This analysis begins by briefly describing the historical trajectory of prime-time crime drama on American television. Next, this article brings critical audience analysis into conversation with scholarship addressing television’s elevated status in the post-network era. After describing the methods used to recruit respondents, and detailing the composition of the sample, viewers responses are presented in conjunction with critical responses to . The findings indicate that there is a relationship between formal education and the acquisition of the knowledge and codes necessary to fully appreciate culturally legitimated crime drama.

hdl.handle.net/1765/115986
The Projector: A Journal on Film, Media and Culture
Department of Media and Communication

Wayne, M. (2016). Middle-Class Viewers and Breaking Bad: Audience and Social Status in the Post-Network Era. The Projector: A Journal on Film, Media and Culture, 16(1), 23–38. Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/1765/115986