Week 9

Wilox and Lavery(2002) identify 9 defining characteristics of “quality TV”—can you apply any of these to another television serious that you have reviewed recently?

1. Quality TV usually has a quality pedigree. (Gossip Girl)

2. Quality shows must often undergo a noble struggle against profit-mongering networks and non—appreciative audience” (Gossip Girl)

3. Quality TV tends to have a large ensemble cast. (Glee)

4. Quality TV has a memory. (Sex and the city)

5. Quality TV creates a new genre by mixing old ones. (Sex and the city)

6. Quality TV tends to be literary and writer—based. (Glee)

7. Quality TV is self conscious. (True Blood)

8. The subject matter of quality TV tends toward the controversial. (Gossip Girl)

9. Quality TV aspires toward ‘realism’. (The legend of the seeker)

Are there any other characteristics that you could add to their list?

Here, I would like to talk about story lines. This story line I am talking about is not really about how to attract audience’s eyes. It is about how to keep audience’s interest for next season. The screenwriter has to make up a really good and reasonable spot to hook the audience. The spot could be anything, for example, in Glee, the spot for the final in season one is although the glee club did not win the Regionals, they have got another year to beat their opponent; in True Blood, the reason for season two and season is very obviously—love, which is the relationship between Sookie and Bill, though Eric has stepped into this relationship. In addition, the spot for Gossip Girl is as the same as True Blood. What the difference is, at the beginning, audience may care more about the relationship between Serena and Dan, as the fourth season has been coming up, it seems like people care about would Blare and Chuck get back together. As a result, different TV serious has different Spot in order to keep the audience’s eyes for next season.

Reference List

Wilcox, R. & Lavery, D. (2002). Introduction, in R. Wilcox & D. Lavery (eds) Fighting the forces: what’s at stake in Buffy the vampire slayer. Lanham: Rowman and Littlefield.