TV series and superheros: The evolution of a “frame of experience”

Abstract

This article proposes to analyze, from the notion of the "frame of experience" (the experience situation), the role played by the consumer in the evolution of the American superhero television series market. Since the 2010s, Marvel Studios and DC Comics have turned to the production of television series – opening up a de facto new "frame of experience" for the superhero show, which, moreover, has become widespread with the creation of video-on-demand services (like Netflix). This commercial development is a consequence of the strong demand for this type of storytelling (as evidenced by the success of movies in theaters), but also of the pleasure that the television series format provides to the viewer (in general) and the possibility of consuming it directly at home and, above all, according to their desire. The sensitivity of individuals for the stream series is indeed linked to the possibilities that the domestic space and video platforms offer in terms of experience. This setting is characterized by a specific bodily engagement, which facilitates the psychological and aesthetic attachment to the characters of the series. It is by leveraging this frame that producers have literally taken advantage of the viewer's fascination with Netflix. They were able to get into the audiovisual series market, notably by developing comic book stories that had never been adapted for the cinema. Then, in a second phase, illustrated by the creation of Disney+ in 2019, the studios were able to play on the shift from the traditional cinema frame to the new frame of experience carried by the streaming platforms. Finally, by moving from the movie to the series, from the cinema to the home, from the collective to the individual, these studios have succeeded in conquering new audiences (consumers of series are also potential moviegoers) and allowed fans of the genre to diversify their experience of the superhero show.