Television show

What Exactly Is a Television Show?

A television show is content produced for viewing on a television set that is broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, cable, or distributed digitally on streaming platforms. It’s like a window into another world, where stories unfold and characters come to life right before our eyes.

How Do We Categorize Them?

A regularly recurring show is called a television series, and an individual segment is called an episode. Think of it as chapters in a book – each one builds on the last, but you can start reading (or watching) from any point.

Seasons and Episodes: The Building Blocks

Episodes are usually broadcast in annual sets, which are seasons in North America and series in other regions. A one-off television show may be called a television special, while a short series of episodes is a miniseries. A television film, or telefilm, is a feature film created for transmitting on television.

How Are They Made?

The first television shows were experimental broadcasts starting in the 1930s. The medium grew after World War II, with the 1947 World Series inspiring Americans to buy their first television sets. The first national live television broadcast took place on September 4, 1951.

Genres and Formats: A Kaleidoscope of Content

Television shows can be varied and include a wide range of formats and genres, such as fiction, non-fictional, topical, historical, instructional, educational, or entertaining programs. Due to the format of TV series, episodes can be broadcast in any order.

The Evolution of Television Shows

Many series feature progressive change in plot and characters since the 1980s. It’s like a river – it flows and changes with time, but its essence remains.

Production: From Idea to Screen

When creating new content, networks pitch ideas to find one interested enough to order a pilot episode. Development executives want to hear ideas and get the word out on what types of shows they’re looking for. The structure and team of the whole series must be put together to create the pilot.

The Production Process

In the UK, some longer dramatic series use ‘team writing,’ where the idea originates from within the network or an independent production company. Other programs are built by one or two writers and a small team, often with a run of six or seven episodes per series.

Financial Aspects: The Business Side

The production company is separate from the broadcaster in many cases. Executive producers oversee running the show, choosing crew and cast, approving series plots, and sometimes writing or directing major episodes.

Production Costs and Revenues

Pre-production begins when a script is approved, including storyboarding, set construction, casting guest stars, budgeting, and acquiring resources. Once the show is planned, it must be scheduled due to scenes being filmed out of sequence, guest actors’ availability, and principal photography complexities.

Principal Photography

Principal photography involves filming episodes with directors, actors, and crew at television studios or locations, where scenes are divided into shots and shot in non-sequential order. A second unit may film other scenes simultaneously.

Distribution: From Production to Viewers

Once principal photography is complete, producers coordinate tasks for video editing, adding visual effects, music, and assembling the show. Television networks operate on budgets and revenues, with commercial concerns centered around audience size. Average production costs range from $2 million to $14 million per episode, depending on the network and type of show.

Financing and Revenue Streams

Scripted shows in the US are often financed through deficit financing, with studios covering production costs and networks paying a license fee for airing rights. This license fee does not cover production costs, leading to deficits for studios. However, studios can make money through syndication and home video sales, placing financial risk on networks.

Advertising and Distribution

Costs are recouped mainly by advertising revenues for broadcast networks and some cable channels. Advertisers prioritize shows with young adult viewers, willing to pay more for ads on successful programs like Grey’s Anatomy.

The Journey of a Television Show

Distribution of the show occurs after production, where it is sent to affiliate stations, which air it in specified time slots. Good ratings keep the show alive, while poor ratings lead to cancellation. The creators shop remaining episodes and possibility of future episodes on other networks.

Seasons and Episodes: A Timeline

In North America, a series consists of connected episodes under the same title, spanning many seasons. A full season typically runs from September through May, with some shows splitting into two units or referred to as ‘half’ seasons to increase profits.

Ordering Episodes

New broadcast television series are often ordered for just 10-13 episodes to gauge audience interest. If a series is popular, the network places a ‘back nine order’ and completes the season to 20-26 episodes. Established series receive full-season orders at the outset of the season.

Midseason Replacements and Finales

A midseason replacement is a short-run show that replaces an original series that failed to garner an audience. A ‘series finale’ marks the last episode of a series before it’s no longer produced. Streaming services time finales to the next quarter to induce consumers to renew at least one more quarter.

Seasonal Formats

US television seasons primarily run from autumn to mid-September, with reruns and specials during summer months. Canadian shows typically have shorter seasons (13 episodes) due to smaller production budgets. They don’t receive ‘back nine’ extensions within the same season.

Miniseries, Limited Series, and Event Series

Miniseries, limited series, and event series have different definitions and connotations. Miniseries are short, closed-ended series; limited series have potential for renewal but fewer episodes than typical orders; event series are marketing terms for short-run shows.

Differences in Usage

The terms ‘series,’ ‘season,’ and ‘episode’ are used differently in the UK, Ireland, Australia, and North America. For example, Battlestar Galactica has an original series and a remake, both considered different series with their own number of individual seasons.

Australian Television

Australian television does not follow the same seasonal format as US television; popular dramas run for most of the year, but some series begin in late January or early February. Australian soap operas typically start in late January and end in late November or December.

British Shows

British shows have tended toward shorter series in recent years, with some having 13-30 episodes per season. The revival of Doctor Who has comprised 13 45-minute installments. US non-cable networks have started airing two series per year, similar to dramas.

Episode Runtime: A Global Perspective

The usage of ‘season’ and ‘series’ differs for DVD and Blu-ray releases in Australia and the UK. Locally produced shows are often referred to as ‘seasons,’ while British-produced shows are known as ‘series.’ Brown’s Boys are referred to as ‘season’ in Australia for DVD and Blu-ray releases. In the UK and Ireland, programs are typically called ‘series,’ while ‘season’ is used for some US and international releases.

The Golden Age of Miniseries

The 1980s and 1990s were the golden age of television miniseries in Egypt, attracting millions of viewers. In the United States, dramas (1-hour slots) are 37–42 minutes long, while sitcoms (30-minute slots) are 18–21 minutes long. Exceptions: subscription-based cable TV channels with episodes 45–48 minutes long.

British and French Standards

In Britain, dramas (commercial channels) run for 46–48 minutes, while BBC dramas are 57–59 minutes. Half-hour programs on commercial channels last 22 minutes, whereas those on the BBC are 28 minutes. In France, most shows run for 52 minutes on nearly all networks.

Streaming Platforms

Episode runtime for streaming platforms ranges from under 30 minutes to over one hour long. It’s like a buffet – you can choose what fits your mood and time.

Television shows are a fascinating blend of creativity, technology, and storytelling. They’re like a mirror reflecting our world, allowing us to explore different perspectives and experiences. Whether you’re binge-watching your favorite series or tuning in for the latest episode, remember that each show is crafted with care, aiming to entertain, educate, and inspire.