COMM 1073 Television Cultures: Course Journal #2
‘It’s not TV, it’s HBO’: Branding, Genre, ‘Quality TV’:
The focus on branding, genre and ‘quality TV’ this week is centred around the rise to popularity of HBO TV network and the shows which they famously produce. Beginning their reign with shows like ‘Sex and the City’, ‘The Sopranos’ and ‘The Wire’, HBO became notorious for producing a very particular type of TV program which has since come to be known as ‘Quality TV’. These long form programs have episodes which typically span upwards of 30 minutes across multiple seasons.
Another characteristic of television programs that are typically produced by HBO is a phenomenon known as hybrid-genre, whereby it becomes difficult to place a show within one particular genre class. Genres, being ‘cultural products constituted by media practices’, are subjected to constant change and redefinition – therefore, programs which take a less traditional approach to genre constraints have come to be known as ‘hybrids’, as argued and supported by Jason Mittell on his ‘Just TV’ blog.
Now, with the thriving nature of subscription TV in the US – HBO has a steady income from its’ subscribers that allow it to keep making television, really well. Other, more recent examples of HBO produced TV programs include ‘Entourage’, ‘The Newsroom’ and ‘True Blood’. Although somewhat atypical of what usually constitutes ‘quality TV’, these shows have generated a huge number of fans and continue to expand the HBO brand – reaching wider audiences than ever before. HBO has created a brand name for itself and a reputation for quality that enables them to pursuit complete domination of the long form TV market.
In the midst of the widening of HBO’s reach comes ‘Girls’ – a hybrid-genre, comedy/drama ‘about the experiences of a group of girls in their early 20s’ (IMDB). Whilst ‘Girls’ is obviously aimed at a different audience to other HBO products such as ‘The Sopranos’ and ‘The Wire’, it doesn’t have a specifically definable target audience, as it contains elements that would appeal to a number of people, including both males and females in an 18-28 year old age bracket.
Written and directed by Lena Dunham, in association with Judd Apatow and Jenni Konner, ‘Girls’ comes across like a more modern and less glamorous rendition of ‘Sex and the City’, whereby characters deal with issues such as unloving lovers, abortions and drug use. It’s not a show that screams old-school HBO, but rather captures a new direction for the company and a new found power within the world of TV. HBO uses the big-name production team to increase recognition and draw a wider audience who are fans of the comedy genre which Apatow and Konner are known for contributing to.
Although ‘Girls’ doesn’t necessarily conform to the traditional definition of ‘quality TV’, there’s no doubt that it’s ‘good TV’. A show that’s funny, relatable and binge-worthy – ‘Girls’ represents a new era for HBO, where they are able to target increasingly more specific audience groups because of the sheer power and money behind their organisation.
The Poetics of Complex Narrative:
In the ongoing marketing war between TV subscription networks in the States, ‘quality TV’ has become a brand differentiation strategy. Continuing on from last week, this look into complex narrative provided a deeper understanding of what makes ‘quality TV’, as well as how networks such as HBO go about creating shows that continually impress and keep audiences engaged.
Quality TV is often characterised by the attribution of authorship – an auteuristic production method, large budgets, a focus on creating particularly detailed story worlds, the exploration of previously taboo material and character-driven, slowly developing plot lines. One such show that emulates these qualities is HBO’s ‘True Detective’.
Something that comes to mind when discussing HBO branded television is the vast differences between each of their productions. HBO has become exceedingly renowned for being able to cater to all facets of audience, from young to old, men and women, with completely differing interests and tastes in a TV program. The differences between HBO’s TV shows have been noted by academics, particularly in relation to the narrative structure and unusual characters.
Starring Matthew McConaughey as Rustin ‘Rust’ Cohle and Woody Harrelson as Martin ‘Marty’ Hart, ‘True Detective’ first aired in early 2014 and has received critical acclaim. An anthology-styled, police procedural genre series – True Detective’s first season is made up of 8, 1 hour episodes that play through like an 8 hour film. They are so detailed, so complex, that it truly characterises all that ‘complex narrative’ is known for – whilst being essentially made to be binge-watched.
