An introduction to TV Drama: Blog task


1) What is serial television drama? Write your own definition.A serial TV drama has multiple episodes and seasons.

2) List five of the TV dramas discussed in the history of the genre on page 1 of the factsheet. How has the genre evolved over time?  
- Doctor Who 
- The Avengers 1961-1969
- Danger Man 1962-1968 
- The Sweeney 1975-178
- Starksy and Hutch 1975-1979
- Hill Street Blues 1981-1987

- Dallas 1978-1991 and 2012-2014

- Viewing in black and white to colour 
- TV dramas are shot on film and made like a film with the same high quality production values
- changing the set narrative structure and delivering a resolution at the end of each episode to running a          story over several episodes before offering any closure 
- focusing on an ensemble cast rather than just one protagonist

3) List the sub-genres of TV drama featured in the factsheet. Come up with your own example of an existing TV dramas to fit each category.
Police Procedural - CSI, Road Wars, Criminal Minds, Hawaii Five-O
Medical - Scrubs, Chicago Med
Period - The Crown, Reign, Murdoch Mysteries, Down Town Abbey
Science-fiction/fantasy - Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Teen Wolf, Buffy The Vampire Slayer
Family - The Simpsons, Modern Family, Black-ish, Futurama, F is for family

Teen - The Vampire Diaries, Sabrina the Teenage Witch 

4) Why is setting so important for TV drama? The setting in a Tv drama plays the role of setting the mood and what the genre could be about along with the narrative. Also, the setting determines what could happen and the lifestyle of the characters. for example, a messy house could show something bad has gone on or their living conditions are bad and it makes us want to watch on to see what has actually happened.

5) How do TV dramas typically use character? What audience pleasures can be linked to character in TV drama? (Hint: Uses & Gratifications theory!) certain lifestyles and personalities of the characters can relate to the viewers as its a reflection of themselves making them feel as if they have a connection.

6) What is a multi-strand narrative? Give an example of a TV drama that features a multi-strand narrative.
Multi-strand narrative is when there is more than one story being told at the same time in an episode. E.g Eastenders 

 7) What is a cold opening? A cold opening is when producers releases a teaser at the beginning of the episode, giving enigma codes to intrigue the audience to carry on watching the episode.

8) How can Todorov's theory of equilibrium be applied to TV drama serials?  To some extent it can as mid way through the episode or towards the end a disequilibrium will come up which can create a lot of action and problems making the next episode on the problem and towards the end gets solved and gets stretched towards the 3rd episode then the cycle starts again.
9) What is the typical form for TV dramas and how are the programmes typically distributed to an audience?
The length of a season(episodes), along with the length of individual episodes e.g. 1 hour. In the US, the commercial broadcasting networks (ABC, CBS, NBC) schedule most of their drama serials in blocks of twenty-four one-hour episodes. Each episode will generally last about an hour but due to the advertisements it is only 45 minutes which comes up 4 fours through out the programme. Every new episode usually will follow on from the previous one . 

10) How have subscription channels (such as HBO) and streaming services (such as Netflix and Amazon Prime) changed the form and content of TV dramas?
Drama Series are often presented on subscription channels (cable). for examples channels such as HBO, AMC and Showtime are not governed by the same considerations which means different types of programmes can be presented hence their dramas allow for a lot more adult and challenging content on different subscription channels. The Sopranos (HBO), Breaking Bad (AMC), and Dexter (Showtime) with their anti-hero protagonists would not play on free-to-air network television as many potential advertisers would not want to present their products with such content as it could give a negative appeal upon their products. Subscription services like Netflix and Amazon Prime also often commission shorter schedules between six and thirteen episodes.

 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.
Image result for power


 Setting: Power is set in New York in America. It is presented in a urban area of New York but sometimes with a twist of high-end, fashionable places. The main Places where stuff happens in this drama is his Club called "Truth" along side with his house and various urban/low-key locations where most of the crime happens.

 Characters: There's 3 main characters in Power who get up to the criminal activities who are notorious people who sell drugs and try to live a legit lifestyle by cleaning money to buy things to succeed. Each characters have a different way of thinking and approaches to situations. The different personalities give different feels to the situations as mindsets are different between them and we wonder what they will do. 

 Narrative: The narrative of this drama is of 2 drugs who have come out of brooklyn by selling drugs and have become one of the biggest drug dealers in New York. Ghost wants to get out of the drug business by cleaning his money with his crime partner Tommy, but they both want different things. Somehow, Ghost keeps getting caught up in trouble keeping him in the drug game, eventhough he wants to live a clean life with his family.

 12) How might the TV drama genre evolve in future? A Tv genre can evolve during the future by adapting to different narratives as it could be a crime drama turning into an action type one through the season. for example Power.

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