Comparing real and fictional crime shows' entertainment value

¶ … Fiction

Watching "First 48," the real crime show, is not nearly as entertaining as watching a fictional show like CSI or NCIS. Although of course it is factual and real, and shows the viewing audience how things really work during interrogations and investigations, it doesn't have the characters' sometimes edgy dialogue, and it doesn't have the energy and tension of fictional programs. This paper reviews examples of both real crime shows and fictional crime shows.

The shortcomings of real crime stories from an entertainment aspect

There are impressive moments in "The First 48" shows when the camera zooms in on faces of people who have lost loved ones, or who have been emotionally devastated by an untimely event.

In the "Betrayal of a life-long friend" episode of "The First 48" (the killer is "Yellowman") the woman who cared for an accused killer recounts bringing him home from the hospital and taking care of him. The woman's face is etched in pain and confusion. "He gonna do this [kill her nephew] for what?" she said. "He never got into trouble," Charlette said. Toward the end of the segment of this story, Charlette says, "I forgive him," talking about the murderer. She has her pain to deal with, and it is clear she is hurting. But as her head leans slightly to the right as she repeats, "I forgive him," with a totally sincere, very earthy expression of hurt on her face.

For example, in "A Mother's Struggle in Trying to Move On," Shani's daughter is missing and she is revealing the feelings of this terrible drama. Shani's daughter is found shot in the head. This is truly a tragedy for a family and the factual coverage of the emotions that are part of a homicide come through loud and clear. There are pictures that tell a thousand words when camera zoom into the faces of the victims, and this is a valuable part of the true crime stories. The stories move slower, they don't have the action and the energy of fictional crime stories, but they have power in their own right.

Conclusion

The factual, real-life crime stories are more often than not a review of the crime, interviews with the victims, and footage of police interrogations (which can be long and boring to the average viewer). In CSI and NCIS and "Law and Order" the show weaves a story around the beginning, the middle, and the end, and the fictional stories are far more entertaining because they are carefully written and produced and acted by skilled professionals.