When we consume television, we don’t often think about the messages that are put into the shows, but oftentimes they exist within our subconsciousness. The average consumer of television won’t stop to think about what they are watching and why these messages exist within the media, but they are there. Within America, a common genre of television show that exists with a very clear message is the procedural cop shows, which more often than not will paint law enforcement as very heroic. Using Stuart Hall’s encoding/decoding model, we can break down how these procedurals are shown to audiences versus how they are perceived in today’s society, where so many people are familiar with a corrupt justice system.
By Stuart Hall’s concept, ‘encoding’ is the production of a message within media. Often creators will embed certain ideologies that fit the narrative that they are trying to push. American cop shows typically heroicize law enforcement. They are seen as inherently good and necessary and willing to bend the rules in the noble pursuit of justice. These shows also portray the justice system as working quickly and effectively. Another trait of cop shows is that when an officer has a moral ambiguity, it is seen as a personal flaw, rather than a fault of the system. In Law and Order: Special Victims Unit, one of the leads of the show, detective Elliot Stabler, often exhibited anger issues and made rash decisions that put him and his partner Olivia Benson in peril. It was typically seen as him trying to “protect his family and stop the bad criminal” rather than a fault of the system that he worked in, without repercussion for his actions. The encoded messages within these shows are sent within these hour long bingeable episodes of television shows, and are always the same formula, which makes them easy to digest and enjoyable to the average consumer.
To ‘decode’ the messages within media, Hall created three different methods that can be used for understanding these messages. The first, is ‘dominant’ decoding. This is the audiences of these cop shows fully accepting the messages produced within these shows as straightforward entertainment, that validates and demonstrates the effectiveness of law enforcement. The second, is ‘negotiated’ decoding, which is where the audience would accept the show, but modify their views based on personal experience or cultural understandings. Essentially, enjoying the show but knowing that sadly not all police officers are as kind or honest as Detective Olivia Benson. Finally, ‘oppositional’ decoding. The audience understands the messaging, but rejects it as ‘copaganda’ narratives that glorify police work and issues like police brutality and systemic racism. Ultimately, it is up to the viewers to decide how they want to interpret the media they consume, regardless of how easy it is to get swept up within 21 seasons of Law and Order: Special Victims Unit, and other shows like it.
