Understanding the ABC's of 'Ugly Betty': A Rhizomatic Analysis of the Illegal Immigrant Narrative in 'Ugly Betty', the Political Economy of Latino(a) Television Audiences, and Fan Engagement with Television Texts

From 2006 to 2010, ABC broadcast Ugly Betty, a one-hour dramedy based on one of the most popular telenovelas of all time. This dissertation examines at Ugly Betty from a rhizomatic perspective that brings together the areas of representation, political economy, and fandom studies. In this sense, Ugly Betty is considered as the jumping off point to examine contemporary television as complex system. It produces and circulates representations of social life, which are also industrial commodities in economic exchanges, and catalysts for fan activity and participation. A rhizomatic perspective would argue that all of these processes are intertwined, and that accounting for these connections acknowledges the complexity of social life.;Textual analysis is the method used in this dissertation. In textual analysis, the goal is to uncover the most likely interpretation for a particular text, which is why emphasis is placed on understanding the context in which this text is produced, circulates, and is interpreted by its audiences. In this dissertation, the author conducted three such textual analyses. The first one looks Ugly Betty as an industrial commodity that came to the screen as the consciousness industries as a whole turned their attention to Latinos(as), and the television industry began producing more Latino(a) themed content. The chapter also looks at the challenges of producing and broadcasting television shows in a post-network era (Lotz, 2007), characterized by rapid technological change, audience erosion, and widespread fragmentation. The second analysis focus specifically on Ugly Betty as an example of Latino(a) representation, by looking at the illegal immigration storyline that aired during the first and second seasons of the show. This chapter utilizes the concept of the myth, and posits the melting pot as a myth that allows Ugly Betty to normalize illegal immigration, by incorporating illegal Latino(a) immigrants into a broader narrative of nationhood and identity. The final textual analysis addresses fan textual production, as present on the Television without Pity, a popular site for television fans.;The concluding chapter of this dissertation presents the author's reflections about the process of writing from a rhizomatic perspective. As an approach, it supports the constant need to re-assess assumptions.