This article proposes a critical review of research on fans in France and especially in English-speaking countries, with a strong focus on the main topics of reflection on this theme over the past four decades. The author considers such questions as: the appropriate distance of researchers - often fans themselves - in relation to their research subject; the advantages and limits of religious metaphors for analysing 'media cults'; the main characteristics of fans (passive consumers versus co-producers of the meaning of works); and the implications of the fan status in terms of identity.