Agnieszka Pawlak: A family in Polish television series

TV series are most eagerly watched media production nowadays. Their plot is based on social reality. On the other hand current social problems become threads of the TV series. Therefore they both reflect social reality and, simultaneously influence it. That is why I decided to analyse the content of Polish most popular 'soap operas' to search models of a family presented by their characters, and, to some extend, by the whole society. Three most watched TV series: 'M jak miłość', 'Klan' and 'Barwy szczęścia' were taken into consideration. These productions are family sagas. The research was conducted in last few months of 2009. All in all, watching Polish 'soap operas' a viewer experiences a kind of ambivalence. Although traditional family values are promoted (a hero claims to have strong family ties), he seems to reject them in his daily life designed by a screenwriter. One part of the article is devoted to differences between a TV series and soap opera, as well as to a discussion why they are at the top of the rating.