Spin-doctoring in French television series: The art of emotional labor

This article aims to question the spin doctor’s representations on television series. If it is easy to recognize on television series medical professionals because of their white coat and their diverse accessories for example, how can we distinguish a spin doctor who looks like an advisor like any other? Based on the analysis of four French television series ( Baron Noir, Les Hommes de l’ombre, Hénaut Président , and Ainsi soient-ils ), this article makes the hypothesis that the ethos of the shadow counselor’s fictional avatar can be measured against the notion of figurative idiom. The aim is to reveal the visual language, the codes, the frameworks, and the behaviors that organize and structure the way this occupation is semiotized. And then, by focusing on the social drama of work and particularly on the asymmetric roles, we will present an expert performing emotional labor on his “client.”