The Appreciation of American TV Series
Part I. American TV Station
NBC
• The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American television network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City’s Rockefeller Center.
• It is sometimes referred to as the Peacock Network due to its stylized peacock logo, created exclusively for color broadcasts.
• Formed in 1926 by the Radio Corporation of America (RCA), NBC was the first major broadcast network in the United States. In 1986, control of NBC passed to General Electric (GE), with GE’s $6.4 billion purchase of RCA.
• NBC is available in an estimated 112 million households, 98.6% of those with televisions. NBC has 10 owned-and-operated stations and nearly 200 affiliates in the United States and its territories.
ABC
• American Broadcasting Company
• Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. It first broadcast on television in 1948.
• Corporate headquarters are in Manhattan in New York City, while programming offices are in Burbank, California adjacent to the Walt Disney Studios and the Walt Disney Company corporate headquarters.
• The network is sometimes referred to as the Alphabet Network, due to the letters "ABC" being the first three letters of the Latin alphabet, in order.
2004 -- Present
• Determined not to lose its prominence on TV, ABC was able to find success in ratings beginning in 2004. In the fall of that year, ABC premiered two highly anticipated series Desperate Housewives, and Lost. Immediately, the network’s ratings skyrocketed to unprecedented levels.
• It followed up its prosperity with the premieres of Grey’s Anatomy in 2005, and in 2006, the dramedy Ugly Betty, which are all popular among viewers and critically acclaimed.
• ABC continues to place second in ratings thanks to its highly popular shows, mainly Desperate Housewives, Lost, Grey's Anatomy, Ugly Betty, and Dancing with the Stars, although it has slipped to third since 2007.
• In April 2009, ABC announced that they will bring Who Wants to be a Millionaire back into Primetime for a 2-week lifespan in response to the popularity of the 2008 Oscar-winning film Slumdog Millionaire.
• There have been attempts to broaden the ABC brand name. In 2004, ABC launched a news channel called “ABC News Now”. Its aim is to provide round-the-clock news on over-the-air digital TV, cable TV, the Internet, and mobile phones.
• Good Morning America (GMA) is an American news Morning show and talk show that is broadcast on the ABC television network, debuting on November 3, 1975.
• The show features news, talk, weather, and special interest stories. It is produced live from Times Square Studios in New York City and fed to all network affiliates. The program is currently hosted by Diane Sawyer and Robin Roberts.
TNT
• TNT (originally Turner Network Television) is an American cable TV channel created by media mogul Robert Edward “Ted” Turner III and currently owned by the Turner Broadcasting System division of Time Warner.
• On June 12, 2001, TNT relaunched itself, with a new logo and tagline, "We Know Drama.", which emphasized the channel’s new focus on programming with drama and energy, such as sports and network TV dramas like Angel, Law & Order, Charmed, NYPD Blue, ER, Without a Trace, Alias, Judging Amy, Las Vegas, Leverage and Cold Case.
• In 2004, TNT became the first Turner channel to begin broadcasting in High Definition. TNT is also one of the Turner-owned channels which now shows the classic 1939 film The Wizard of Oz.
• On December 7, 2008, TNT unveiled a new ad campaign with a newly stylized update of its logo, mainly in shiny silver but sometimes in gold.
• The campaign will continue to use the channel’s tagline “We Know Drama” but with more of a focus on its original series and its plan to have three nights of original primetime programming starting in 2009.
CBS
• CBS Broadcasting Inc. is an American television network, which started out as a radio network.
• The name is derived from the initials of the network’s former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the Eye Network or more simply The Eye, in reference to the shape of the company’s logo.
• The CBS Building in New York City, also known as “Black Rock”, is the 38-story headquarters of the CBS Corporation.
2002 -- Present
• The turning point for CBS came in the summer of 2000 when it debuted the summer reality show Survivor, which became a surprise summer hit for the network.
• In January 2001, CBS debuted the second season of the show after its airing of the Super Bowl, and moved the police procedural C.S.I. to Thursdays and was both able to chip away at and eventually beat NBC’s Thursday night lineup, and attract younger viewers to the network.
• CBS has had additional successes with police procedurals Cold Case, Without a Trace, Criminal Minds, NCIS, and The Mentalist, along with CSI: Miami and CSI: NY, and sitcoms Everybody Loves Raymond, Two and a Half Men, How I Met Your Mother, The Big Bang Theory and The New Adventures of Old Christine.
