The Kim Wall Murder Serialized: Ethics & Aesthetics in High-Profile True Crime

Authors

  • Lynge Stegger Gemzøe Aalborg University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.6092/issn.2421-454X/12483

Keywords:

true crime, meta-communication, series, the investigation, media ethics

Abstract

This article investigates the dramaturgical, aesthetical and ethical implications of making television on the back of a high-profile, internationally appealing and very recent murder case: the Kim Wall murder. During a trip in his self-made submarine, Peter Madsen, a known amateur space rocket and submarine builder, abused and murdered Kim Wall, a young Swedish journalist, who was supposed to do an interview with him. Less than three years later, a range of true crime productions had been made about the case, and this article analyses three of them. Preliminary findings suggest that meta-communication is highly important in high-profile true crime productions such as these, and that creators have to walk a thin line.

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TV Series cited

(2014)

Borgen (2010-2013)

Forbrydelsen (2007)

Game of Thrones (2011-2019)

Into the Deep (2020)

The Investigation (2020)

The Jinx (2015)

Making a Murderer (2015-2018)

Mindhunter (2017-2019)

The Secret Recordings (2020)

Other media cited

A Hijacking (2012)

Call of Duty (2003-)

In Cold Blood (1966)

Serial (2014-)

World of Warcraft (2004-)

Downloads

Published

2021-07-29

How to Cite

Gemzøe, L. S. (2021). The Kim Wall Murder Serialized: Ethics & Aesthetics in High-Profile True Crime. Series - International Journal of TV Serial Narratives, 7(1). https://doi.org/10.6092/issn.2421-454X/12483

Issue

Section

Productions / Markets / Strategies