As stated earlier above, Jane does not enjoy being at the forefront of physical confrontations and instead creates crafty plans that are put into motion by him allowing him or someone from the team apprehending the perpetrator of a crime. This is dissimilar with other television programmes such as Hawaii-Five-O[20] and Nikita[21] as they have protagonists that engage in physical action as this is the genre that these programmes tend to focus on. In contrast the most similar television show is Psych which almost has the same plot as The Mentalist however the latter has a major story arc which Psych[22] does not have which is one of the most engaging factors for audiences because they will feel as if they are being given an interesting and well-thought of storyline that is a treat for audiences to watch. The genres are however similar as most of them include the element of genre and therefore allows audiences to be captivated due to the popularity and the effect that drama has and therefore maintains the audience’s engagement. Another media text that is also quite similar to The Mentalist is Dexter[23] which is about a serial killer who kills only serial killers and “Our main protagonist endures a love/hate relationship with himself”[24] which is the main similarity between Jane and Dexter. Furthermore, the narrative hero in Dexter is not one who is as intellectual as Jane however he does regret the things that he does as the audience are able to see how he copes with the aftermath of events that take place. The lighting used to promote the narrative is mostly top lighting and chiaroscuro style of lighting to emphasise expressions and therefore deliver an excellent piece of television to the audience. Chiaroscuro lighting is one where the object is placed into the centre of the light and focused upon to ignore other details about them and this is mostly used on Jane and other characters when making a decision that could be deemed as wrong or immoral, for example, the deception of a victim’s family.

So has the process of Americanisation forced audiences to find glamorous actors or something else that is unique about a text something of more appeal? This is still debatable however, many audiences identify with the actors that are portraying the roles within a text and this promotes star appeal. Star appeal is significantly rising as audiences, especially younger ones, base role models on actors and become a part of the psychographic group aspirers and mainstreamers. This would mean that they are initially drawn in to the fact that the actors have attracted to them to a particular television show and therefore the responsibility of maintaining the engagement with the audiences is given to the creators and producers. Jane could be categorised as a typical American TV protagonist but we must ask ourselves what exactly is a typical American narrative hero. Most could argue that they must be charismatic and have feelings that show their sensitivity whereas others may simply cope with problems by keeping it within and not showing any signs of weakness. The character of Jane is not a typical American television protagonist however he does consist of some of the main elements that contribute to making one. For example, he has psychological problems with himself but does not portray this to others unless he is absolutely required to. He is a caring individual who captivates audiences and maintains engagement through sometimes crude and childish humour. So Americanisation does influence people’s decisions because of the amount of programming that we watch but how will this change in the future? Will all American protagonists become similar and therefore reduce the quality of originality and uniqueness?

Word Count - 2534


[1] Season 1 Episode 1 - Pilot  
[4] Season1 Episode 3 – Red Tide
[5] J. Fourie, P. (2001) p244
[11] Season 5 Episode 13 – Little Red Corvette
[12] Season1 Episode 20 – Red Sauce
[13] Stephan, A. (2007) p18
[14]  Nielsen Media Research. September 8, 2008. Retrieved January 13, 2012.
[15]The Sleeping Cardinal - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0022373/reviews?ref_=tt_urv
[17] Tuan, Y. (2000) p5

Friday, 8 February 2013

Learner Responses



WWW - Clear, accurate writing

LR - Include more book quotes (at least ten). Explain narrative heroes/Propp at the start and save Americanisation for later - but give examples at the start of typical heroes. Identify your audience in terms of demographics, psychographics and audience theory. - I am currently still attempting to find more books relating to the search.I have started off with narrative heroes and moved Americanisation to later in the essay.



WWW – Used many examples and showed the representation of the characters

LR – Not much on institution, what’s the institutions intentions? Do they represent the characters in a certain way for a reason? Etc - I have explained this throughout the essay about institutions.



WWW – Good use of theories used. The quotes been used well and explained

LR – More research, more books! - Books are being researched to add to the essay.



