The viewers are in a position of power, morally judging those they see on the show. The viewer takes enormous pleasure from "enjoying the badness and then rejoicing in the on-air transformations" (p. 86). However while the audience are the jury, the host is the judge. This idea is further accentuated with the shots of the host. The camera angle was constantly low, making Trisha look in position of authority. However while Trisha can be made to look powerful she can’t be made to look to professional.
Trisha is dressed smartly but not to so. This is because the host on a talk show is their to give advice. However Trisha is not a trained psychologist. She can’t look professional, because she isn’t. Abt and Seeholtz worry that because of this therapy is “trivialised” (ab). However as Mittell believes that talk shows respond to people who view with a detached, ironical viewing style, It can be argued that viewers don’t take in any of the ideas expressed in the programme. However with closer examination of Mittell’s text, it’s clear to see that the the ‘detached ironical viewer’ opinion comes from the fact that the only people interviewed for this opinion was students. While they may not be effect by the self-help content of the programme, other less well educated people might be effected.
In the Trisha programme most of the audience consisted of the young and good-looking. The audience looked well dressed and intelligent. Due to the programme starting at 9:30, the only viewers who tend tune in at home are the unemployed and women housewives. These groups of people ideologically are seen as inferior to the dominant male worker. For this reason Mittell writes that Talk-shows as high art tend to be dismissed immediately, because they appeal to the lower end of society’s hierarchy.
The key idea from Mittell’s article is that “hierarchies between programmes and genres are one of the primary ways in which television viewers situate themselves among media texts and there social locations (reader36). The ideological views of the audience decide on there appreciation of a programme. There ideas on whether the programme is of a culturally value decide on whether they watch and enjoy the programme. Ideological notions of taste decide their viewing.
Although Mittell comes up with many interesting points, its important to look at the article itself to understand if there are any problems with it, that might make the arguments used in it less factual and more opinionated. The article itself refers to only American talk shows. Britain and America have different cultural and ideological views and so it can’t be assumed that ideas on American ideologies can be used to as being the same as British people. The article also fails to have any textual analysis of talk shows. Due to the lack of textual analysis it relies on a sample to formulate opinions of the programmes. However the sample used is small and of only one demographic; students. Their opinion can not be construed as being the set opinion of viewers everywhere.
In conclusion through my analysis of Trisha its clear to see that the way things are done on the programme are to appeal to its audience. The viewer enjoys the programme because as Mittel writes they like to feel superior to the guests on it. They judge the guests on the show and then feel superior to them because there lives are not as bad as those on the show.
http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0SOR/is_1_62/ai_73692417
