ABSTRACT
This analysis covers representations across different industry-defined categories: dramas, comedies, and reality/talk shows. Dramas, which include subgenres such as crime/legal dramas, hospital dramas, and sci-fi/fantasy, have traditionally used novel topics to create provocative storylines. To analyze transgender themes in comedies, the superiority, relief, and incongruities theories of humor. The reality genre, which spans talk shows to competition shows, offers a range of insights and exploitation of transgender participants. While each of these genres offers some form of educational quality in addition to entertainment, this analysis found that portrayals greatly varied between single-appearance and recurring characters.