WWW – Good use of audience and narrative theory, linked well with text

LR – Think about economical and historical side - the historical side has been covered and there is a small reference to economical concept.



WWW – Good reference to audience theories

LR – Reference debates. Use more examples to other texts. Audience theories – reference (footnotes) relate to SHEP - SHEP has been related to and other texts have been involved. References to theories have been mentioned throughout the essay.



LR – Books and academic texts – Stephan, A. (2007) p18 – set it out like this
Websites – Name of the title of website.

 the footnotes have been formatted in the correct way and have also added more to them so the total comes to 24.





Self-assessment - D

Friday, 1 February 2013

Bibliography


Works Cited

Books:
  • Fourie, Pieter J.. "7." Media studies. Lansdowne: Juta ;, 2001. 244. Print. 
  • Stephan, Alexander. "Introduction." The Americanization of Europe: culture, diplomacy, and anti-Americanism after 1945. New York: Berghahn Books, 2006. 18. Print. 
  • Tuan, Yi. "Preface." Escapism. Baltimore, Md.: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1998. 5. Print.
Online resources:

Moving Image:
  • Season 5 Episode 13 – Little Red Corvette 
  • Season1 Episode 20 – Red Sauce 
  • Season1 Episode 3 – Red Tide
Other:
Works Consulted
  • Douglas, Pamela. Writing the TV drama series: how to succeed as a professional writer in TV. Studio City, CA: Michael Wiese Productions, 2005. Print. 
  • Hearn, Jeff, and D. H. J. Morgan. Men, masculinities & social theory. London: Unwin Hyman, 1990. Print. 
  • Mather, Nigel. Tears of laughter: comedy-drama in 1990s British cinema. Manchester: Manchester University Press, 2006. Print. 
  • McCabe, Janet, and Kim Akass. Quality TV contemporary American television and beyond. London: I.B. Tauris, 2007. Print. 
  • Pethick, Jonathan. TV cops: the contemporary American television police drama. New York: Routledge, 2012. Print. 
  • Roche, Mark William. Tragedy and comedy a systematic study and a critique of Hegel. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press, 1998. Print. 
  • Styan, J. L.. The Dark Comedy. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1968. Print. 
  • Adams, Phillip. The threat of coca colonisation: Australia versus American cultural hegemony ; an address. Newcastle, N.S.W: University of Newcastle, 1985. Print. 
  • Campbell, Neil. Issues in Americanisation and culture. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2004. Print. 
  • Grant, Barry Keith. Film genre: theory and criticism. Metuchen, N.J.: Scarecrow Press, 1977. Print. 
  • Neale, Stephen. Genre and Hollywood. London: Routledge, 2000. Print. 
  • Propp, V. Iï¸ A︡. Morphology of the folktale,. 2d ed. Austin: University of Texas Press, 1968. Print. 

Critical Investion


 "You're psychic?"   Jane – “No, just paying attention. I used to make a good living pretending to be a psychic. I tell you this because I want you to understand there's no point hiding things from me”[1]

How is the narrative hero in The Mentalist a typical American TV protagonist and how does he appeal to audiences?

Americanisation[2] is something that could be the reason why people audiences find glamorous actors or something else that is unique more appealing to them and the text that I will be focusing is The Mentalist which is an American fictional television programme which revolves around the protagonist, Patrick Jane, whilst he attempts to find the murderer of his wife and family. He gives up his lucrative facade of being a psychic and becomes a consultant for the California Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The plot[3] mainly focuses on Jane and his methods of solving cases in an unorthodox manner which others do not approve of. He belongs to the Serious Crimes Unit and his team consists of Senior Special Agent Teresa Lisbon, Agent Rigsby, Agent Cho and Agent Van Pelt.  The character of Patrick Jane is a likeable one and has many traits that audiences can find appealing and recognise as something that they personally have themselves as individuals. The cultural shift in different countries has changed diversely due to the amount of American programming that is being depicted on our televisions every day through the digital satellite provider BskyB. [4]

