Television, Crime in

Print media, radio, and film provide the precedents for representations of crime in television. In fiction-based television programming, crime plays a key role in creating and increasing drama, though once in a while it becomes part of elevating humor as well. Crime serves as part of the organization in episode plot lines and in generic formulas. More recently, it has become the subject of reality television shows, which comprise a significant and growing part of nonfiction programming. The use of crime within television programming ...