• During the 2007-2008 season, Fox ranked as the top-rated network, primarily due to its reliance on American Idol. However, according to Nielsen, CBS ended up as the top-rated network for the 2008-2009 season.
FOX
• The Fox Broadcasting Company (FBC), commonly referred to as FOX, is owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation.
• The network is named after sister company 20th Century Fox, and indirectly for producer William Fox, who founded one of the movie studio’s predecessors, Fox Film.
1986 -- 2009
• Launched on October 9, 1986, from 2004 to 2009 FOX was the highest-rated broadcast network in the 18–49 demographic. In the 2007–08 season, FOX became the most popular network in America in household ratings for the first time in its history, replacing CBS. CBS took back the top spot in the 2008-09 season, though FOX remains a solid runner-up.
2000s: The Idol Effect
• FOX arguably hit a few bumps in its programming during 1999 and the early 2000s. Many staple shows of the 1990s had ended or were on the decline. During this time, FOX put much of its efforts into producing reality fare with subjects often seen as extravagant, shocking, and/or distasteful.
• Between 2000 and 2009, FOX added the cable channels FOX College Sports, Fuel TV, FOX Reality Channel and FOX Business Network.
• After shedding most of these shows, FOX regained a ratings foothold with acclaimed dramas such as 24, The O.C., House and Bones.
• By 2005, FOX’s most popular show by far was the talent search American Idol, peaking at up to 37 million viewers on certain episodes and being the nation’s highest-rated program in the 2004–05 season. House, airing after Idol on Tuesday nights and having had a successful run of summer repeats in 2005, positioned itself as a top-ten hit in the 2005–06 season.
• FOX hit a milestone in February 2005 by scoring its first-ever sweeps victory among all viewers. This was largely due to the broadcast of Super Bowl XXXIX, but also on the strength of American Idol, 24, House, and The O.C.
• By the end of the 2004–05 television season, FOX ranked No. 1 for the first time in its history among the 18–49 demographic most appealing to advertisers.
• Another milestone came on May 21, 2008, FOX took the #1 general households rating crown for the first time, based on the strength of Super Bowl XLII and American Idol.
Syfy
• Syfy is an American cable television channel launched on September 24, 1992, that specializes in science fiction, fantasy, horror, and paranormal programming. The name Syfy was officially adopted on July 7, 2009.
Sci Fi Syfy
• On March 16, 2009, Sci Fi announced that it would be changing its name to Syfy as part of an on-going rebranding effort. Network officials also noted that, unlike the generic term “sci-fi” which represents the entire science fiction genre, the term “Syfy” can be protected by trademark and therefore would be easier to market on other goods or services without fear of confusion with other companies’ products.
• Syfy's programming includes original television movies, miniseries, and series. In the past, the channel has also aired many canceled "cult classic" science fiction TV shows.
• It gained national prominence in 2003 with the airing of Steven Spielberg Presents: Taken, which won the Emmy Award that year for best miniseries. In 2006, it also began including several non-sci-fi programs in its line-up, such as Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, WWE's ECW and WCG Ultimate Gamer.
HBO
• Home Box Office (HBO), a premium television programming owned by Warner Brothers Entertainment subsidiary of Time Warner, offers two 24/7 pay television services (HBO and Cinemax) to over 38 million U.S. subscribers in the United States.
• HBO programming is broadcast into over 150 countries worldwide.
SHOWTIME
• Showtime is a subscription television brand used by a number of channels and platforms around the world, but primarily refers to a group of channels in the United States. As of August 2005, Showtime's programming is available to around 13 million subscribers in the United States.
• Showtime primarily shows motion pictures as well as some original programming and occasional boxing and MMA matches.
Part II. Explanation of Terms
A. Pilot
B. Episode
C. Season
D. Teleplay
E. Spin-off
F. Laugh Track
G. Comedy-drama
H. Cliffhanger
I. Rerun
J. Hiatus
K. Audience Measurement
L. WGA
M. ATAS
N. Emmy Award
A. Pilot
• Pilot (or Television Pilot) is a test episode of an intended television series, also, it’s an early step in the development of a television series.
• Functions:
1. Networks use pilots to discover whether an entertaining concept can be successfully realized.
2. After seeing this sample of the proposed product, networks will then determine whether the expense of additional episodes is justified.
Variety estimates that only a little over a quarter of all pilots made for American television succeed to the series stage.
B. Episode
• An episode is a part of a dramatic work such as a serial television or radio program.