Americanisation is the influence that the United States of America has on other countries across the world. For example, there are ideologies that are portrayed on television programmes and films such as teenagers getting involved with drugs or sexual encounters and this is easily seen through British programming through films such as Anuvahood[5] and Kidulthood[6].  These two films are completely different concepts however they both contain similar elements which Kidulthood could have included as a result of the influential American programming that we see daily. The Mentalist contains American stereotypes such as the vulnerable female character (Lisbon) who requires the help from Jane which could reinforce patriarchal societies although Lisbon is a physical able woman who can take care of herself however she requests help from Jane when struggling with emotional distress an illustration of this is in an episode called Little Red Corvette[7].This makes Jane seem the hero whereas in reality he is quite timorous when it comes to physical confrontations and prefers to remain at the background of scenes “Yeah, you guys go find out. I'll find the couch. [Stands up and turns around] Oh, there it is”[8]. If this is a case of hegemony which is a theory that Antonio Gramsci created about the worlds elites and with America acting as an over-powering presence then this could mean that “In their process of Americanization these elites have had to open up to the general public’s demand to new kinds of entertainment and to market forces geared to meet these demands”[9]. This would relate to the audiences’ values and beliefs being altered to fit the ideologies that are promoted to them through the programming that they watch. This is also relatively close to cultivating audiences which is a theory put forward by Gerbner because they are basing morals and principles on characters because of the amount of television that is watched across the world. [10]

The Mentalist promotes many specific things such as original thinking and not conforming to society due to the way that the protagonist carries himself out. “Your life is in chaos, you're lonely, you're depressed, you're addicted to drugs and pornography and a little nuts, to be honest. You're exactly the kind of man that does terrible things to women. But I don't think you did this”[11] is one of the examples in which Jane is able to use his deduction skills and his excellent eye for detail to figure something out. When all clues point to someone which makes everyone else believe that they are in fact the committers of a crime, Jane is the character who always opposes their views and points out additional details or goes about his own methods to prove his point when others do not believe him. This is based on the reading that a member of the audience takes as they have preferences when it comes to television however, with Americanisation, they are more likely to take the preferred reading that the creators of a text intends to be taken and become more law-abiding and find the programme more appealing due to the character’s personality and mannerisms. This is an extension of the theory suggested by Stuart Hall[12] which revolved around the audience’s response to a stimulus.

In the past of cinematic drama, there are similarities that The Mentalist has with other texts one of which includes Sherlock Holmes: The Sleeping Cardinal which a great comparison to make as the character of Holmes was played by one of the best Holmes according to reviews on IMDb[13]. The characters have similar mental acuity and Jane has been described as the modern day Sherlock Holmes by the creator, Bruno Heller. This similarity with the characters’ likeability can be seen as something that has been maintained by audiences as something that is attractive to them and they find pleasure in viewing these sorts of characters and this could be for many reasons such as personal identification which links in with the theory of uses and gratifications by Blumer and Katz or escapism; a concept explained by Katz and Foultz.

"The 'whodunit' makes its dramatic question absolutely explicit, and the quest to find the answer is led by the protagonist.[14]" This is a quote which relates to the two texts that are in discussion and is a simple paradigm of how these two texts can appeal to audiences as they are more likely to become involved since they feel that they are being invited to join in to solve the crime because of the questions asked by characters. For example, Lisbon often asks Jane who he thinks did it because she trusts his judgement, and this will encourage audiences to begin to figure out who the perpetrator of a crime is and Jane then ends up leading the investigation into the culprit following his own instincts. This is an example of escapism[15] that can be felt by the audience and they remain entertained as they are engaged with the plot and maintain this through each episode and most culprits are revealed at the end of the episode which can act as an invitation to view the next episode. Furthermore, at the end of each episode, you hear the voice of the protagonist, Jane, say “stay tuned to see scenes from our next episode” which is also something that engrosses them because it makes the audience feel as if they are being spoken to which will excite and encourage loyalty with the television programme. Genre appeal is one of the key factors that maintains audience’s engagement and reinforce their beliefs in the protagonist and therefore root for him to overcome the odds as everyone loves an underdog. In the works of Stephen Neale “Mere repetition would not attract the audience”. This quote relates to the hybridised genres that The Mentalist includes in its programming. The main two genres that are always included are comedy and drama the latter of which is the most popular genre in the world according to research.[16]

