literature, which were adapted for presentation on televi-sion. They were often cast with young talent from radio and local theater, some of whom went on to become major theatrical and television stars. Robert Redford, Joanne Woodward, Angela Lansbury, Chuck Connors, Paul Newman, and Vincent Price all got their starts act-ing in televised anthologies. In its 11-year run on tele-vision, Kraft Television Theater produced 650 plays, featuring almost 4,000 actors and actresses.
The playlist determines the rotation, which is the fre-quency and times of day the songs are played. Favorite songs and current hits are usually rotated frequently, and
See if you can get a radio station’s playlist or rotation from the station or its web site.
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Read more about anthologies on the Museum of Broadcast communications web site: www.museum.tv/eotvsection.php?
entrycodeanthologydra
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Chapter 6: Programming
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Anthologies were enormously popular into the late 1950s. They lost their appeal toward the end of the decade when expanded production capabilities led to the use of on-location sets. On-location programs were a new look that begot an increased demand by viewers for sophisticated, action-oriented productions.
fig. 6.6 Jackie Gleason, Art carney, Audrey Meadows and Joyce Randolph on the set of The Honeymooners (from left to right). Courtesy CBS/
Photofest. ©CBS.
fig. 6.7 Ryan o’neal, Mia Farrow, and Barbara Parkins in Peyton Place.
Courtesy ABC/Photofest. ©ABC. fig. 6. the cast from Grey’s Anatomy. Courtesy ABC-TV/The Kobal Collection.
dramas
A dramatic series presents viewers with a narrative that is usually resolved at the end of each episode; in other words, the story does not continue from one episode to the next. A drama typically features a recurring set
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of primary characters that find themselves involved in some sort of situation, often facing a dilemma, that gets worked out as the action peaks and the episode comes to a climax and resolution.
Dramas are often subcategorized by the subject matter.
For example, police and courtroom dramas are popular today, as demonstrated by the ratings of such programs as Private Practice, CSI, and Law & Order. These shows give a look into the lives of cops on the streets and law-yers in the courtroom. Medical dramas fade in and out of popularity. Nonetheless, since its 2005 premiere, ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy has been one of the most watched programs on prime-time television.
serials
More commonly known as soap operas, these programs have an ongoing narrative from one episode to the next.
Serials are different from other types of dramas in several ways. There’s little physical action; instead, the action takes place within the dialogue. Also, there are many primary characters. Serials typically have many story-lines going on at the same time, such that characters are involved in several plots simultaneously that may not be resolved for years, if at all. When it finally seems like a resolution is at hand (say, a marriage and a happy life), a twist in the story leads to more uncertainty (did she unknowingly marry her long-lost brother?) and to a new, continuing storyline. All My Children and One Life to Live are the more popular soap operas of today. Guiding Light, however, was the king of soap operas and holds the dis-tinction of being the longest-running scripted program in radio and television history. Radio listeners first tuned in on January 25, 1937. The show began airing on tele-vision in 1952 but was still broadcast on radio for four more years, when it moved exclusively to television. Fans
were heartbroken when the 72-year-old soap ran its last episode on September 18, 2009.
Although most soap operas air during the daytime hours and are targeted primarily to women, prime time has seen its share of soaps. (However, to attract male view-ers, the networks are careful not to call them “soaps.”) These programs were particularly popular on prime time in the 1980s, when viewers were treated to a peek into the fictional lives of the rich on such programs as Dallas (1978–1991), Dynasty (1981–1989), and Falcon Crest (1981–1990), and they seem to have resurged with Desperate Housewives (2004–present) and Mad Men (2007–present).
Telenovela (“tele” meaning television and “novella”
meaning a literary work, or in some languages mean-ing “romance”) is a type of serial that originated in Latin American countries. Hugely popular telenovelas cap-tivate viewers in Mexico, Central and South America, Spain, and even Russia and China. In the United States, the emotionally charged, convoluted, passionate novelas are typically aired on Spanish channels. A tele-novela is usually shown four or five days per week for about 150 episodes. From the opening kiss, through romantic rivals, break-ups, and tragedies, the telenovela captures viewers through its emotional intensity.