• Episodes which end in the middle of a climatic moment are often called cliffhangers, after the name used for early movie serials. Such episodes are frequently used in season finales of many prime time shows.
• Shows usually have numbers or codes (aka, Production codes/numbers) for each episode. The X-Files, for example, assigned a code in the format "sXnn", with 's' identifying the season number and 'nn' being a two-digit number for each show, starting with '01'.
C. Season
• In North America and Australia, the term used to describe a regular run of episodes is a television season or simply, season. For example, a season of a television series might consist of 20–26 episodes broadcast regularly between September and May with a hiatus during the (Christmas/New Year’s Eve) holidays.
• Alternatively, it may comprise 20–26 consecutive episodes between September and December or January and May. The latter is often referred to as a "non-stop season", which are usually used for serial television series (e.g., 24 and Lost). Another example might be a series that airs only a 6–13 episode season during the summer.
• In the United States, most regular television series have 20 to 26 episodes per season. In general, dramas usually last 44 minutes (an hour with advertisements), while comedies last 22 (30 with advertisements).
D. Teleplay
• A teleplay is a play written or adapted for television. The term surfaced during the 1950s with wide usage to distinguish a TV script from stage plays for the theater and screenplays written for films.
• In modern usage, a "teleplay" generally refers to a script written for a television series. Formats vary depending on the type of show.
• The format for the average one-hour drama, however, at first glance looks virtually identical to a screenplay. The main difference between a screenplay and a teleplay, aside from length, is that a teleplay is split into acts. This allows the writer to control when commercial breaks will occur; commercials are placed between the acts.
E. Spin-off
• A spin-off is a new organization or entity formed by a split from a larger one, such as a television series based on a pre-existing one.
• The term sub-series is generally used instead of spin-off, but with essentially the same meaning.
F. Laugh Track
• A laugh track, (laughter soundtrack, laughter track, LFN “Laughter From Nowhere”, canned laughter or a laughing audience) is a separate soundtrack invented by Charles Douglass, with the artificial sound of audience laughter, made to be inserted into TV comedy shows and sitcoms.
• The first American television show to incorporate a laugh track was the American sitcom The Hank McCune Show in 1950.
G. Comedy-drama
• Comedy-drama, also called dramedy or seriocomedy, is a style of television, theatre and film in which there is an equal or nearly equal balance of humor and serious content.
H. Cliffhanger
• A cliffhanger (or cliffhanger ending), is a plot device in fiction which features a main character in a precarious or difficult dilemma, or confronted with a shocking revelation. A cliffhanger is hoped to ensure the audience will return to see how the characters resolve the dilemma.
I. Rerun
• A rerun (or repeat), is a re-airing of an episode of a radio or television broadcast.
• There are two types of reruns—those that occur during a hiatus, and those that occur when a program is syndicated.
• Reruns can also be, as the case with more popular shows, when a show is aired outside of its timeslot (e.g. in the afternoon).
J. Hiatus
• In television scheduling, a hiatus refers to a break of at least several weeks in the normal schedule of a television program. It can occur during a season of a television program, or can be between television seasons (usually starting in June and ending in August when shooting starts for the next season).
• In recent years, some television shows have been placed “on hiatus” by their networks for long periods of up to several years, effectively canceling them while leaving viewers and producers with the possible hope of the shows’ eventual return.
K. Audience Measurement
• Audience Measurement measure how many people are in an audience, usually in relation to radio listenership and television viewership, but also newspaper and magazine readership, and increasingly, usage of websites.
• It is, to help broadcasters and advertisers determine who is listening, rather than just how many. This broader meaning is called audience research.
L. WGA
• The Writers Guild of America is a generic term referring to the joint efforts of two different US labor unions:
• The Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE), representing TV and film writers around New York City.
• The Writers Guild of America, West (WGAW), representing TV and film writers in Hollywood and southern California.
M. ATAS
• The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences was founded in 1946; just one month after network television was born.
• It is a nonprofit organization devoted to the advancement of telecommunications arts and sciences and to fostering creative leadership in the telecommunications industry.
• The Television Academy is the only major organization devoted entirely to television and is made up of more than 15,000 members representing 28 professional peer groups, including performers, directors, producers, art directors and various other artisans, technicians and executives.
N. Emmy Award
• The Emmy Award, also known as the 'Emmy', is a television production award, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards (for film), Grammy Awards (for music) and Tony Awards (for stage).
