Sampling Method

For my sampling method I am going to use a combination of non probability purposive sampling and probability stratified random sampling. I have chosen 2 of the most popular television shows from each decade (1970s-2020), so 10 shows total. From the 1990s-2010s, I chose the most popular teen television shows from each decade. I made sure that each show had at least one lead female character, or at least one female character that is depicted stereotypically. I will randomly sample 4 episodes from the first, second, and third seasons of each show. The shows I chose to perform my content analysis on are: The Brady Bunch and The Facts of Life to represent the 1970s, Saved By the Bell and The Wonder Years to represent the 1980s, Beverly Hills 90210 and Buffy the Vampire Slayer to represent the 1990s, One Tree Hill and Gossip Girl to represent the the 2000s, and Pretty Little Liars and Teen Wolf to represent the 2010s. The streaming platforms that I will use to watch and analyze these shows are HBO Max, Hulu, and Paramount Plus. I plan on watching and analyzing 40 episodes, with 4 episodes from the first, second, and third seasons of each series I have selected. By choosing to look at seasons one through three, I am hoping it will be easier to see how the producers chose to depict their female characters right off the bat, and if they developed or changed at all after the first season.