Drenched in blue: Black audiences’ TV viewing and perceptions of the police

Amid conversation about police conduct, understanding the mechanisms that may be related to Black audiences’ police procedural consumption and attitudes toward the police is noteworthy. Accordingly, we adopted social identity gratifications theory to analyze survey data from US Black adults (N = 434) regarding consumption of Black police procedurals, scripted shows focused on police investigations with Black actors, and attitudes toward the police. Results suggest a significant relationship between increased consumption and favorable attitudes toward the police. However, data indicated that adherence to racial identity moderated the relationship, acting as a safeguard against heavy media exposure and viewer attitudes.