TV

Order Description
1. Are we currently enjoying a ‘golden age’ of television drama? What does it mean to say this? Consider in relation toatleasttwotexts screened on the module, perform
detailed textual analysis and provide and apply supporting academic writings to your chosen materials.

2. According to Fitch (2015) the anti-hero is “often a reluctant saviour – the one that we follow and adore if only because of his [/her] own fallibility and
fundamentally flawed human nature. He or she is someone who resembles ourselves, reminding us not only of the ambiguous morality of existence but also the possibility
of redemptive change and transcendence.”. Consider the presentation of the anti-hero/heroine in relation to at leasttwotexts screened on the module. Do you think that
the ‘pure’ hero/heroine is no longer possible in TV drama?

3. Abbott and Jowett articulate that ‘conflation with other generic forms requires [the audience] to rethink what we mean by horror in a televisual context’ leading
them to conclude that TV ‘tells horror in a multiplicity of ways’ (Abbott and Jowett 2012: xiii). With reference totwoormorecontemporary texts demonstrate – via a
detailed textualanalysis of form, narrative and style – to what extent you agree with this statement.

4. ‘Aesthetics in Hannibal therefore […] serve as the battle ground between two masters of mise-en-scène, one constructing the scene for analysis and the other
deconstructing it, peeling the elements of the scene away layer by layer in the search for meaning like a TV scholar unlocking the meaning of TV aesthetics itself.’
(Abbott: 2013). With reference totwoormore serial killer TV dramas demonstrate via textualanalysis the ways in which (un)pleasurableaesthetics actively engage the
spectator.

5. Consider the ways in which multi-character dramas and the use of ensemble casts in one-off dramas portray both normative and marginalised subjectivities and
demonstrate by textual analysis of at least two examples from the module ways in which they depict character interiorities.

6. ‘When the Real World is a Dystopia, Black Mirror Is a Relief.’ (Vanity Fair, 2016) Devon Maloney’s headline questions the place of Charlie Brooker’s Black Mirror as
meta-textual satire. Consider the uses of the dystopian television drama in a world where reality is often darker than fiction with reference to at least two examples
from the module.

7. ‘Cult TV is defined not by any feature shared by the shows themselves but rather by the ways in which they are appropriated by specific groups. There is no single
quality that characterizes a cult text, rather, cult texts are defined though a process in which shows are positioned in opposition to the mainstream.’ (Pearson 2004:
27). Analyse the ways in which cult fans appropriate cult TV forms giving detailed examples from at least two texts, using textual analysis while also considering the
concept of ‘sub-cultural capital’.

8. Via a detailed analysis of at least two example texts from across the course, discuss the ways in which TV producers and writers are developing challenging and
complex narrative strategies that are arguably compelled by the post-broadcast era.