Genetics in Television Medical Dramas

Bibliographic Data

ID21790337
AuthorsLauren Furman, Jay Clayton (0000-0002-3569-4853)
Year2021
Volume14
Issue1-2
Pages39-56
Publication date2021-12-31
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueThe Journal of Literature and Science (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1754-646X • E-ISSN: 1754-646X
PublisherJournal of Literature and Science (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.12929/jls.14.1-2.04
PMID36467749
OpenAlexW4310785900
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited5

Since beginning their run in the early 1950s, medical dramas have been a staple of American primetime television, growing steadily in both quantity and popularity (Rochi).Although genetics has never been the principal focus of these shows, the thread of genetics has been woven into the genre over the decades.The first episode of a medical drama to feature genetics was the premiere of the fourth season of Ben Casey (1961)(1962)(1963)(1964)(1965)(1966) in 1964, making it the only episode across a decade of Ben Casey (1961)(1962)(1963)(1964)(1965)(1966), Dr. Kildare (1961-1966), and Marcus Welby, M.D. (1969-1976) to address the topic.Since 2010, no fewer than 44 episodes from 8 series of medical dramas have turned on questions involving genetics.Both the number of medical shows and the percentage of episodes pertaining to genetics have increased greatly.Medical dramas typically depict rare and singular cases in order to amplify the drama and urgency of the situations portrayed (Jerrentrup, et al.).In a genre that sustains its popularity in part by featuring novel medical situations and exciting developments in medical science, genetics provides a treasure-trove of unusual and complex conditions, alongside everadvancing methods of genetic medicine, which together lend themselves to new and engaging plotlines.The evolution of the on-screen doctor is well documented (Chory-Assad and Tamborini).Beginning in the 1960s, the doctor-hero dominated the scene, and in later decades doctors began to develop into more well-rounded characters with realistic human flaws.In other genres (most notably science fiction), advanced scientific developments such as genetics have often been coupled with the trope of the mad scientist and themes involving the transgression of supposed natural or God-given boundaries (Haynes, Faust to Strangelove).In medical dramas, however, mad scientists hardly ever appear (Haynes, 'Overturning the Stereotype').In the GetPreCiSe database, our team cataloged 268 instances of mad or unethical scientists in episodes of science fiction and horror television, while only 32 appeared in episodes of medical dramas (see Gibbons, Stovall, and Clayton).More recently a new role has become prominent, that of the doctor-scientist, in which the physician is also a researcher.After 2000, doctor scientists begin to appear more often, and they are sometimes portrayed as risk takers or as less ethical than their television predecessors.Along with exploring the dual role of on-screen practitioners as both doctors and scientists, newer depictions often breach other conventional boundaries, such as that between doctor/patient and that between the doctors' personal/professional lives.Given their focus on diagnosis and treatment, medical dramas have had a comparatively positive attitude toward genetics over time, acting as one of the strongest advocates in popular culture for genetic testing and genetic medicine.While other genres in television, film, and fiction warn about the many imagined dangers that will result from advances in genetic science -horrific mutation, biological warfare, threatening clones, and social stratification -medical dramas tend to portray more favourable alternatives: effective diagnoses, research and development of new treatments for genetic disease, and gene therapies.While not all the episodes have

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