Quality TV

 

Quality TV is interpreted in different ways. It can be to do with the high quality of cinematography or defined on the story lines. HBO productions are often seen as quality TV with programmes such as 'Mad Men', 'Games of Thrones' and 'Six Feet Under'. These programmes show off cinematic level cinematography, with the colour, camera quality and budgets spent on them. They all run for many seasons.

'Breaking Bad'

Walt and Jesse - 'Breaking Bad'

'Breaking Bad' is a programme I would class as Quality TV, with the cinematography well thought through including the time-lapse sequences used. Also the show has run for many seasons without 'jumping the shark', with the narrative based on a taboo breaking subject matter, the Meth industry. This is something people rarely ever know off, who makes and deals the drugs. The fact that our main character Walt lives a double life as a family man and science teacher, then becoming a drug producer on the side, while suffering from cancer. Just by me explaining one character of the show, you see how complex and well thought through scenario based the show is. The writer allows us to see the situation from a different view that we would usually jump on, which is another factor of a quality TV show. We find ourselves rooting for Walt and Jesse more than Hank, Walt's brother in-law, a DCA officer who is trying to catch the drug dealers.


 

However, sometimes series can 'over jump the shark', meaning that they may have gone past their 'quality' time zone which then brigs me on to the quality of narratives. This shows that the story lines may be more important to the quality TV definition than the look and style, with the the audience tuning in every week to see what happens with the characters and plot.

''First of all, it is serialed. It does not simply break down each segment into a standard number of separate story lines, but rather than to juxtapose, interweave and orchestrate the plot threads together in a quasi-musical fashion'' Feuer.J. P.149

My definition of quality TV is LOST as they concentrate on the characters life stories and really get the audience into the situations that occur with us knowing so much about their past, why they are there, what they want ect. We emotionally become attached. Many people believe LOST 'over jumped the shark' after the third season with the further seasons taking the characters into mad situations, with the island changing time zones ect. However, these people who say this usually haven't stuck with the seasons every week. I think the people who see the series as quality have stuck with the show and allowed themselves to get into it.

Feuer.J (2007) HBO and Quality TV. P.149