Even though viewers understand that a television show is fictional, they can still mourn the demise of their favorite characters. This fictional grief became apparent with the on-screen death of the character Jack in the program This Is Us. The current study analyzed the death narrative and perceived responsibility in first and second seasons of This Is Us, paired with the online responses posted to social media and the short promotional video between the show and Crock-Pot. Findings suggest that fans experienced and expressed parasocial grief for Jack’s death on social media, attributing blame to the Crock-Pot brand. In turn, the company’s tweets and replies acknowledged and participated in the fans’ mourning rituals while reassuring the brand’s safety, ultimately aiding the brand’s public recovery. From fans’ displaced blame to the later partnership between the show and brand, labeled “#CrockPotIsInnocent,” this case demonstrates the impact of fictional media, social media engagement for parasocial grief, and a successful real-life brand recovery for a fictional crisis.

中文翻译：

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慢炖锅或#CROCK-POTISINNOCENT的死亡？这就是我们，超社会的悲伤和瓦罐危机

即使观众明白电视节目是虚构的，他们仍然可以为他们最喜欢的角色的去世而哀悼。这种虚构的悲痛随着《这就是我们》节目中角色杰克在银幕上的死亡而变得明显。目前的研究分析了 This Is Us 第一季和第二季的死亡叙述和感知责任，并结合发布到社交媒体的在线回复以及该节目和 Crock-Pot 之间的简短宣传视频。调查结果表明，粉丝们在社交媒体上经历并表达了对杰克去世的超社会悲痛，将责任归咎于 Crock-Pot 品牌。反过来，该公司的推文和回复承认并参与了粉丝的哀悼仪式，同时确保了品牌的安全，最终帮助了品牌的公众复苏。