TV Cultures Journal ‘B’ – Post #1: True Detective

True Detective is an American anthology crime drama created by Nick Pizzolatto which first aired on HBO in 2014. It centres on two Louisiana detectives, Rustin ‘Rust’ Cohle and Martin ‘Marty’ Hart, portrayed by Mathew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson respectively, as they attempt to solve the murder of a young girl. An anthology series involves a telling a new story each season with a new cast and characters embroiled in events separate to the previous seasons. A main draw of anthology series is that it is an assurance to viewers that the story being told will have a conclusion, unlike so many other American shows that have been cancelled prematurely. This also allows for higher calibre actors, even film stars, to join the cast as there are no long term commitments to the show in contrast to the lengthy popular series such as Game of Thrones or Breaking Bad. Both shows match and even surpass True Detective in popularity, yet the name recognition of its two lead actors draws in audiences to view a program they have never heard of before. This is highlighted by the following trailer for season one of the show as it focuses on McConaughey and Harrelson’s roles to entice viewers to witness leading Hollywood men immerse themselves in a television role.

A second selling point seen in this trailer and the overall marketing for True Detective is that it is an HBO show. The show was hailed as “the latest greatest-ever television series from HBO” (Rundle, 2014) and was critically lorded by critics and audiences alike for its cinematic aesthetic, ingenious storytelling and cinema worthy performances. The term ‘greatest-ever’ is an encapsulation of the show as it quality worked in conjunction with its airing on HBO to place it on a pedestal alongside other ‘greatest-ever’ television shows such as The Sopranos, The Wire and Game of Thrones. “Although a cable service such as HBO has a very small audience of subscribers […] they happen to be the very upscale demographic willing to pay extra for more specialised and more highbrow fare” (Feuer, 2007). This characterisation of the channel adds an elitism to its programming and Cary Joji Fukunaga’s direction injected True Detective with a cinematic aesthetic. It is rare for every episode of a television season to be directed by a single person like Fukunaga did and this aspect helped to legitimise the show as a piece of cinema made for television. It draws on familiar conventions found in crime dramas and police procedurals but particularises it as a form of ‘complex narrative.’ Jason Mittell states that “HBO has built its reputation and subscriber base upon complex narrative shows” (2012) and True Detective builds upon this representation. Narrative complexity “redefines episodic forms under the influence or serial narration” (Mittell, 2012) and True Detective typifies this definition through its anthology structure and intricate plot revolving around two rich characters.

Past CohlePresent Cohle

 

 

 

Rust Cohle and Marty Hart are the core to the season, they are the tellers of the story the audience is witnessing and the constant shift between time periods reveals how the events of the past have affected the protagonists. The intrigue surrounding Cohle’s drastic change in physical appearance and behaviour suggests the case changed him forever and this character study is the core of True Detective. The intricacy of the plot, revolving around multiple murders and the lives of the two main figures, coupled with themes centred on masculinity and religion create a narrative that viewers must fully invest to connect with the depicted events.

 

References

Mccabe, Janet & Akrass, Kim (2009) ‘HBO and the Concept of Quality TV – Jane Feuer”, Quality TV: Contemporary American Television and Beyond, pp. 147-157

Mittell, Jason (2012-13) ‘Complexity in Context, Complex TV: The Poetics of Contemporary Television Storytelling, pre-publication ed. Found at: < http://mcpress.media-commons.org/complextelevision/ >

Rundle, Guy (2014) Rundle’s Review: Confessions of Television’s True Detective, Daily Review, Found at: < http://dailyreview.com.au/rundles-review-confessions-of-the-true-detectives-america/6484 >

October 26, 2015 Online Journal B, Television Cultures No Comments on TV Cultures Journal ‘B’ – Post #1: True Detective

TV Cultures Journal ‘B’ – Post #2: Complex Narrative in Game of Thrones

There is a prestige that goes hand in hand with complex narrative television programs because they cater towards the intellectual and higher class of audience. This seen by the calibre of shows on HBO, a premium cable channel heavily associated with complex narrative brands which charges its subscribers to watch these highly regarded programs. As explained by Jason Mittell, “at its most basic level, narrative complexity redefines episodic forms under the influence of serial narration” (2011) and an example of the use of this concept is the television show Game of Thrones.

