The medicine on the screen. The Italian Tv show: Elisir

The debate on the spread of fake news and the rise of disinformation in contemporary societies is increasingly central among scholars in the media and communication fields. In particular, the media role becomes more crucial in the debate focused on the dissemination of issues related to the field of technoscience. Despite the complexity of the current media system, television still seems to play a fundamental role as a tool for the dissemination and promotion of knowledge. In the light of this, the paper aims to analyse one of the most durable scientific communication TV talk show in Italian television, Elisir. The program, which was broadcast from 1996 to 2017, was hosted since its first edition by the famous Italian TV presenter Michele Mirabella. In particular, the tv show dealt with issues related to the field of medicine and in particular on health and well-being. The objective of this work will be to observe the evolution of the format and analyze the elements that led to the success of the program. In particular, the focus will be on the role of the presenter and guests in the television debate, the topics covered and the communication features of the television program.