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This paper examines the intersection of fiction studies and urban studies through the prism of salient points identified in a systematic literature review of French-language research on the subject. The dynamics of exchanges between disciplines are thus explored, taking into account the delicate balance between content and form of series when analyzing representations of territories. The attribution of the quality of “character” to these landscapes, often cities, is questioned in favor of the notion of “arena”, which perhaps better reflects the configuring dimension of spaces upon the progression of the narrative. The article concludes by mentioning the opportunities offered by spatial approaches to serial narration; from a situated, partial point of view, it intends to contribute to the debate on the analysis of space in television series.

This article analyzes, within television series of the past twenty years, the tensions and power relations surrounding the private, intimate, and secret spheres, through the constant renegotiation of a dyadic structure linking the physical and the digital worlds. Can secrets be kept and people remain anonymous in a sprawling megalopolis?This article focuses on four series that are different in genre and audience, but share two characteristics: these tensions and constant renegotiations are at the heart of their narratives, and they are all set in the iconic megalopolis that is New York City. Person of Interest (CBS, 2011-2016) features mass surveillance controlled by an artificially intelligent system; Gossip Girl (The CW, 2007-2012) pits the gilded youth of the Upper East Side against the eponymous blogger; Mr Robot (USA Network, 2015-2019) presents itself as a direct heir of the cyberpunk genre; finally, Elementary (CBS, 2012-2019) depicts a fragmented city held together by a ubiquitous digital clout that the investigators have to face up to. Our comparative politico-spatial analysis of these four series will thus address contemporary representations of the complex relationships between the physical and the digital worlds.