Law and Justice on TV. The Wire vs. CSI and Ally McBeal
Abstract
The aim of this paper is to analyse the ways in which law is represented in the celebrated TV series The Wire, broadcasted in United States between 2002 and 2008. The analysis focuses particularly on the thematization of the relationship between the concept of law and that of justice, that is between 'positive law' and 'natural law'. This theme is pursued in the context of American television series of great success such as CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (CBS, 2000-) and Ally McBeal (Fox, 1997-2002) . The comparison highlights the way in which in The Wire the terms of the problem are completely eroded through the representation of a sort of 'disappearance of justice'. In this series the natural law becomes insignificant both because it is no more the point of reference of the actions activated by the institutions, and because an informed, in-depth and not prejudicial gaze on the social reality of the contemporary metropolis brings into question the very idea of a justice absolute and distanced from the contingent circumstances.
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