The Salem Syndrome

Television drama, insofar as much of it is confined to cop / lawyer shows, has adopted a theme that is familiar to anyone who has knowledge of the events in Salem Village, Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1692.

In a television series, it is the obsession of a given character in a series, although the character in the ensemble who takes this role may or may not change from one episode to the next. It is the obsession of these characters that justify whatever procedures (or failure to follow procedures) lead to the conclusion of the case. This accounts for the myriad episodes where any normal police officer would be fired or face charges themselves, or a lawyer be disbarred and/or charged with a crime. The obsession (although this would be called "commitment") then provides a putative suspension of disbelief where the viewer can then provide justification for acts on the part of the protagonists that are basically unjustified, even where the law is violated

In 1692, it was the obsession and hysteria of several teenage girls that provided sufficient suspension of disbelief in the court to send 19 men and women to the gallows. We have conveniently labeled the acts of those who lived over three centuries ago as stemming from ignorance, hysteria, and a host of vague hypotheses. In our day, however, we have become no less susceptible to the belief that commitment in and of itself can not only move mountains, but should supersede even law if only one feels strongly enough.

"I would give the devil himself the benefit of law, for my own safety's sake."- A Man For All Seasons, Robert Bolt