Serial killers have become a very popular subject in the crime genre over the past few decades. Their portrayal in American crime series and films have become a regular feature, indicating that they have become an important part of American culture. The media portrayal of serial killers coincides with the time when the FBI became interested in them. In this thesis, I analyze how the portrayal of serial killers on television produces a ruling ideology and thus helps to reinforce the authority of law enforcement. I have used as the object of my analysis the series Criminal Minds, which, unlike most standard crime series, focuses only on the mind of criminals and profiling as a tool to catch them.
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