• They are presented in various sectors of the television industry, including entertainment programming, news and documentary shows, and sports programming. As such, the awards are presented in various area-specific ceremonies held annually throughout the year. The best known of these ceremonies are the Primetime Emmy Awards.
Why call it “Emmy”?
• The name “Emmy” was derived from “Immy,” a nickname for the image orthicon camera tube (图像正析像管) , which was instrumental in the development of modern television.
What’s meaning of the statuette?
• The word was feminized as “Emmy” to complement the design chosen for the statuette, which depicted a winged, idealized woman holding an atom.
• It become the symbol of the TV Academy's goal of supporting and uplifting the art and science of television: The wings represent the muse of art; the atom the electron of science.
• In 1949, the Television Academy held the first Emmy Awards ceremony, an annual event created to recognize excellence in television programming.
Part III. Genre
A. Situation Comedy
B. Medical Drama
C. Sci-fi Drama
D. Crime Drama
E. Legal Drama
F. Teen Drama
G. Historical Drama
H. Reality Show & Reality Competition
I. Talk Show
J. Miniseries & TV Movies
Part IV. Television Content Rating Systems
• Television Content Rating Systems give television viewers an idea of the suitability of a television program for children and/or adults.
• Many countries have their own television rating system and each country's rating process may differ due to local priorities.
• Programs are rated by either the organization that manages the system, the broadcaster or by the content producers themselves.
• A rating is usually set for each individual episode of a television series. The rating can change per episode, network, rerun and per country.
TV Parental Guidelines
• The system was first proposed on December 19, 1996 by the United States Congress, the television industry and the FCC, and went into effect by January 1, 1997 on most major broadcast and cable networks in response to public concerns of increasingly explicit sexual content, graphic violence and strong profanity in television programs.
• It was established as a voluntary-participation system, with ratings to be determined by the individually-participating broadcast and cable networks.
• But the guidelines themselves have no legal force, and does not apply to news or sports programming.
Ratings
TV-Y
(All Children)
• This program is designed to be appropriate for all children. Whether animated or live-action, the themes and elements in this program are specifically designed for a very young audience, including children from ages 2-6. This program is not expected to frighten younger children.
TV-Y7
(Directed to Older Children)
• This program is designed for children age 7 and above. It may be more appropriate for children who have acquired the developmental skills needed to distinguish between make-believe and reality. Themes and elements in this program may include mild fantasy violence or comedic violence, or may frighten children under the age of 7. Therefore, parents may wish to consider the suitability of this program for their very young children.
TV-G
(General Audiences)
• Most parents would find this program suitable for all ages. Although this rating does not signify a program designed specifically for children, most parents may let younger children watch this program unattended. It contains little or no violence, no strong language and little or no sexual dialogue or situations.
• Many programs on Disney Channel use the TV-G rating instead of the TV-Y7 rating, as the programs aim more toward a family audience.
TV-PG
(Parental Guidance Suggested)
• This rating signifies that the program may be unsuitable for children under age 10 or 12, without the guidance of a parent. Various game shows and most reality shows are rated TV-PG for their suggestive dialog, suggestive humor, and/or coarse language.
• The TV-PG rating may be accompanied by one or more of the following sub-ratings:
D for some suggestive dialogue
L for infrequent coarse language
S for some sexual situations
V for moderate violence
TV-14
(Parents Strongly Cautioned)
• Programs issued the TV-14 rating are usually unsuitable for children under the age of 14 without the guidance of a parent or guardian.
• Many programs that air after 9:00 pm are rated TV-14. Live programming like televised awards ceremonies, concerts, and some specials will be issued a general TV-14 rating, because of the possibility that profanity, nudity, or suggestive dialogue may occur.
TV-MA
(Mature Audience Only)
• A TV-MA rating means the program may be unsuitable for those below 17 without parental guidance. The program may contain extreme graphic violence, strong profanity, overtly sexual dialogue, very coarse language, nudity and/or strong sexual content. Although not a very large number of shows carry this rating, South Park is a popular example of a show that carries a TV-MA rating.
• This rating may be accompanied by any of the following sub-ratings:
L for crude indecent language
S for explicit sexual situations/nudity
V for graphic violence
• For the first 15 seconds of every rated program lasting a half-hour or less, a large rating icon appears in the upper-left hand corner of the screen. For every rated program running an hour or longer, a rating appears in the upper-left hand corner of the TV screen at the beginning of each half hour.
• Starting in June 2005, many networks now display the ratings after every commercial break. ABC was one of the first television networks to display the program's rating after every commercial break in addition to at the beginning of the program.