Vladimir Propp created a theory suggesting that all characters have role within a media text and the protagonist is considered as the narrative hero. They “have to be all or most of the following: intelligent, strong, resilient, selfless, caring, charismatic, reliable, and inspiring. A hero is the person who can be bothered, who does get off the sofa, who will save the day.”[17] This is a key element of The Mentalist because this can further promote ideologies and behavioural traits which can be observed and possibly replicated by audiences subconsciously or even intentionally. However, Patrick Jane is not a character that is physically strong and his selflessness is debatable because he is a character that is only working with the CBI due to his ulterior motive nevertheless his character applies to the other traits of a narrative hero. This could be motivational factors that appeal to audiences to constantly watch the programme and maintain the audience’s engagement which can also relate to the audiences needs and gratifications being fulfilled through escapism and intrinsic enjoyment using the entertainment factor. On the other hand, the narrative hero is a character that audiences can make their own judgement about and this is based on the readings that are taken when consuming a media text again tying in with the reception theory that was put concerning Stuart Hall’s works. 

"However there has been a shift toward investigative crime series, where the protagonist must think instead of fight" which is important to consider because the protagonist does exactly this. As stated earlier above, Jane does not enjoy being at the forefront of physical confrontations and instead creates crafty plans that are put into motion by him allowing him or someone from the team apprehending the perpetrator of a crime. This is dissimilar with other television programmes such as Hawaii-Five-O[18] and Nikita[19] as they have protagonists that engage in physical action as this is the genre that these programmes tend to focus on. In contrast the most similar television show is Psych which almost has the same plot as The Mentalist however the latter has a major story arc which Psych[20] does not have which is one of the most engaging factors for audiences because they will feel as if they are being given an interesting and well-thought of storyline that is a treat for audiences to watch. The genres are however similar as most of them include the element of genre and therefore allows audiences to be captivated due to the popularity and the effect that drama has and therefore maintains the audience’s engagement. Another media text that is also quite similar to The Mentalist is Dexter[21] which is about a serial killer who kills only serial killers and “Our main protagonist endures a love/hate relationship with himself”[22] which is the main similarity between Jane and Dexter. Furthermore, the narrative hero in Dexter is not one who is as intellectual as Jane however he does regret the things that he does as the audience are able to see how he copes with the aftermath of events that take place. The lighting used to promote the narrative is mostly top lighting and chiaroscuro style of lighting to emphasise expressions and therefore deliver an excellent piece of television to the audience. Chiaroscuro lighting is one where the object is placed into the centre of the light and focused upon to ignore other details about them and this is mostly used on Jane and other characters when making a decision that could be deemed as wrong or immoral, for example, the deception of a victim’s family.

So has the process of Americanisation forced audiences to find glamorous actors or something else that is unique about a text something of more appeal? This is still debatable however, many audiences identify with the actors that are portraying the roles within a text and this promotes star appeal. Star appeal is significantly rising as audiences, especially younger ones, base role models on actors and become a part of the psychographic group aspirers and mainstreamers. This would mean that they are initially drawn in to the fact that the actors have attracted to them to a particular television show and therefore the responsibility of maintaining the engagement with the audiences is given to the creators and producers. Jane could be categorised as a typical American TV protagonist but we must ask ourselves what exactly is a typical American narrative hero. Most could argue that they must be charismatic and have feelings that show their sensitivity whereas others may simply cope with problems by keeping it within and not showing any signs of weakness. The character of Jane is not a typical American television protagonist however he does consist of some of the main elements that contribute to making one. For example, he has psychological problems with himself but does not portray this to others unless he is absolutely required to. He is a caring individual who captivates audiences and maintains engagement through sometimes crude and childish humour. So Americanisation does influence people’s decisions because of the amount of programming that we watch but how will this change in the future? Will all American protagonists become similar and therefore reduce the quality of originality and uniqueness?

