TV Drama: Crime

Key Texts CSI (Crime Scene Investigation) (2000 Present) Hawaii Five-0 (2010 Present) Criminal Minds (2005 Present) Numbers (2005 Present) The Wire (2002-2008)

CSI (Crime Scene Investigation)

The series follow Las Vegas criminalists. This is the main CSI series also known as CSI: Las Vegas, the series has other spin-offs, CSI: Miami and CSI: New York. The series had a lot of controversy as it contains violence and some sexual themes reason why it was considered the worst prime-time shows for family viewing by the Parents Television Council. CSI shows a lot of forensic science, such as analysing DNA and also in the techniques use in the crime scene investigation, this changed the way many trials are presented nowadays in real life.

The Wire
This series received many awards and is considered from many one the best TV Dramas of all time. It was created by David Simon, and it represents the reality of the American CITY based on the writers experiences. One of the writers, Ed Burns, was an homicide detective and his experiences helped when writing

Hawaii Five-0

This a remake original 1968 1980 television series. The series follow a small state task force created by the Governor of Hawaii that investigates serious crimes. The series had positive impact in the stat's economy this is known as the Five-0 Effect

Key Features

Main focus on a group of investigators. Most of the time there's a crime at the beginning of each episode and other crimes during the same episode will lead to the criminal. Police-Related topics such forensics, autopsies and evidence gathering.

Teenage: TV drama

Key Texts

90210 (2008 Present) One Tree Hill (2003 Present) Smallville (2001 2011) Glee (2009 Present) Skins (2007 Present)

90210

Fourth series in the in the Beverly Hills, 90210 franchise. This series have been nominated for many awards. It was the show with the highest rating in the history of the channel The CW. The series are focused on the lives of several students of the West Beverly Hills High.

Glee

This is a musical comedy teen drama. It is focused on the glee club of an high school and the problems the members face. Many songs are performed during the series accompanied with choreographies. The series won a Golden Globe Award Golden Globe Award for Best Television Series Musical or Comedy.

Skins

BAFTA award-winning British teen Drama. Follows the life of a group of Bristol teenagers, during the two years of college. Due to the success of the series in the U.K, it was adapted in the U.S.

Key Features

On most of these series the episodes are continuous. Characters deal with the dramatic ups and downs of their friendships and romances while facing an array of "realistic" teen issues. In many cases theres action or science fiction added (as Smallville) These type of series contain soap opera elements.

Sitcom
Click to edit Master subtitle style

TV Drama

Key Texts

30 Rock (2006 Present) Friends (1994 2004) Scrubs (2001 2010) The Big Bang Theory (2007 Present) Two and a Half Men (2003 Present)

30 Rock

It has won and been nominated for a variety of awards. The series received 17 Emmy nominations in a single year. The series is loosely based on Tina Fey experiences as head writer for Saturday Night Live.

Friends

The series won many awards and was nominated for 63 Primetime Emmy Awards. The series follow the day-to-day lives ou four friends. This series had a huge cultural impact. It was filmed in the Warner Bros. Studios.

Scrubs

This is a medical Sitcom. The show follows the lives of several employees of the fictional Sacred Heart, a teaching hospital. The series have been nominated and won a lot of awards.

Key Features

Most of these series are filmed in a singlecamera setup. The situations in this type of series are usually that of a family, workplace, or a group of friends through comedic sequences.

Tv Drama Formats

When it comes to TV Dramas there are different types of formats, there are four main formats:

Single Drama Series Serials Soaps

Single Drama

Single Drama are quite rare to find on TV nowadays they are usually described as the oneoff stories.

Series

This type of TV drama broadcast regularly, usually once a week, with the same characters and usually each episode tells a different story.

Serial

Just like series same characters and locations are used regularly however there's a difference, each episode is not complete by itself and the stories will continue in the next episodes. Often serial narratives have more than one storyline.

Soaps

Soaps have many characters and also does not have a single storyline, which means that they contain many storylines. Storylines in Soaps can carry on for many weeks or even months before coming to a conclusion

Narrative Theory: Todorovs theory

According to Todorov most narratives start with a state of equilibrium where life is normal for the protagonist, then this state is disrupted by some action. Then theres the recognition that theres been a disruption, then theres the attempt to repair the disruption this is made by the protagonist. Once the disruption is repaired theres the a reinstatement of the equilibrium which can also be called New Equilibrium.

Narrative Theory: Todorovs theory

Todorovs theory in Life on Mars

When it comes to this TV Drama the Todorovs theory can be applied in two different ways. I only watched an episode but I got a conclusion for it. The first way that the Todorovs theory can be applied is the followed: In the series theres an equilibrium which is the protagonist investigating crimes as part of his job. Then the disruption happens when the protagonist is hit by a car and goes back in time. Then I think the recognition of the disruption occurs when the DCI ( Detective Chief Inspector) tells him the year in which he is. As I mentioned I only watched one episode but Im positive the as the series develop the protagonist will attempt to repair the disruption, which is to go back to normal time and then the new equilibrium. The other way that the Todorovs theory can be applied is the followed: In 1973( year the protagonist when back to), the protagonist is a Detective Inspector, and everything is normal at the police station (equilibrium), but then a crime occurs ( disruption and also recognition), the protagonist with the help of other police detectives tries to solve the crime (Attempt to repair the disruption) and at the end they solve the crime and arrest the suspect ( New equilibrium. So the Todorovs theory can be applied in two different ways here.