NBC
• The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American television network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City’s Rockefeller Center.
• It is sometimes referred to as the Peacock Network due to its stylized peacock logo, created exclusively for color broadcasts.
• Formed in 1926 by the Radio Corporation of America (RCA), NBC was the first major broadcast network in the United States. In 1986, control of NBC passed to General Electric (GE), with GE’s $6.4 billion purchase of RCA.
• NBC is available in an estimated 112 million households, 98.6% of those with televisions. NBC has 10 owned-and-operated stations and nearly 200 affiliates in the United States and its territories.
ABC
• American Broadcasting Company
• Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. It first broadcast on television in 1948.
• Corporate headquarters are in Manhattan in New York City, while programming offices are in Burbank, California adjacent to the Walt Disney Studios and the Walt Disney Company corporate headquarters.
• The network is sometimes referred to as the Alphabet Network, due to the letters "ABC" being the first three letters of the Latin alphabet, in order.
2004 -- Present
• Determined not to lose its prominence on TV, ABC was able to find success in ratings beginning in 2004. In the fall of that year, ABC premiered two highly anticipated series Desperate Housewives, and Lost. Immediately, the network’s ratings skyrocketed to unprecedented levels.
• It followed up its prosperity with the premieres of Grey’s Anatomy in 2005, and in 2006, the dramedy Ugly Betty, which are all popular among viewers and critically acclaimed.
• ABC continues to place second in ratings thanks to its highly popular shows, mainly Desperate Housewives, Lost, Grey's Anatomy, Ugly Betty, and Dancing with the Stars, although it has slipped to third since 2007.
• In April 2009, ABC announced that they will bring Who Wants to be a Millionaire back into Primetime for a 2-week lifespan in response to the popularity of the 2008 Oscar-winning film Slumdog Millionaire.
• There have been attempts to broaden the ABC brand name. In 2004, ABC launched a news channel called “ABC News Now”. Its aim is to provide round-the-clock news on over-the-air digital TV, cable TV, the Internet, and mobile phones.
• Good Morning America (GMA) is an American news Morning show and talk show that is broadcast on the ABC television network, debuting on November 3, 1975.
• The show features news, talk, weather, and special interest stories. It is produced live from Times Square Studios in New York City and fed to all network affiliates. The program is currently hosted by Diane Sawyer and Robin Roberts.
TNT
• TNT (originally Turner Network Television) is an American cable TV channel created by media mogul Robert Edward “Ted” Turner III and currently owned by the Turner Broadcasting System division of Time Warner.
• On June 12, 2001, TNT relaunched itself, with a new logo and tagline, "We Know Drama.", which emphasized the channel’s new focus on programming with drama and energy, such as sports and network TV dramas like Angel, Law & Order, Charmed, NYPD Blue, ER, Without a Trace, Alias, Judging Amy, Las Vegas, Leverage and Cold Case.
• In 2004, TNT became the first Turner channel to begin broadcasting in High Definition. TNT is also one of the Turner-owned channels which now shows the classic 1939 film The Wizard of Oz.
• On December 7, 2008, TNT unveiled a new ad campaign with a newly stylized update of its logo, mainly in shiny silver but sometimes in gold.
• The campaign will continue to use the channel’s tagline “We Know Drama” but with more of a focus on its original series and its plan to have three nights of original primetime programming starting in 2009.
CBS
• CBS Broadcasting Inc. is an American television network, which started out as a radio network.
• The name is derived from the initials of the network’s former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the Eye Network or more simply The Eye, in reference to the shape of the company’s logo.
• The CBS Building in New York City, also known as “Black Rock”, is the 38-story headquarters of the CBS Corporation.
2002 -- Present
• The turning point for CBS came in the summer of 2000 when it debuted the summer reality show Survivor, which became a surprise summer hit for the network.
• In January 2001, CBS debuted the second season of the show after its airing of the Super Bowl, and moved the police procedural C.S.I. to Thursdays and was both able to chip away at and eventually beat NBC’s Thursday night lineup, and attract younger viewers to the network.
• CBS has had additional successes with police procedurals Cold Case, Without a Trace, Criminal Minds, NCIS, and The Mentalist, along with CSI: Miami and CSI: NY, and sitcoms Everybody Loves Raymond, Two and a Half Men, How I Met Your Mother, The Big Bang Theory and The New Adventures of Old Christine.
