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| - The cop show is a genre of television program that portrays the role of police and police methods in a work of fiction. Much of the appeal of such series is the same as the appeal of the literary detective story: on a fundamental level, they deal with concepts of right and wrong, and the righting of wrong. In addition, through the depiction of the activities of fictional police officers, the audience feels privileged to see the inner workings of what, for most people, is a closed profession
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abstract
| - The cop show is a genre of television program that portrays the role of police and police methods in a work of fiction. Much of the appeal of such series is the same as the appeal of the literary detective story: on a fundamental level, they deal with concepts of right and wrong, and the righting of wrong. In addition, through the depiction of the activities of fictional police officers, the audience feels privileged to see the inner workings of what, for most people, is a closed profession Although many cop shows make claims for the realism of their depiction of the world of policing, in fact the incidence of crime in such series far exceeds its frequency in the real world. Each episode requires at least one offence, frequently murder; and these crimes are typically solved within the episode, so that a different murder must be solved in each. It is this cycle of deviance, discovery, and punishment that provides the audience with weekly satisfaction. Three main approaches to creating cop shows have been identified. First are series that focus on the efforts of an individual hero, albeit with other characters playing a supporting role. Frequently, such a hero depicted is as somewhat detached from and hence observant of society, and therefore particularly capable of solving the mystery. The principal influence on this type of cop show is the literary detective story, whether featuring a police officer (such as Chief Inspector Morse) or an amateur detective (such as Sherlock Holmes). The second type of series is an ensemble show focusing on a group of characters making up a police squad; and the relationship between its members is as much part of the series as catching criminals. Such series are influenced by soap operas in their focus on the characters' personal lives. The third type of cop show is action-oriented, and derives much of its appeal from interpolated scenes of violence, such as car chases, fights, and explosions.
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