Introduction to tv drama


1) A serial television drama is a television show which has a continuous plot that unfold sequential episode-by-episode fashion. They are shows that possess narrative complexity. They typically follow more story arcs that span entire television seasons, or even in some cases, the entire run of the series.

2)  Many of them were shot like stage plays in TV studios- Doctor Who
Largely aimed at a domestic audience- The Sweeny and Minder
Until the early 1980s US TV drama series followed a set narrative structure. However the US police drama Hill Street Blues changed the shape of TV drama series- effectively transforming it into a serial. The drama focused on a precinct of characters, not just the protagonist.
  • Doctor Who
  • The Avengers
  • Danger Man
  • The Sweeny
  • Minder
3)
  • Police procedural (crime)- Monk
  • Medical- Emergency!
  • Period (costume)- The Marvellous Mrs. Maisel
  • Science-fiction/fantasy- Agents of S.H.E.I.L.D
  • Family- This Is Us
  • Teen- Teen Wolf
4) Serial dramas play out a 'precinct' or communal location inhabited by the ensemble cast of characters. Setting is important for TV drama because this allows the drama to develop over a long period of time, weathering the comings and goings of cast members by replacing one archetypal character with another.

5) Serial dramas often employ archetypal characters. In sub-genres characters are frequently deployed. Likewise, to reflect modern audiences, there is a greater presence of strong females as well as black and ethnic minority groups. There are also an increase in gay, lesbian and transsexual characters.( Orange is the New Black). The character go on in a journey, allowing them to change and develop- although not too much. These are called arcs. Additionally, this allows people to have a personal relationship with the characters.

6) A multi-strand narrative is a work made up of several different strands. An example is EastEnders or Casualty.

7) A cold opening is when the drama employs a teaser at the beginning to hook the audience and keep them watching. This generates enigma or intrigue before the title sequence or first commercial break.

8)TV dramas follow Todorovs narratives stages because at the beginning there is usually an existing state of harmony, then the disequilibrium, however they don't return to the equilibrium/new equilibrium at the end of each episode. Many police dramas provide narrative resolution to fulfil the audiences answers.

9) The length of a 'season' as well as an individual episode varies depending on the institution producing and distributing the programme.The US schedule most of their drama serials in blocks of 24 hour episodes. The running rate of a serial is around 42 minutes due to advertising. In order to attract advertisers the content is more conservative and adheres to mainstream ideologies. 

10) Drama serials presented on subscription cable channels, such as HBO, AMC and Showtime are not governed by the same considerations, hence their dramas allow a lot more adult and challenging content. Also, cable channels and services like Netflix and Amazon Prime also often commission shorter runs and do not need to stick to rigid timings.

11) Monk (2002-2009)- American comedy-drama detective mystery television series
  • Setting- San Francisco Bay Area (Monks' apartment and police station)
  • Characters- The crew of 4. Monk (former police officer, now a private consultant), Sharona/Natalie ( His assistants at different times), Captain Stottlemeyer and Lieutenant Disher. They solve crimes.
  • Narrative- Each episode follows Todorovs narrative structure, a narrative solution is provided. They solve a different crime in each episode.
  • Form- Its distributor is Disney-ABC Domestic Television (2002), NBCUniveral Television Distribution (2003-present) and its running time is 40-45 minutes.
12) The TV drama genre may evolve in the future because there is an increase in platforms such as Amazon Prime or Netflix audiences can view serial on. Also, audiences consume serials in different ways and attract a diverse audience, niche audiences. Online programme makers are starting to create more short form content, leading to shorter dramas. There is pressure by the government on the BBC to produce content which is 'distinctive' and different to what commercial channels offer.

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