Representations and imaginaries of cities in the opening sequences of three U.S. TV seriesThe Sopranos, Weeds and House of Cards

  1. Gallardo, Marta 1
  2. García Reyes, David 1
  1. 1 Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia
    info

    Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia

    Madrid, España

    ROR https://ror.org/02msb5n36

Revista:
BAGE. Boletín de la Asociación Española de Geografía

ISSN: 0212-9426,  2605-3322

Any de publicació: 2022

Número: 95

Tipus: Article

DOI: 10.21138/BAGE.3321 DIALNET GOOGLE SCHOLAR lock_openDialnet editor

Altres publicacions en: BAGE. Boletín de la Asociación Española de Geografía

Objectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible

Resum

The opening sequence of a series or film acts as a preamble that encapsulates various key elements of the plot or presents aesthetic and iconographic features that appear in the story. In this research, we analyze the representation of the modern-day American city in the opening sequences of three recent series that were very well received: The Sopranos (HBO, 1999-2007), Weeds (Showtime, 2005-2012) and House of Cards (Netflix, 2013-2018). To this end, we characterize the urban spaces presented in these intros, analyzing how their different elements are represented and used, the differences (or not) between “reality” and fiction, as regards their spatial and urban layout, together with the projection in the media of the different urban contexts. The Sopranos and House of Cards offer a brief, but highly detailed, picture of two world-famous metropolises (New York and Washington DC) and their different functional aspects. Weeds, and to some extent The Sopranos, offer the viewer an insight into suburban areas, as an example of urban sprawl in idealized family residential areas. These images are in sharp contrast with the cultural, historical Washington portrayed in House of Cards. In this way, the three opening sequences present and help create many of the stereotype images that make up our collective imaginary of the urban landscape of the East and West coast of the United States.

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