New Feminist Studies in Audiovisual Industries| The Shifting Image of Hegemonic Masculinity in Contemporary Television Series

Abstract

As programming that focused on men and how they related to their families though their violent adventures in the world saw a surge in recent decades, several examples from this period witnessed a shifting image of this brand of masculinity toward the inclusion of fatherhood and paternal nurturance. These series display a performance of masculinity that centers on caring and nurturing family while simultaneously displaying traits of hegemonic masculinity such as use of violence, stoicism, and action orientation. These shows, Prison Break, The Mandalorian, The Witcher, we argue, offer a new performance of masculinity. While these shows also strongly associate hegemonic masculinity with violence, the male characters' relationships with family take a central role as a driving force for the plot. We find this shift in display of masculinity to be significant in that it centers family relationships for protagonists in the traditionally hypermasculine genres of the prison drama and the western.