A continuous story line that goes from episode 1 to 2 to 3 etc. which tends to end the season on cliff-hangers which are then recontinued in the next season.
2) List five of the Tv dramas discussed in the history of the genre on page 1 of the factsheet.
- The Avengers
- Doctor Who
- The Sweeny
- Danger man
- Starsky & Hutch
TV dramas changed from a story-a-week narratives (more common and suitable for audiences from the 80s) to an overarching narrative to adapt to the audiences in the current digital age.
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.
- Crime - Criminal Minds
- Medical - Grey's Anatomy
- Costume - The Young Victoria
- Sci-Fi - Black Mirror
- Family - The Fosters
- Teen - The 100
4) Why is setting so important for TV drama?
It gives of some context of the storyline. The setting can indicate some of the problems that may be around in that area which could be applied to the storyline. For example, if the drama was set in a place with high poverty rates, you would know some bits to expect from it before even watching the actual drama.
5) How do TV dramas typically use character? What audience pleasures can be linked to character in TV drama? (Hint: Uses & Gratifications theory!)
An ensemble cast is used to attract a larger range of audience members. Can be linked to uses and Gratifications since audience members are able to create personal relationships because of personal identification which means seeing themselves within one of the characters.
6) What is a multi-strand narrative? Give an example of a TV drama that features a multi-strand narrative.
Having a number of mini storylines within the main storyline. The different storylines end up linking together nearer the end of the drama.
7) What is a cold opening?
When a bit of the drama is played before an intro song. A lot of the time it is last weeks reminder of what happened though on the first episode it tends to be new.
8) How can Todorov's theory of equilibrium be applied to TV drama serials?
Over the course of a drama, there tends to be at first an equilibrium where everything is normal to the characters. At points of the drama, events occur that stop the normality of the story line. After the problem has been resolved, either a new equilibrium will take place where things are different but similar to the norm or the old equilibrium is back where everything goes back to the same as it was before.
9) What is the typical form for TV dramas and how are the programmes typically distributed to an audience?
Dramas have a set number of episodes within a season. They usually come out season by season where the new season continues the storyline from the previous season. Most final season episodes end up with a cliff-hanger so audience members want to watch the next season when it comes out.
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?
Subscription channels such as Netflix collects all the episodes within a season to allow users to binge watch all the episodes at once. This means that audiences no longer have to wait weekly for 1 episode but just wait for it all to come out then go to Netflix or Amazon prime to watch all episodes in one sitting. This does mean that there is no longer a need for cliff hangers at the end of seasons or episodes as audience members no longer need to wait for the new episode or season.
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.
Criminal minds:
Setting: Scenes take place in many different locations since profilers are sent around the country in order to create a profile of a criminal. From abandoned houses to warehouses to hotels to households are some of the different places in which scenes take place. A lot of scenes taken place in police stations for planning.
Characters: The main cast are the group of profilers which consists of an ensemble cast. This allows a diverse audience to enjoy the drama. Most of these characters have had some sort of bad occurrence with a criminal like being kidnapped and held hostage. This is quite a realistic situation as profilers indeed have a risk of getting spotted by criminals and taken hostage to try force them to drop the case.
Narrative: Multi strand since every episode is about a new criminal so sort of a new storyline. However, you do have to watch in order to understand why certain characters are no longer in the drama and why some characters act a certain way.
Form: There is currently 14 seasons in Criminal minds. Each season has a number of 20-26 episodes within it. Season 14 is currently at episode 15 because it is still coming out. Each episode has an average length of 42 minutes.
12) How might the TV drama genre evolve in future?
As times move on, what people see as the norm are slowly changing. Writers and producers have two choices. One is to stick with the norm of what everyone expects to see in that certain genre of drama or the other option is to choose to be unique and make truly original content. I feel that option 2 is more likely as more and more people are being more susceptible towards new genres and ideas in todays society which will hopefully grow in the future.
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