An examination of cultural influences on housing representations in sitcom series

The architectural design's final product, space, is utilized as a fundamental element in audiovisual media productions. Architecture is represented in the media through the space presented to the audience. The spatial representations, along with the manner of their creation and the signs they convey, provide viewers with insights about the characters, the rhythm of the story, the atmosphere, and the culture from which the space draws. This study examines how architectural representation in audiovisual media is shaped by culture, focusing on the uses of space. Sitcoms were chosen as the primary media type due to their use of housing, the most fundamental space in human life, as a central setting, and their strong connection to daily life, which brings them close to the audience. As one of the earliest examples of television programming, sitcoms are a genre that humorously presents daily life to the audience. In sitcom productions, space is typically designed as a set and reflects the values, lifestyle, daily actions, preferences, and trends of the society that produces it through various representations. In this study, a comparative analysis was conducted on the representation of residential spaces in sitcom productions from Turkey and the United States and how the cultural norms of the two societies are reflected in these representations. In this context, the American production "The Nanny" and its local adaptation "Dadı" as well as the American production "The Jeffersons" and its local adaptation "Tatlı Hayat" were examined through case study analysis, revealing the cultural influences in space adaptations. By focusing on the representation of residential spaces in the sitcom genre, this thesis offers observations on how space reflects cultural and social codes and identifies the similarities and differences between the two societies. In this regard, the study provides a unique approach to understanding the influence of culture on spatial representation, which intersects architecture and visual media, and sheds light on the interactions and transformations between cultures through comparison.