Week 9: Wilcox and Lavery (2002) identify 9 defining characteristics of ‘quality TV’ – can you apply any of these to other television series that you have viewed recently? Are there any other characteristics that you could add to their list?

The defining characteristics of ‘quality TV’ are:

1. Quality TV usually has a quality pedigree
2. Desirable demographics notwithstanding, quality shows must often undergo a noble struggle against profit-mongering networks and non-appreciative audiences.
3. Quality TV tends to have a large ensemble cast:

Grey’s Anatomy is a great example of this. There are 14 actors in the main cast, 7 in the recurring cast and an additional 17 with guest starring roles.

4. Quality TV has a memory.

True Blood is an example of this. As the series goes on the characters remember incidents that happen in previous episodes and even previous seasons. For example in Season One the murder of Sookie’s grandmother is mentioned throughout the subsequent seasons and becomes a part of her character almost, as she is struck by sadness at the thought of it every time. Also, Jason (Sookie’s brother) goes through a number of traumatic events which change and shape his character in the following seasons and episodes. A string of deaths, for example his grandmother, a few towns’ people and also his girlfriend cause Jason to change from a small town bachelor to wanting more from life.

5. Quality TV creates a new genre my mixing old ones.

The Vampire Diaries is similar in this sense to Buffy as it also adheres to and mixes up the same genres as Buffy. For example as Wilcox and Lavery (2002) mentions some genres such as “day-time soaps” (the drama of the plot in VD fulfils this), “gothic romances” (love-triangle between Stefan, Elana and Damon), “Grade-B horror flicks and supernatural fantasies” (this comes into play with the supernatural themes in VD and also the action scenes that are present).

6. Quality TV tends to be literary and writer based.

Eastenders is a well known British TV series going since the mid-eighties and is one of the highest rated programmes in the country. An example of this characteristic is shown in one of their successful writers for the show, Keith Brumpton, who is also an author. Brumpton has written over 35 humorous children’s books.

7. Quality TV is self-conscious.
8. The subject matter of quality TV tends toward the controversial.

Dexter is a good example of inhibiting this characteristic as there are many controversial themes in this series. Lying, cheating and the most obvious one is that the lead character (usually a likeable character in most TV shows) moonlights as a serial killer and still manages to sympathise with his cause.

9. Quality TV aspires towards ‘realism’.

 

References:

 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.