Tv Drama Introduction Notes

Why do audiences love Long Form Television Drama?

• High quality drama
• Multiple episodes, hours, years
• Content can be dark and difficult but innovative
• It now attracts some of the best and innovative writers and actors
• Time shifting, easily accessible
• Keeps people invested 
• A lot of creativity 
• Characters change in a way that's surprising but natural.
• Millions of networks competing 
• Cater to more specific tastes in daring ways
• Allows shows to play with characters and themes in different ways

Long form shows challenged the simplistic story lines and stereotypical characters that dominate network TV in US.

HBO (Time Warner) launched the Sopranos in 1999, which was a huge commercial and critical hit. Increasingly, these shows were about the crisis of US identity and hegemony.

What does Long Form Television Drama mean?

A TV drama that has a number of episodes that helps create a narrative and tell a story to an audience.