Introduction to TV dramas blog task

1) What is serial television drama? Write your own definition.

It is a show that has a continued plot which unfolds or gets broken down episode by episode.

2) List five of the TV dramas discussed in the history of the genre on page 1 of the fact sheet. How has the genre evolved over time?

 5 examples of TV dramas are Eastenders, Casualty, Holby City, Doctors and ABC's the avengers. Until the early 1980s the genre consisted of a set structure which involved a set narrative structure which was contained a story of the week which was followed by a narrative resolution at the end of the episode. However this quickly changed and meant that the genre had a new format. The drama focused on a specific set of characters rather than a sole focal point ie a protagonist. An ensemble cast was also introduced and used to deliver consistent stories about the ensemble casts domestic and professional lives.

3) List the sub-genres of TV drama featured in the factsheet. Come up with your own example of an existing TV drama to fit each category.

 

Sub-genres of TV drama include:

Crime (Eg Chicago pd), Medical (Eg Chicago med), Period (Blood ties), Fantasy/science fiction (Dr Who), Family (Family guy) and teen (Buffy the vampire slayer).

 

4) Why is setting so important for TV drama?

 

Setting is crucial because it allows drama to develop over a long period of time and can allow for new characters to be brought in which can prevent a show becoming stale. It presents the audience with a familiar and iconic reference which links to the specific show being watched.

5) How do TV dramas typically use character? What audience pleasures can be linked to character in TV drama? (Hint: Uses & Gratifications theory!)

 

Tv dramas use characters in order to ensure that the brand itself is able to run for as long as possible. Tv dramas typically ensure that characters undergo change and development throughout a series in a specific amount because too much change would end up in a change of narrative. This links to the theory of Uses and Gratifications because an audience is able to identify and familiarise themselves with a character within a show because one would feel like they relate to the character.

6) What is a multi-strand narrative? Give an example of a TV drama that features a multi-strand narrative.

 

A multi-strand narrative is a narrative which does not have a specific story line meaning that story lines change every episode or every series. An example of this would be the TV drama The Flash which shows the main ensemble cast to be fighting a different villain and solving a different problem every episode.

7) What is a cold opening?

 

A cold opening is when a narrative is portrayed at the beginning of a show before any opening credits or title sequences are shown. This can also be seen as a "hook" which entices and audience making them want to view the show.

8) How can Todorov's theory of equilibrium be applied to TV drama serials?

 

The theory suggests that when a problem occurs ie a dilemma a resolution follows resulting in an equilibrium where everything is balanced. This can be applied to TV drama serials as when a problem or a dilemma is instigated tension is built and problems arise however when a resolution occurs or is taken place then everything becomes balanced again ie peace/serenity in the TV drama.

9) What is the typical form for TV dramas and how are the programmes typically distributed to an audience?

 

The typical form for a TV drama is that it lasts around 42 minutes which ensures enough time for adverts and infomercials. The length of a season varies according to the institution which is producing the programme. For example in the US most commercial networks schedule their dramas in blocks of 24 one hour episodes. These programmes are typically distrubuted to an audience through subscription cable channels such as HBO or Showtime however other forms of distribution include services like Netflix and amazon prime.

11) Choose a TV drama and do your own analysis of it using the SETTING / CHARACTERS / NARRATIVE / FORM headings as featured on page 3 of the factsheet.

 

Chicago med

Setting: A hospital more specifically an ER located in Chicago.

Characters: An ensemble cast which is full of doctors, nurses and the "boss" /head of the emergency response department/hospital.

Narrative: The narrative focuses on the urgent care of patients with particularly wild cases and treatments however there are a lot of elements of love and romance which occurs regularly between cast members. Small traces of family drama is also shown.

Form: A traditional set structure of an hour episode (With breaks in between for ads) and each season consists of roughly 20 episodes give or take.

12) How might the TV drama genre evolve in future?

 

The TV drama genre may evolve significantly in the future, this is because as the film industry moves towards a model of making only high or low budget films television drama will become a great successes in filling in the void which is vacated by the mid-budget movies. Moreover, many film actors have opted to turn to television to play more difficult roles with complex narratives and this trend is likely to continue however there is a growing fear that TV producers are moving away from making smaller scale content which is aimed at domestic audiences. BBC 3's move to an online only platform may severely change the contents of serial drama in the future. This is because audiences require different types of contents meaning that serial drama has to be changed accordingly.