• During the 2007-2008 season, Fox ranked as the top-rated network, primarily due to its reliance on American Idol. However, according to Nielsen, CBS ended up as the top-rated network for the 2008-2009 season.
FOX
• The Fox Broadcasting Company (FBC), commonly referred to as FOX, is owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation.
• The network is named after sister company 20th Century Fox, and indirectly for producer William Fox, who founded one of the movie studio’s predecessors, Fox Film.
1986 -- 2009
• Launched on October 9, 1986, from 2004 to 2009 FOX was the highest-rated broadcast network in the 18–49 demographic. In the 2007–08 season, FOX became the most popular network in America in household ratings for the first time in its history, replacing CBS. CBS took back the top spot in the 2008-09 season, though FOX remains a solid runner-up.
2000s: The Idol Effect
• FOX arguably hit a few bumps in its programming during 1999 and the early 2000s. Many staple shows of the 1990s had ended or were on the decline. During this time, FOX put much of its efforts into producing reality fare with subjects often seen as extravagant, shocking, and/or distasteful.
• Between 2000 and 2009, FOX added the cable channels FOX College Sports, Fuel TV, FOX Reality Channel and FOX Business Network.
• After shedding most of these shows, FOX regained a ratings foothold with acclaimed dramas such as 24, The O.C., House and Bones.
• By 2005, FOX’s most popular show by far was the talent search American Idol, peaking at up to 37 million viewers on certain episodes and being the nation’s highest-rated program in the 2004–05 season. House, airing after Idol on Tuesday nights and having had a successful run of summer repeats in 2005, positioned itself as a top-ten hit in the 2005–06 season.
• FOX hit a milestone in February 2005 by scoring its first-ever sweeps victory among all viewers. This was largely due to the broadcast of Super Bowl XXXIX, but also on the strength of American Idol, 24, House, and The O.C.
• By the end of the 2004–05 television season, FOX ranked No. 1 for the first time in its history among the 18–49 demographic most appealing to advertisers.
• Another milestone came on May 21, 2008, FOX took the #1 general households rating crown for the first time, based on the strength of Super Bowl XLII and American Idol.
Syfy
• Syfy is an American cable television channel launched on September 24, 1992, that specializes in science fiction, fantasy, horror, and paranormal programming. The name Syfy was officially adopted on July 7, 2009.
Sci Fi Syfy
• On March 16, 2009, Sci Fi announced that it would be changing its name to Syfy as part of an on-going rebranding effort. Network officials also noted that, unlike the generic term “sci-fi” which represents the entire science fiction genre, the term “Syfy” can be protected by trademark and therefore would be easier to market on other goods or services without fear of confusion with other companies’ products.
• Syfy's programming includes original television movies, miniseries, and series. In the past, the channel has also aired many canceled "cult classic" science fiction TV shows.
• It gained national prominence in 2003 with the airing of Steven Spielberg Presents: Taken, which won the Emmy Award that year for best miniseries. In 2006, it also began including several non-sci-fi programs in its line-up, such as Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, WWE's ECW and WCG Ultimate Gamer.
HBO
• Home Box Office (HBO), a premium television programming owned by Warner Brothers Entertainment subsidiary of Time Warner, offers two 24/7 pay television services (HBO and Cinemax) to over 38 million U.S. subscribers in the United States.
• HBO programming is broadcast into over 150 countries worldwide.
SHOWTIME
• Showtime is a subscription television brand used by a number of channels and platforms around the world, but primarily refers to a group of channels in the United States. As of August 2005, Showtime's programming is available to around 13 million subscribers in the United States.
• Showtime primarily shows motion pictures as well as some original programming and occasional boxing and MMA matches.
Part II. Explanation of Terms
A. Pilot
B. Episode
C. Season
D. Teleplay
E. Spin-off
F. Laugh Track
G. Comedy-drama
H. Cliffhanger
I. Rerun
J. Hiatus
K. Audience Measurement
L. WGA
M. ATAS
N. Emmy Award
A. Pilot
• Pilot (or Television Pilot) is a test episode of an intended television series, also, it’s an early step in the development of a television series.
• Functions:
1. Networks use pilots to discover whether an entertaining concept can be successfully realized.
2. After seeing this sample of the proposed product, networks will then determine whether the expense of additional episodes is justified.
Variety estimates that only a little over a quarter of all pilots made for American television succeed to the series stage.
B. Episode
• An episode is a part of a dramatic work such as a serial television or radio program.
• Episodes which end in the middle of a climatic moment are often called cliffhangers, after the name used for early movie serials. Such episodes are frequently used in season finales of many prime time shows.
