Wilcox and Lavery's nine defining characteristics of quality TV certainly have relevance to many TV shows in the past ten years. Programs like The Sopranos, The Wire, and Breaking Bad are all excellent examples of quality TV; each of them display many of the nine characteristics.
For this exercise I will mainly focus on Breaking Bad as I believe it to be one of, if not the, best television programs in recent history.
.jpg)
Breaking Bad has each of the nine characteristics of quality TV on full display.
1. Quality TV has a quality pedigree.
Vince Gilligan, the creator, director, writer, and producer, is a shining example of quality pedigree. He graduated from one of the leading school of arts in America and was awarded the Virginia Governer's Screenwriting Award for a screenplay he wrote while attending. He was also the co-executive producer for almost a quarter of all X-Files episodes.
2. Quality shows must undergo a noble struggle against profit-mongering networks and non-appreciative audiences.
Admittedly Breaking Bad does have a large budget per episode and does have incredibly appreciate audiences, however there have been struggles against profit-mongering networks too. AMC wished to make the final season of Breaking Bad 6-8 episodes instead of 13 to cut costs. Thankfully the producers nobly declined the offer.
3. Quality TV tends to have a large ensemble cast.
Breaking Bad absolutely has this. From Walt to Jesse, from Skyler to Walt Jr., from Gus to Hector, from Mike to Saul, from Todd to the kid on the bike. Point being, Breaking Bad has a rather large cast.
4. Quality TV has a memory.
Oh you best believe that Breaking Bad is all about this. The entire premise is this. Walt goes from being the protagonist to the antagonist over 5 entire series. There is no turning back and there is no forgetting anything on this show. The character arcs continue throughout the entire series, with no character ever stagnating.
5. Quality Tv shows create a new genre by mixing old ones.
Breaking Bad again is a pretty good example of this. The show is essentially a gangster story, but it is shown in such a stylistically different way that a new genre is basically created. The story of good guy turns bad has never been utilised like this before.
6. Quality TV seems to be literary and writer-based.
We can look back to Vince Gilligan for this. Vince's quality of writing is evident in every aspect of Breaking Bad. The dialogue, the action sequences, even the choice of clothing colour, is all written with intent by a highly intelligent man.
7. Quality TV is self-conscious.
Breaking Bad does this semi-frequently. The nods to jokes on the internet about Walt Jr's love for breakfast or Jesse's frequent usage of the word "Bitch!" are proof of some intertextuality. The dubstep in another recent episode is also the writers showing their knowledge of the outside world.
8. The subject matter of quality TV tends to be controversial.
Breaking Bad's themes and storylines are very controversial. From dark, depressing murders to attacks on children to extensive production of illegal drugs, Breaking Bad doesn't shy away from controversial subject matters.
9. Quality TV aspires towards realism.
Despite some of the fantastical aspects of Breaking Bad, it is all grounded in reality. The characters feel like very real people with flaws, and the empire Walt builds is not without it's realistic hiccups. Breaking Bad portrays the unbelievable made believable.
Breaking Bad is definitely one of the best TV shows in a long time, and unsurprisingly fulfills all of Wilcox and Lavery's 9 defining characteristics. I would possibly add that quality TV often has an element of the dark, without which light cannot exist, but that is just personal preference i think.
References:
Callaghan, D. (n.d.). Breaking Breaking Bad. Retrieved 23/10/12 from http://www.wga.org/content/default.aspx?id=4100
No comments:
Post a Comment