The representation of immigration in contemporary Spanish prime time TV series

Introduction. This research aims to present the current state of the representation of immigration in the Spanish television series broadcasted in prime time on the main generalist channels. Methodology. A content analysis was carried out on 26 Spanish production series from 2016 and the first semester of 2017 and 723 characters (n = 723) in order to determine if there is an unequal portrayal of national and immigrant characters. Results. It is concluded that there is an underrepresentation of immigration resident in Spain and an overrepresentation of Spanish emigration. The non-Spanish characters are predominantly characterized as original from Europe, Africa and the United States, with background narrative roles, higher education; and they present a lower representation of mid-level technicians and students and a greater presence of criminal and police/military activities.