Television Drama Codes & Conventions

Rob Miller | Thursday April 26, 2012

Categories: A Level, OCR A Level, OCR AS, Key Concepts, Genre, Hot Entries, Television, Television Drama

Sub Genres
Television Drama is a broad area of study covering a range of sub genres and even genres that would be
considered to be a category of their own with their own codes and conventions. Some texts cross over different
sub genres e.g. 24 is Crime Drama and Action Adventure. A generic, comprehensive list includes:

Period Drama | Emma, Downton Abbey, The Tudors, Mildred Pierce

Crime Drama | The Wire, Luther, Life on Mars / Ashes to Ashes, Inspector George Gently,
Jerry Bruckheimers Chase, CSI, NCIS, 24, New Tricks, Hustle, Bones, Dexter, Cold Case

Science Fiction | Torchwood, Doctor Who, Life on Mars / Ashes to Ashes (arguably),
Primeval

Medical Drama | Holby City, Casualty, Scrubs, House, ER, Doc Martin

Teen Drama | Skins, OC, 90210, Waterloo Road

Melodrama / Soap Opera | Hollyoaks, Eastenders, Coronation Street, Footballers Wives and
Hotel Babylon borrow from the conventions of Melodrama

Political Drama | West Wing, Spooks (Spy Drama), The Kennedys

Comedy Drama | Shameless, Trollied (although arguably a SitCom)

Action/Adventure Drama | Lost, 24

Fantasy Drama | Merlin, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Highlander, Lost, True Blood

Many TV Dramas like Downton Abbey (Period Drama) are critically acclaimed and in October 2011 received 5
Emmy Awards. Critical success and commercial success is common to the genre, as is high production values
and many texts are scheduled for 60 minutes, sometimes for 90 minutes in feature length format.
Below are the conventions that are common to most of the above TV Dramas remember that this is generic
categorisation:

Generic Conventions

Dramatic narrative (storyline)

Ensemble cast (each character own storyline)

Expressive lighting techniques dependent on sub genre e.g. high key lighting in Period Drama

High production value sound/emotive

Exaggerated, hyper real representations of character cultural stereotyping for entertainment

values

Scheduled Prime Time (but can be dependent on sub genre e.g. some Crime Drama post
watershed)

Scheduled in 30 minute / 60 minute (more common) or 90 minute feature length slots

Mass, mainstream target audience (non challenging representations)

Target audience identified per sub genre e.g. Teen Dramas, Crime Drama (older demographic)

3 Act narrative structure (beginning, middle and an end)

Use of Binary Oppositions (creates conflict and anchors meaning)

Critical and commercial success reputation for pedigree

Reputation for quality success is important for the broadcaster

Primary channels BBC1 and BBC2 with some slots allocated to Downton Abbey

Open narratives common some mini series

Many TV Dramas made by independent British Production Companies and commissioned by the
BBC/ITV/Sky 1/2/3, Sky Atlantic