HBO Hungary’s original series, Aranyélet, proves to be an interesting case study in terms of location strategies in Eastern European TV shows. It is refreshing in the sense that – contrary to other TV programmes attempting to showcase life in Budapest – it does not feel the need to represent locality by swamping the viewer with iconic tourist destinations of the capital. Instead, the characteristic “Hungarianness” of the show appears through displaying personal living spaces of people from a wide range of socio-cultural backgrounds, all of which represent the typical Hungarian strata.
In our paper, we have used a simplified categorization of social classes apparent in Hungarian society and connected these groups with characters of Aranyélet. Then, we have scrutinized the living spaces of these characters as represented in the show, paying special attention to their likely location, furnishing, building materials, and general condition. By this analysis, we aim to prove that the show tries to create an alternative mental map of Budapest and its population, covering all strata of society with painting a picture of their lifestyle and living conditions.
Our paper draws on the work of Kim Toft Hansen and Anne Marit Waade, who, in their volume Locating Nordic Noir – From Beck to The Bridge, place a large emphasis on aspects of location studies in contemporary Scandinavian crime.
