The West Wing and House of Cards Summary

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Summary
Fritz’s article titled “The West Wing and House of Cards: A Comparison of Narrative Strategies of Two Politically-themed Dramas” is just as the title indicates a comparison of two shows. The two shows known as The West Wing and the House of Cards are quite popular, and being politically-themed adds to their popularity. In her article, Fritz compares the articles based on their narrative structure and devices used. She claims that while both shows try to paint a picture of the nation’s leadership, their main goal is to ensure their narrative strategies help maintain and increase their viewership. Whatever the decision made, there must be an economical or financial angle that both shows seek to explore. Aside from the above, Fritz also seeks to discuss the production of the shows and their reception to their intended audience.
As Fritz starts her article, she first offers a brief history of television dramas. She indicates that initially, television dramas mainly focused on protagonists who are then pitted against antagonists. The end involves the protagonists winning or getting their way. “The West Wing,” she indicates, is a show that follows this particular narrative. However, some shows have recently chosen to break away from the traditional narrative defying the conventional screenwriting methods. These shows, like House of Cards, seem to have protagonists with questionable characters. Such shows have gone on to have incredible success. Well, politically-themed dramas have also had a particular way to approach their narratives. Fritz notes that they mainly seek to propagate two narratives, with one seeking to paint the political class as honorable people and the other painting them as selfish individuals who are only after their selfish endeavors.
Fritz makes it clear that narratives are designed to fulfil certain purposes. She writes that analysis of a narrative must seek to assess the functions certain features serve to their audience. Every narrational genius is employed to serve a particular purpose. In her article, she employs the functional narrative because she wants to offer an in-depth analysis of the events in the films.
Regarding The West Wing show, Fritz writes that the show seeks to present a balanced view of the political scene by presenting both liberal and conservative views side by side. She explains that this is mainly to help attract as many viewers as possible. On the other hand, House of Cards mainly seeks to steer away from traditional television as possible. The show seeks to present a narrative that rivals normal television programming. Netflix, the show’s parent company, is after subscribers, and to create an environment where it gains more subscribers, Netflix has focused on quality, which Fritz rightfully notes “breaks rules.”
The two shows also differ in their settings. TWW encourages the audience to think of their workplaces and their performances in the workplace. Rarely, some characters are shown outside the office but in most cases doing official business. Thus, TWW is primarily pr...