ABSTRACT
While this book focuses on prestige television, this conclusion diverts from that model to address the role sitcoms, police procedurals, and other kinds of shows have on the national conversation about mass incarceration and the damage their reductive representations can have on the public’s understanding of this crisis, ultimately making a final call for authentic and responsible representation of the national crisis of mass incarceration in our popular—and therefore influential—facets of popular culture. As a counterargument to this trend, this conclusion engages in a brief analysis of The 100 to demonstrate that shows that fall outside of the prestige television category, that target a younger and supposedly less critical audience, can engage in a complex discussion of prison and carcerality and responsibly frame their representations of these issues without sacrificing powerful storyline and engaging character development.
