Introduction to TV drama

Use our Media Factsheet archive to find Media Factsheet #164 on Television Serial Drama. 

Read the whole of Factsheet and answer the following questions to show your comprehensive knowledge of the television drama genre:

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

• Traditionally serial dramas tell a story and deliver narrative resolution over a set number of episodes.

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?

1. The Avengers (1961-1969) 
2. and Danger Man (1962-1968)
3. The Sweeney (1975-1978)
4. Minder (1979 – 1994)
5. The A-Team (1983-1987)

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.

• Brooklyn 99 - Police procedural
• Scrubs - Medical
• Victoria - Period
• Star Trek - Sci-fi
• Modern family - Family
• Gossip Girl - Teen

4) Why is setting so important for TV drama?

• Serial dramas usually play out in a communal location inhabited by the ensemble cast of characters (e.g. hospital), This allows the drama to develop over a long period of time, replacing one archetypal character with another as the cast members come and go bringing in new characters to prevent the show from going stale.

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

• Serial dramas often employ archetypal characters in a large ensemble cast, they also have them change and develop over the course of the series (Narrative arc), this links to audience gratifications as it allows the audience to connect with the different characters through personal identification but also allows for escapism as they are viewing another persons life that may be incredibly different to their own.

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

• Two stories running concurrently in an episode and developing these stories across a whole series for example JJ Abram’s "Lost" wrapped up its central enigma after teasing its audience for six seasons.

7) What is a cold opening?

• A cold opening is when a TV show employs a teaser at the beginning to hook the audience and keep them watching in order to generate enigma or intrigue before the title sequence or first commercial break.

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

• Television drama employs many of the same narrative devices used by film. Generally, stories move through Todorov’s narrative stages though often without the return to equilibrium at the end of each episode.

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

• Dramas are often broadcast as 24 one-hour episodes with 42 minutes of commercial breaks. They also mostly follow mainstream ideologies, with few instances of violence or profanity. mostly distributed by NBC, CBS, and other major networks.

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?

• Most potential advertisers wouldn't want to identify their products with programming that features explicit and challenging themes, meaning that that content would not show on free-to-air network TV. Additionally, shorter runs are frequently commissioned by cable channels and services like Netflix and Amazon Prime, which are not required to adhere to strict running times.

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.

The Queens Gambit

• Setting: The story is set in the mid-1950s and 1960s in Lexington, Kentucky
• Characters: Elizabeth Harmon is an orphan chess prodigy who struggles with emotional problems, drugs and alcohol while on her journey to become an elite chess player
• Narrative: the story follows the life of Beth Harmon (Anya Taylor-Joy), a fictional American chess prodigy on her rise to the top of the chess world while struggling with drug and alcohol dependency.
• Form: The queens gambit is a miniseries that has 7 episodes that are 46–67 minutes long, it was originally released on Netflix on 23/10/2020

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

• As the film industry moves towards a model of making only high or low budget films, television drama is filling the void vacated by the mid-budget movie. Many film actors are turning to television to play ‘difficult’, often morally ambiguous, characters in more complex and challenging narratives. However, as television makes bigger and more international content there is a fear that the TV producers are moving away from making smaller scale content aimed primarily at domestic audiences. 
• With BBC 3’s move to an online only platform, and the rise in the popularity of streaming services such as Netflix and Amazon Prime, the form and content of the serial drama is likely to evolve further. As audiences consume content in different ways serial dramas may become more diverse and targeted toward niche groups. Online programme makers are starting to create more short form content, leading to drama serials that run for much less than 60, or even, 30 minutes.