Media Communications and Television Shows

¶ … future entertainment ... is to model synergistic interactions of determinants and dimensions of media entertainment across levels of analysis," (Berger, Roloff, & Roskos-Ewoldsen, 2010, p. 356). One of those levels of analysis has to do with the relationships audiences develop with characters on the shows they watch regularly. These audience-to-character relationships are one-sided, because the character is (a) fictitious and not possible to have a bilateral relationship with; and (b) even the actor remains unaware that the individual audience member actually exists. The technical term for these one-sided relationships is parasocial relationships. For example, I have developed a parasocial relationship with James McGill, the protagonist of Better Call Saul. One of the reasons why I developed a relationship with this character is because Better Call Saul is a spin-off show of Breaking Bad, which I watched religiously for years. While the "Saul" character on Breaking Bad was not someone who I could relate to, as he was a relatively minor character, he has become someone I feel I know through his backstory developed in Better Call Saul.

In Better Call Saul, we meet James "Jimmy" McGill and learn that he became a sleazy lawyer via a series of life events. His older brother is a partner in a prestigious law firm, but does not help Jimmy achieve a leg up in his budding legal career. As a result, Jimmy has low self-esteem and sabotages his chances to become a bona fide attorney as opposed to one who works for a pittance helping seniors write their wills. Moreover, Jimmy has been a con artist in the past, something that he seems to enjoy doing as long as no one is getting hurt. The developers of the show manage to insert moral ambiguity and complexity into the characters, making James McGill a believable, as well as sympathetic, character. Whereas audiences of Breaking Bad only saw the sleazy side of the man who re-invented himself as "Saul," the audiences of Better Call Saul understand why he became who he is, and we have compassion for him.

Outside of his role on Better Call Saul, Jimmy represents many aspects of myself. For one, Jimmy is a person who has allowed himself to be unduly influenced by toxic family members. He has internalized his brother's disrespect for him, transforming it into disrespect for himself. Also, it is frustrating to see that Jimmy's brother has the wherewithal to help his brother but refuses to do so, perhaps out of jealousy that his little brother might have a better personality than he does, which is why he used to be a successful con artist. I also find it interesting that Jimmy has elevated con artistry to another dimension, showing that there are illegitimate ways of being "successful," and thereby illustrating the core tenets of strain theory in sociology. I have developed a parasocial relationship with Jimmy because his role calls attention to these same dynamics in my own life: the way I have rebelled against authority rather than attempt to conform to others.