De The West Wing (NBC, 1999-2006) à House of Cards (Netflix, 2013-) : le désenchantement des séries politiques américaines

Abstract

This article aims at reviewing the evolution of U.S. political dramas over the last fifteen years through a compared analysis of two similar scenes from The West Wing (NBC, 1999-2006) and House of Cards (Netflix, 2013-), in which the main character soliloquizes inside a church. Since the end of the 90s, American political fiction has evolved from an idealized and sometimes naive depiction of the executive power (The West Wing) to a dark and cynical satire (House of Cards) of the Washington D.C. reclusive coterie. By questioning the relationship the two series entertain with their respective period of production and reception, but also by studying their cultural influences, we will try to shed some light over their messages about power and politics. Created by talented and tireless writer Aaron Sorkin, The West Wing remains the reference for any political drama. It surprisingly seems easier, even today, to confrontationally compete with this masterpiece rather than to emulate it, as the failures of Commander in Chief (ABC, 2005-2006) and Jack and Bobby (WB, 2004-2005) have demonstrated. At the other end of the narrative spectrum, the dark, gritty and cynical dramas, Boss (Starz, 2011-2012) and House of Cards, have drawn their inspiration from Shakespeare’s plays to renew the political genre and the representation of American politics on the small screen.

Keywords

• West Wing (The)
• House of Cards
• political drama
• Shakespeare
• Richard III
• Macbeth