• Shows usually have numbers or codes (aka, Production codes/numbers) for each episode. The X-Files, for example, assigned a code in the format "sXnn", with 's' identifying the season number and 'nn' being a two-digit number for each show, starting with '01'.
C. Season
• In North America and Australia, the term used to describe a regular run of episodes is a television season or simply, season. For example, a season of a television series might consist of 20–26 episodes broadcast regularly between September and May with a hiatus during the (Christmas/New Year’s Eve) holidays.
• Alternatively, it may comprise 20–26 consecutive episodes between September and December or January and May. The latter is often referred to as a "non-stop season", which are usually used for serial television series (e.g., 24 and Lost). Another example might be a series that airs only a 6–13 episode season during the summer.
• In the United States, most regular television series have 20 to 26 episodes per season. In general, dramas usually last 44 minutes (an hour with advertisements), while comedies last 22 (30 with advertisements).
D. Teleplay
• A teleplay is a play written or adapted for television. The term surfaced during the 1950s with wide usage to distinguish a TV script from stage plays for the theater and screenplays written for films.
• In modern usage, a "teleplay" generally refers to a script written for a television series. Formats vary depending on the type of show.
• The format for the average one-hour drama, however, at first glance looks virtually identical to a screenplay. The main difference between a screenplay and a teleplay, aside from length, is that a teleplay is split into acts. This allows the writer to control when commercial breaks will occur; commercials are placed between the acts.
E. Spin-off
• A spin-off is a new organization or entity formed by a split from a larger one, such as a television series based on a pre-existing one.
• The term sub-series is generally used instead of spin-off, but with essentially the same meaning.
F. Laugh Track
• A laugh track, (laughter soundtrack, laughter track, LFN “Laughter From Nowhere”, canned laughter or a laughing audience) is a separate soundtrack invented by Charles Douglass, with the artificial sound of audience laughter, made to be inserted into TV comedy shows and sitcoms.
• The first American television show to incorporate a laugh track was the American sitcom The Hank McCune Show in 1950.
G. Comedy-drama
• Comedy-drama, also called dramedy or seriocomedy, is a style of television, theatre and film in which there is an equal or nearly equal balance of humor and serious content.
H. Cliffhanger
• A cliffhanger (or cliffhanger ending), is a plot device in fiction which features a main character in a precarious or difficult dilemma, or confronted with a shocking revelation. A cliffhanger is hoped to ensure the audience will return to see how the characters resolve the dilemma.
I. Rerun
• A rerun (or repeat), is a re-airing of an episode of a radio or television broadcast.
• There are two types of reruns—those that occur during a hiatus, and those that occur when a program is syndicated.
• Reruns can also be, as the case with more popular shows, when a show is aired outside of its timeslot (e.g. in the afternoon).
J. Hiatus
• In television scheduling, a hiatus refers to a break of at least several weeks in the normal schedule of a television program. It can occur during a season of a television program, or can be between television seasons (usually starting in June and ending in August when shooting starts for the next season).
• In recent years, some television shows have been placed “on hiatus” by their networks for long periods of up to several years, effectively canceling them while leaving viewers and producers with the possible hope of the shows’ eventual return.
K. Audience Measurement
• Audience Measurement measure how many people are in an audience, usually in relation to radio listenership and television viewership, but also newspaper and magazine readership, and increasingly, usage of websites.
• It is, to help broadcasters and advertisers determine who is listening, rather than just how many. This broader meaning is called audience research.
L. WGA
• The Writers Guild of America is a generic term referring to the joint efforts of two different US labor unions:
• The Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE), representing TV and film writers around New York City.
• The Writers Guild of America, West (WGAW), representing TV and film writers in Hollywood and southern California.
M. ATAS
• The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences was founded in 1946; just one month after network television was born.
• It is a nonprofit organization devoted to the advancement of telecommunications arts and sciences and to fostering creative leadership in the telecommunications industry.
• The Television Academy is the only major organization devoted entirely to television and is made up of more than 15,000 members representing 28 professional peer groups, including performers, directors, producers, art directors and various other artisans, technicians and executives.
N. Emmy Award
• The Emmy Award, also known as the 'Emmy', is a television production award, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards (for film), Grammy Awards (for music) and Tony Awards (for stage).
• They are presented in various sectors of the television industry, including entertainment programming, news and documentary shows, and sports programming. As such, the awards are presented in various area-specific ceremonies held annually throughout the year. The best known of these ceremonies are the Primetime Emmy Awards.
