Studien undersöker hur den etablerade sitcom-serien New Girl porträtterar kvinnliga och manliga karaktärer normativt eller icke-normativt. Studien undersöker även om karaktärerna i serien porträtteras utefter de grundstereotyper som tidigare forskning tagit fram. Urvalet utgörs av de första sju avsnitten av första säsongen, som alla hade runt en miljon tittare i Sverige. Syftet och målet med vår studie är att undersöka om sitcom-serien New Girls karaktärer bidrar till rådande könsnormer eller om serien är normbrytande. På så sätt bidrar studie till den relativt outforskade genusforskningen eftersom vi får kunskap om hur kön representeras i media.Som metod tillämpar vi en kvalitativ textanalys och studien har sin teoretiska grund inom semiotiken. Vi använder oss av de semiotiska begreppen denotation och konnotation som verktyg när karaktärerna analyseras. Analysen utgjordes av ett schema för att enklare identifiera karaktärernas stereotyp. Analysschemat bestod av klädval/utseende, uttal/tilltal, yrke och egenskaper/känslor. Resultatet av studien visar att New Girl både stärker rådande könsnormer och bryter dem. Stereotyperna som kom till uttryck i serien var ”machoman”, ”yuppie”, ”career woman” och ”bourgeois”. / This study examines how the established sitcom series New Girl portrays women and men normatively or not. The study also examines whether the characters in the series are portrayed as stereotypes that previous research has found. The study consists of the first seven episodes of the first season, all of which had around one million viewers in Sweden. The purpose and aim of this study is to investigate whether the sitcom-series New Girls characters contributes to current gender norms or if the series is norm breaking. In this way, our study contributes to the relatively unexplored gender research as we get knowledge of hoe gender is represtended in the media.As a method, we apply a qualitative text analysis and the study has its theoretical foundation in semiotics. We use the semiotic concepts denotation and connotation as tools when analyzing the characters. The analysis consisted of a scheme to more easily identify the stereotype of the characters. The analysis scheme consisted of clothing/appearance, pronunciation/appeal, occupation and characteristics/feelings.The result of the study shows that New Girl both strengthens the current gender norms and breaks them. The stereotypes that was expressed in the series were “machoman”, “yuppie”, “career woman” and “bourgeois”.

For decades, situational comedies — commonly named “sitcoms” — have been racially segregated on TV between Black-cast sitcoms and White-cast sitcoms. Extensive research has been led about representation of Black and White masculinities in this segregated context. This master thesis studies what happens when White and Black males are equally casted as main characters in contemporary sitcoms by offering a case-study of the 2011 sitcom New Girl (2011-2017). How is Black masculinity represented in New Girl, and in which ways does it intersect with contemporary societal issues (e.g. racial profiling, Black Lives Matter movement)? This case-study uses tools, methodologies and concepts, drawn from Black and Intersectional feminism as well as Feminist media studies. Based on a 25 episodes sample of the show, it implements Ronald Jackson’s traditional stereotypes classification and “Black masculine identity theory” (Jackson, 2006) to study representations of Black masculinity in New Girl, through its two main Black male characters, Winston and Coach. Given that representations of minorities in popular culture reflect and influence our contemporary society, the results offer new insights about how sitcoms, series and popculture productions in general can challenge traditional stereotypes and display a more progressive Black masculinity.

This thesis examines two of the female-driven sitcoms from the 2011-2012 season, New Girl and Girls. I analyze both series from a third-wave feminist perspective, looking at how each series portrays its respective lead character, Jess and Hannah, and how each series portrays funny women in general. Through these analyses, I ultimately argue that Jess on New Girl represents a much more promising feminist icon than Hannah on Girls. This is mainly because Jess is driven by self-love and self-confidence while Hannah is so defined by her self-hatred that she becomes difficult for viewers to relate. Most disappointingly, I find that female-driven sitcoms use humor as a weapon to discipline its characters. / Literature review -- Critical orientation -- New girl : feminist role model or just another manic pixie dream girl? -- Girls : the future of television or whiny, selfish, entitled brats? / Department of Communication Studies