The episodes, set in the North American ‘Deep South’, don’t rely on cliffhangers or suspenseful openings to engage their audience, but trust that the complexity of the story at any point in the episode is enough to keep the audience engaged and wanting to watch on. This is evidence of quality TV, as HBO are confident enough in their product, that they essentially know the appreciative audience will continue to watch and the network’s subscriptions will continue to grow.
Like examples of ‘complex narrative’ in film and television before it, True Detective demonstrates a highly innovative narrative structure. Using flashbacks and flash-forwards, the audiences’ prior knowledge and understanding of key events is fundamental in providing meaning later on in the series.
As Marty and Rust reflect back on the memories from their time working with one another, the audience is spurred on through the use of narrative kernels and satellites. Kernels are the primary nodes of a narrative structure, which need to be noticed to fully understand the narrative, whereas satellites are secondary pieces of narrative information that are not detrimental if missed, but help to provide extended context to the story. True Detective definitely uses examples of both of these forms of narrative points to give the more observant and focused viewers a greater understanding of the plot.
Like many other complex narratives, True Detective asks its’ audience to enter a state of deep, or hyper, attention. Whilst reality TV, live TV and any other number of TV genres can often be watched half heartedly, or whilst multi-tasking – complex narratives really require a deep level of attention from their audience in order to be understood most accurately. Quite often, whilst watching a complex narrative, we can find our attention being drawn to another source, then looking back to the TV, we have missed the plot and need to rewind in order to understand – due to the pure complexity off the plot – blink and you’ll miss something.
Transformation Narratives:
Transformation narratives in TV are a relatively new phenomenon, only moving into the spotlight that is primetime TV more recently. Programs that feature transformation narratives tend to be centred on the idea of a change for the better, through the guidance and instruction from some kind of expert in the field.
The role of the expert is someone who is knowledgable on the particular subject – they know the field in great depth and are in a position of authority to be able to give valuable and helpful advice to others. Some of the more popular types of transformation narrative focus on people, bodies, cars, houses, pets, relationships, professional skills and gardens/backyards.
One such example of an expert that comes to mind instantly is Caesar Milan in ‘The Dog Whisperer’. Caesar Milan is an American with a Latino background who is widely regarded for his training and behavioural improvement of ‘problem dogs’. Throughout the course of any given ‘Dog Whisperer’ episode, Caesar is introduced to the dog – he meets them and gets a feel for their personality, as well as establishing himself as the new leader. Caesar then continues to work out the problem and training the dog before its’ finally revealed to its’ previously distressed and frustrated owner. Not only is Caesar Milan a perfect example of an expert of sorts, but his show ‘The Dog Whisper’ embodies all that is transformation narrative.
The recent growth and rise in popularity of transformation narrative could be due to any number of factors, but is often attributed to the general audiences’ hunger for reality and relatable characters. T. Lewis recognises that makeover programs are not seeking merely to be informative, but achieve and create compelling narrative through focusing on the ‘emotional dimensions of people’s lives’.
Furthermore, the rise of ‘lifestyles’, as well as daily life in TV is something that has become a target of expertise. ‘World’s Strictest Parents’ is a stellar example of the kinds of transformation narrative centred TV that is being produced and consumed nowadays.
‘World’s Strictest Parents’ tends to introduce a problem child/young adult in need of discipline, giving the audience an interesting person and subsequent transformation to observe. The show chronologically runs the audience through the transformation, from introducing the teens in their own homes, to the moment they return home and are reunited with their parents – hopefully after they’ve undergone some form of change.
Focusing on the stark contrast between the rebellious teens and their more traditionally valued host family, ‘World’s Strictest Parents’ relies heavily on the two parties clashing initially – whether that be over morals, etiquette or anything in between.
Each episode evolves in a chronological narrative form, most effectively capturing the transformation of the subjects. Through the use of music to match what’s going on in the scenes (e.g. confrontation, heart-felt moments, etc.), as well as the narration of the events, the impact of the narrative is amplified and audiences are more likely to be affected on an emotional level – one of the major reasons audience keep watching.
Ultimately, the transformation narrative echelon of reality TV is something that audiences all over the globe have fallen in love with, as there is a great amount of relation and evolution that can come from watching these particular types of shows.