Confronting Cancer on thirtysomething: Audience Response to Health Content on Entertainment Television

This study addresses the potential of entertainment television to educate about serious subject matter, such as health content. Through the use of open-ended, in-depth interviews of regular viewers in two metropolitan sites, this study explores audience response to a fictionalized, serialized portrayal of ovarian cancer on thirtysomething. Our questions were directed to the audience's (a) viewing process, including interpersonal contact, identification with characters, and prior experience with cancer, (b) understanding of content, especially illness imagery and coping strategies, and (c) applications to real life, including questions, insights, knowledge, and actions. The details of this exploration indicate the complexity of audience response to this kind of content and suggest guidelines for health communicators as they work with the entertainment industry to embed health-promoting messages in the media.