COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF THE REPRESENTATION OF FAMILY IN THE TELEVISION SHOW WEEDS
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Introduction For some time now, different faculties on human psychology, sociology and cultural studies have been investigating the effect of media artifacts in influencing and dictating ideologies and perceptions in the societies that consume them. Contemporary findings indicate that media artifacts such as television shows, movies, and books, directly influence the behavior of individuals within their different social groups and determine the type of interpersonal relationships one forges with other people, relative to their role in their lives. In addition, media affect the expressions of social class and socio-economic stature through the encouragement of the consumer culture and individualism. This paper analyses the television series Weeds, seeking to highlight how the portrayal of a single-mother family mirrors the literature on single-parent families in terms of perceived structures, financial challenges, academic achievement of children and the emotional and psychological health as well as the challenges specifically affecting single mothers. Weeds is an eight-season television show depicting the character of Nancy, a recently widowed woman who struggles to a means of mitigating the growing financial problem she faces following the death of Judah, her husband. She eventually opts to expand small her marijuana retailing enterprise to make ends meet. The series depicts her struggle to avoid being captured from the law enforcement, retail the marijuana and raise her two, then three sons. The show also highlights the importance of a strong support structure for the parent and children in single parent families through characters like Andy, David and Doug who become surrogate mentors and father figures for the boys, Shane and Silus. The