This episode pulls apart the intricacy of the term ‘hate-watching’, with the help of Dr. Amy Holdsworth, a researcher in television and domestic media. How does the strong emotion of hate become pleasurable? How does social media motivate and encourage engagement with hate-based watching? What is the definition of bad tv and pleasure? How does communal viewing enhance and shape the way we watch television?
Amy takes us on a deep dive into the different aspects of hate-watching, and how these are affected by personal taste, social media, community viewing, marketing and cultural ideologies. The episode discusses the thin line between hate-watching, ironic viewing and guilty pleasures. Does this impact the television produced globally? And is there a sense of hierarchy placed upon the television deemed ‘bad’?
The episode concludes with a look at how shifting contexts and different audiences can subvert the ‘hate’ for characters. How do audiences navigate the joy felt in the karmic watching associated with the defeat of the villain? How the success of the antihero and the ‘good’ character's downfall with the audience, is often perceived through sexism and misogyny. And the gender politics and anti-fandoms created in the wake of hate-watching female characters.