Word Count - 2178


[1] en.wikiquote.org/wiki/The_Mentalist
[7] Season 5 Episode 13 – Little Red Corvette
[8] Season1 Episode 20 – Red Sauce
[9] Alexander Stephan P18 2007
[10]  Nielsen Media Research. September 8, 2008. Retrieved January 13, 2012.
[11] Season1 Episode 3 – Red Tide
[12] Pieter J. Fourie P244 2001
[15] Yi-Fu Tuan P5 2000

Task 6 - Intro and First Paragraph

"You're psychic?" Jane - "No, just paying attention. I used to make a good living pretending to be a psychic. I tell you this because I want you to understand there's no point in hiding things from me"

How is the narrative hero in The Mentalist a typical American TV protagonist and how does he appeal to audiences?


Americanisation is something that could be the reason why people audiences find glamorous actors or something else that is unique more appealing to them and the text that I will be focusing is The Mentalist which is an American fictional television programme which revolves around the protagonist, Patrick Jane, whilst he attempts to find the murderer of his wife and family. He gives up his lucrative facade of being a psychic and becomes a consultant for the California Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The plot mainly focuses on Jane and his methods of solving cases in an unorthodox manner which others do not approve of. He belongs to the Serious Crimes Unit and his team consists of Senior Special Agent Teresa Lisbon, Agent Rigsby, Agent Cho and Agent Van Pelt. The character of Patrick Jane is a likeable one and has many traits that audiences can find appealing and recognise as something that they personally have themselves as individuals. The cultural shift in different countries has changed diversely due to the amount of American programming that is being depicted on our televisions every day through the digital satellite provider BskyB.

Americanisation is the influence that the United States of America has on other countries across the world. For example, there are ideologies that are portrayed on television programmes and films such as teenagers getting involved with drugs or sexual encounters and this is easily seen through British programming through films such as Anuvahoodand Kidulthood. These two films are completely different concepts however they both contain similar elements which Kidulthood could have included as a result of the influential American programming that we see daily. The Mentalist contains American stereotypes such as the vulnerable female character (Lisbon) who requires the help from Jane which could reinforce patriarchal societies although Lisbon is a physical able woman who can take care of herself however she requests help from Jane when struggling with emotional distress an illustration of this is in an episode called Little Red Corvette.This makes Jane seem the hero whereas in reality he is quite timorous when it comes to physical confrontations and prefers to remain at the background of scenes “Yeah, you guys go find out. I'll find the couch. [Stands up and turns around] Oh, there it is”. If this is a case of hegemony which is a theory that Antonio Gramsci created about the worlds elites and with America acting as an over-powering presence then this could mean that “In their process of Americanization these elites have had to open up to the general public’s demand to new kinds of entertainment and to market forces geared to meet these demands”. This would relate to the audiences’ values and beliefs being altered to fit the ideologies that are promoted to them through the programming that they watch. This is also relatively close to cultivating audiences which is a theory put forward by Gerbner because they are basing morals and principles on characters because of the amount of television that is watched across the world. 

The Mentalist promotes many specific things such as original thinking and not conforming to society due to the way that the protagonist carries himself out. “Your life is in chaos, you're lonely, you're depressed, you're addicted to drugs and pornography and a little nuts, to be honest. You're exactly the kind of man that does terrible things to women. But I don't think you did this" is one of the examples in which Jane is able to use his deduction skills and his excellent eye for detail to figure something out. When all clues point to someone which makes everyone else believe that they are in fact the committers of a crime, Jane is the character who always opposes their views and points out additional details or goes about his own methods to prove his point when others do not believe him. This is based on the reading that a member of the audience takes as they have preferences when it comes to television however, with Americanisation, they are more likely to take the preferred reading that the creators of a text intends to be taken and become more law-abiding and find the programme more appealing due to the character’s personality and mannerisms. This is an extension of the theory suggested by Stuart Hall which revolved around the audience’s response to a stimulus.