School of Communication and Culture

This article presents findings of a quali-quantitative audience study on consumption pat-terns of and attitudes towards European television crime narratives among European viewers. Based on semi-structured interviews in Denmark, Germany and Italy and a 9-country online survey (n1321), we asked how, when, where and why European audienc-es watch crime series, and whether watching non-domestic European crime narratives influence the perception of the European ‘Other’. Our findings reveal preferences for An-glo-American content that is seen as the benchmark, combined with a criticality towards domestic content that is perceived as stereotyped. While stereotypes, personal and previ-ous non-mediated encounters draw viewers to European content, it does not necessarily challenge viewers’ perceptions of the European ‘Other’. It does, however, enable critical reflection on viewers’ domestic societies and TV cultures, leading to a process of banal cosmopolitanism.