Use and distribution of scientific allusions in fiction tv series. The case of The Big Bang Theory

Abstract

Fiction tv series can command large audiences and become effective vehicles for scientific communication. Although not many series currently incorporate scientific material in their scripts, the practice of incorporating expert advisors in different fields, including science, into the scriptwriting team is on the rise. This research aims to show the relationship that may exist between audio-visual production and the dissemination of science. We performed a study of the scientific allusions included in the series “The Big Bang Theory” and its relationship with the educational function attributed to audiovisual products. Different objectives are addressed, including analysing the training capacity of this series, through a quantification and distribution of citations or mentions in this audio-visual product. What is particularly novel is the analysis linking the scientific allusions identified with the place of their appearance within the narrative structure of each chapter. The sample was made up of the first five seasons (2007-2012) of this series. The main results enabled us to meet our objectives. It is worth noting that the most common type of scientific mention in the series is “Theory/Principle”, followed by “Articles” and “Authors”; also, mentions of scientific content are established in the first two acts within the plot of the series, reserving the third, with hardly any scientific mentions, to present the moral of the plot.