Through its MyNetworkTV, Fox Television brought tele- novelas to the United States in 2006, but with little suc-cess. Ultimately, the channel aired six telenovelas (Desire, Fashion House, Wicked Wicked Games, Watch Over Me, American Heiress, and Saints & Sinners), each showing five nights per week for 13 weeks. Despite its popular-ity in other countries, MyNetworkTV telenovelas did not draw an enthusiastic audience and were dropped after only one year.
fig. 6. the cast of I Love Lucy (from left to right): Lucille Ball, Vivian Vance, desi Arnaz, and William Frawley. Courtesy CBS/Photofest. ©CBS.
Chapter 6: Programming
05 situation comedies
Situation comedies are usually half-hour programs that present a humorous narrative that’s resolved at the end of each episode. Sitcoms, as they are often called, fea-ture a cast of recurring characters who find themselves caught up in some situation. Situation comedies were perfect for television, because they could be shot in a typical three-sided stage that was decorated to look like a simple apartment or home. Most early comedies were family-oriented, and the comic aspect was noted in the dialogue between the characters, rather than in visual gags. However, Lucille Ball excelled at physical comedy and changed the face of television by insisting on using three cameras to film I Love Lucy (1951–1957). If a physi-cal gag or antic failed, the scene could be reshot or edited for maximum effect. Multiple-camera filming paved the way for other comedies that featured more physical com-edy than comic dialogue.
Even though they’re dubbed “situation comedies,” some-times the situation itself is not funny, but it’s handled in a humorous fashion. For example, on Friends, at first glance, it did not seem very funny when Ross had to tell Mona that Rachel had moved in with him, but the plot took a humorous twist when Mona unexpectedly showed up on his doorstep. At other times, the situa-tion itself creates the humor, like in Frasier, when class- conscious Roz found the perfect boyfriend but then dis-covered he was a garbage man. The television sitcom has been a prime-time staple that has kept viewers laughing for decades.
Situation comedies are often criticized for stretching the limits of what is considered funny. Even back to the 1970s programs, most notably All in the Family and Maude, made fun of bigotry, class differences, and wom-en’s rights.
Missing from the networks’ line-up since the cancella-tion of Beulah in 1953 were sitcoms featuring African-Americans. When Julia premiered in 1968, it was hailed as the first starring television role that depicted an African-American woman as an intelligent, educated, sensible person. The character, Julia, played by Diahann Carroll, was a widowed single mother who worked as a nurse. Even though the show was considered ground breaking, during its three-year run, it was not without controversy. For example, critics claimed that Julia’s son
should have a father and that her middle class life was unrealistic.
Julia led the way to the 1970’s What’s Happening, Sanford and Son, The Cosby Show, and The Jeffersons, which was the longest running African-American sitcom. The 1980s saw more of The Cosby Show, and brought in other rat-ings giants, such as Diff’rent Strokes, Webster, and Benson.
Over the next two decades, about 60 African-American sitcoms premiered, including the popular Family Matters, Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Moesha, The Bernie Mac Show, That’s So Raven, and Everybody Hates Chris. There is still a shortage of African-American sitcoms and concern that the roles and situations continue to stereotype in an unfavorable light. And even The Cleveland Show is voiced by many white actors.
Facing formidable competition from comedy cable chan- nels and humorous online videos, modern network sit-coms continue toppling long-standing television taboos with raunchy, cruel and offensive situations in the guise of humor. Modern sitcoms poke fun at drug addiction, drunkenness, casual sex, venereal disease, vomit, and teenage pregnancy, among other gross and sensitive top-ics. The Fox network even refused to air a 2009 Family Guy episode that centered on abortion.
l to learn more about I Love Lucy, go to www.museum.tv/
archives/etv/i/htmli/ilovelucy/ilovelucy.htm.
l Listen to the I Love Lucy theme song, take a virtual tour of the set, and read about the program’s origin at www.
tvland.com/shows/lucy.
l See video of I Love Lucy: www.bing.com/videos/search?q
ilovelucyvideos&FoRMVdRe.
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fig. 6.0 charlie Sheen in Two and a Half Men. Courtesy CBS/Warner Bros./
Photofest. ©CBS/Warner Bros. Photographer: Mitch Haddad.
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Those who condemn such television programs scream the loudest; those who are nonplussed just sit back and enjoy the show. Humor often makes it easier for viewers to con-front what they dislike most, and laughing at our selves and at our foibles is a healthy way to release tension.