Online Soap-Opera Buffs: How Fans Can Turn a Soap Opera into a Cult

Abstract

In everyday conversation and in the social networks, we may come across the term cult in reference to people, places, movies or television programs. In this paper, we propose a few conceptualizations about the notion of cult TV, applied to Brazilian television fiction, and particularly soap operas. The first section focuses on the theoretical dialogue between authors who discuss the concept of cult TV (Pearson, 2010; Hills, 2010) and who point out the relationship between the expression and the innovative or critical content of a narrative, its nostalgic appeal or, mainly, to fan engagement. Then, we describe the empirical research carried out in three stages: 1) analysis of tweets in order to draw a parallel between the theoretical conceptualizations and the use of the term by the viewers; 2) questionnaire administered in online networks that pointed out which soap operas were considered as cult by viewers; and 3) focal group discussing the reasons why those soap operas were mentioned. Based on these guidelines, the paper highlights fans’ investment in one of the most cited productions in the questionnaire, Avenida Brasil, a recent production that made visible the link between the concept of cult and fans’ manifestations online. As a result, the paper contributes to the theoretical conceptualization of cult, opens a dialogue between international theories and the Brazilian context and shows, from the point of view of viewers, how fans can turn a soap opera into a cult.