Why call it “Emmy”?
• The name “Emmy” was derived from “Immy,” a nickname for the image orthicon camera tube (图像正析像管) , which was instrumental in the development of modern television.
What’s meaning of the statuette?
• The word was feminized as “Emmy” to complement the design chosen for the statuette, which depicted a winged, idealized woman holding an atom.
• It become the symbol of the TV Academy's goal of supporting and uplifting the art and science of television: The wings represent the muse of art; the atom the electron of science.
• In 1949, the Television Academy held the first Emmy Awards ceremony, an annual event created to recognize excellence in television programming.
Part III. Genre
A. Situation Comedy
B. Medical Drama
C. Sci-fi Drama
D. Crime Drama
E. Legal Drama
F. Teen Drama
G. Historical Drama
H. Reality Show & Reality Competition
I. Talk Show
J. Miniseries & TV Movies
Part IV. Television Content Rating Systems
• Television Content Rating Systems give television viewers an idea of the suitability of a television program for children and/or adults.
• Many countries have their own television rating system and each country's rating process may differ due to local priorities.
• Programs are rated by either the organization that manages the system, the broadcaster or by the content producers themselves.
• A rating is usually set for each individual episode of a television series. The rating can change per episode, network, rerun and per country.
TV Parental Guidelines
• The system was first proposed on December 19, 1996 by the United States Congress, the television industry and the FCC, and went into effect by January 1, 1997 on most major broadcast and cable networks in response to public concerns of increasingly explicit sexual content, graphic violence and strong profanity in television programs.
• It was established as a voluntary-participation system, with ratings to be determined by the individually-participating broadcast and cable networks.
• But the guidelines themselves have no legal force, and does not apply to news or sports programming.
Ratings
TV-Y
(All Children)
• This program is designed to be appropriate for all children. Whether animated or live-action, the themes and elements in this program are specifically designed for a very young audience, including children from ages 2-6. This program is not expected to frighten younger children.
TV-Y7
(Directed to Older Children)
• This program is designed for children age 7 and above. It may be more appropriate for children who have acquired the developmental skills needed to distinguish between make-believe and reality. Themes and elements in this program may include mild fantasy violence or comedic violence, or may frighten children under the age of 7. Therefore, parents may wish to consider the suitability of this program for their very young children.
TV-G
(General Audiences)
• Most parents would find this program suitable for all ages. Although this rating does not signify a program designed specifically for children, most parents may let younger children watch this program unattended. It contains little or no violence, no strong language and little or no sexual dialogue or situations.
• Many programs on Disney Channel use the TV-G rating instead of the TV-Y7 rating, as the programs aim more toward a family audience.
TV-PG
(Parental Guidance Suggested)
• This rating signifies that the program may be unsuitable for children under age 10 or 12, without the guidance of a parent. Various game shows and most reality shows are rated TV-PG for their suggestive dialog, suggestive humor, and/or coarse language.
• The TV-PG rating may be accompanied by one or more of the following sub-ratings:
D for some suggestive dialogue
L for infrequent coarse language
S for some sexual situations
V for moderate violence
TV-14
(Parents Strongly Cautioned)
• Programs issued the TV-14 rating are usually unsuitable for children under the age of 14 without the guidance of a parent or guardian.
• Many programs that air after 9:00 pm are rated TV-14. Live programming like televised awards ceremonies, concerts, and some specials will be issued a general TV-14 rating, because of the possibility that profanity, nudity, or suggestive dialogue may occur.
TV-MA
(Mature Audience Only)
• A TV-MA rating means the program may be unsuitable for those below 17 without parental guidance. The program may contain extreme graphic violence, strong profanity, overtly sexual dialogue, very coarse language, nudity and/or strong sexual content. Although not a very large number of shows carry this rating, South Park is a popular example of a show that carries a TV-MA rating.
• This rating may be accompanied by any of the following sub-ratings:
L for crude indecent language
S for explicit sexual situations/nudity
V for graphic violence
• For the first 15 seconds of every rated program lasting a half-hour or less, a large rating icon appears in the upper-left hand corner of the screen. For every rated program running an hour or longer, a rating appears in the upper-left hand corner of the TV screen at the beginning of each half hour.
• Starting in June 2005, many networks now display the ratings after every commercial break. ABC was one of the first television networks to display the program's rating after every commercial break in addition to at the beginning of the program.
