At heart, ‘queerbaiting’ is all about the declaration of a happy ending. The desire for happy couples and members of the LGBTQ+ community opens the door to validation. The simple replication and assimilation of their identity within popular culture, positively and graciously, has proven to be the most effective way to improve representation and fan reception, not just for the LGBTQ+ community. When the demand for better and more positive queer representation mixes with the power of industry professionals, however, it results in the topic of this study: ‘queerbaiting’. This dissertation aims to examine how audience expectations of potential queer love and happiness were exploited by both the content of the CW shows ‘Supernatural’ and ‘The 100’ and, additionally, by the engagement of the producers and actors. Both shows are heavily known for their involvement in ‘queerbaiting’, and their fandoms have a loud presence throughout social media. Taking two shows with different paths for the queer-baited couple allows for a broader discussion, particularly about how gender influences how these characters are queer-baited. It is their negative and broken reception of the show’s decisions to add to the continuous and still relevant topic of ‘queerbaiting’ that has led to this study. Choosing these two texts was crucial to the arguments surrounding fandom spaces, audience engagement, and perpetuated encouragement from producers. The association of ‘queerbaiting’ was easily directed towards them both, of course, due to the cult following the programmes received. Both television programmes have ended for a minimum of a year, which allows for conclusive discussions when analysing the show’s direct impact. The study will be conducted through a multi-layered analysis of the media texts, the producers’ engagement, and finally audience reception. Taking a look at the episodes of both television programmes, the filmic devices, and narrative tools can be highlighted to examine how queer interpretations become so prevalent in a text sold as heteronormative. Then, applying the way producers and actors engage with key moments in the show as well as even just behind-the-scenes features can shed light on the way industry professionals had direct involvement in the way controversies played out. Finally, taking a look at the fandom reception helps to understand exactly how audiences responded to specific key scenes and moments in the show’s progression and equally how they analyse the power fandoms have.
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