Obecność Jana Pawła II w serialach
Presence of John Paul II in television series

Summary/Abstract: The main objective of this paper is to demonstrate the presence of the motif of Pope John Paul II in TV series in which the figure of the pope appears in the form of archival footage, mocumentary, or as played by an actor. The author is particularly interested in the semantics of representations of the pope (pictures, sculptures, etc.) in TV series such as Dom, Jan Serce, Czech Pustina and in the productions which contain church or religious themes: the Italian series Don Matteo, its Polish equivalent Ojciec Mateusz, and Ranczo. The article also analyses the performative acts of the protagonist of the miniseries Eureka Street, who photographs himself with John Paul II. Additionally, the author examines animated TV series and other productions which feature caricatured or irreverent references to the dying (Miasteczko South Park, original title: South Park) or the deceased (HBO series Avenue 5) pope. The article analyses another type of TV series, which includes actors portraying John Paul II or his successors. These TV series are Młody papież (2016) and Nowy papież (2020). Interestingly, both of these shows feature allusions to John Paul II, as well as his portraits on the walls of papal residences. In the context of other cultural artefacts, such as literature (fiction and non-fiction), feature films, etc., the author interprets the selected TV series, exploring the role the motif of the pope plays in them. The results show the advantage of irony or neutrality towards the pope.

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