Viewers who felt emotionally invested in the stories of Scandal, The Good Wife and Madam President and felt connected to the shows’ characters also said that they paid more attention to politics and were more involved in political activities – such as attending public meetings, rallies or speeches, circulating petitions or contacting public officials or political parties.

“The more you watched, the more you felt engaged with the narrative, then the more you felt like those characters were relatable to you,” Hoewe said.

“Once those pieces were in place, that led to political interest, efficacy and downstream political participation, but only with the transportation and parasocial components in there.”

Hoewe’s next goal is to investigate whether political TV dramas with male leads have the same effect on viewers’ participation in politics.

“Although not in the majority, we’re seeing more shows featuring women in fictional roles in a greater number of contexts,” she said.

“Media depictions of political leadership can illustrate to people generally, not just women, that there is opportunity for people of all genders and colours to participate in politics.”

Images: Getty Images

The unexpectedly positive side effect of watching political dramas with female leads