Even if a person has never seen the show, saying the words “Game of Thrones” will cause some sort of reaction in recognition. The HBO show has permeated the popular culture zeitgeist with such ferocity that it has become a staple for television of the 2010’s. Premiering in April of 2011, Game of Thrones is an American fantasy drama and an adaptation of the fantasy novel series A Song of Ice and Fire written by George R. R. Martin. The show takes place in the fictional world of Westeros and neighbouring continents and involves a multitude of diverse characters vying to sit upon the Iron Throne and rule the kingdom. The show is a prime example of a complex narrative as it demands an intensified engagement from its audience to fully comprehend the numerous plot points and their overall significance. An example of the narrative complexity is the shows arc revolving around ‘The War of Five Kings’. This arc involves characters from the titular five kings, their main disciples, their armies, the adrift characters who are not taking part in the war and the history and political backdrop of the country the war is taking place in. This story line necessitates audience involvement with the text in order to fully comprehend the position of each character and their relationship with all the others and what they mean to the overall narrative of the show. This dense story is told over ten hour long episodes per year and this short narration time-frame tends to create a fast paced story surrounded by a high quality production to ensure the audience is not alienated by the complicated plot. Narration time, also known as screen time, refers to the ‘temporal framework involved in telling and receiving the story” (Mittell, 2011) and as Game of Thrones airs on HBO, there are no advertisement breaks to separate a single episode, which assists the audience in understanding the plot of an episode without distractions.

The rise in popularity of complex narrative television programs can also be attributed to shifts in technology. Game of Thrones can be accessed via HBO Go, a video on demand streaming services which allows subscribers to watch HBO content on their website or through an application for mobile devices. This has shifted television viewing from exclusively watching it in a shared space to the privacy of a bedroom on a personal device such as a phone or laptop, especially within the 18-40 year old demographic who use more than one media device throughout a typical day. There has been ‘An increase in the variety and kinds of media as well as in the movement of media into kids’ bedrooms’ (Hayles, 2007) and this has expanded from children to young adults. With the introduction of the second screen, “the common phrase for a mobile device used while watching a TV program” (Hare, 2012), viewers can simultaneously watch a program and use the internet. Coupling this ability to research the show to remind themselves of each narrative thread with the ability to pause and rewind television through streaming services, modern audiences are more equipped than ever before to actively understand and join in on the discussion of complex narrative programs.

 

References

Hare, Breeanna (2012) ‘Twice as much TV? How networks are adapting to the second screen’, CNN, Found at: < http://edition.cnn.com/2012/09/15/showbiz/tv/second-screen-tv-our-mobile-society/index.html >

Hayles, N. Katherine (2007) ‘Hyper and Deep Attention: The Generational Divide in Cognitive Modes’, Profession, pp. 187-199

Mittell, Jason (2011) ‘Complexity in Context’, Complex TV: The Poetics of Contemporary Television Storytelling, pre-publication ed. Found at: < http://mcpress.media-commons.org/complextelevision/ >

October 26, 2015 Online Journal B, Television Cultures No Comments on TV Cultures Journal ‘B’ – Post #2: Complex Narrative in Game of Thrones

TV Cultures Journal B – Post #3: Reflection

The twenty-first century is awash with a variety of television programs which can be viewed on an assortment of mediums. Gone are the days where the only option was to gather around the television set to watch your favourite television shows according to a schedule. The internet introduced an array of alternatives and these range from streaming services such as Netflix, digital distribution in the form of iTunes and torrenting from piracy websites. The popularity of these new mediums can be attributed the ability they grant audiences to dictate their own viewing schedule, sculpting it around their personal lives instead of having to ensure they are available when it originally airs. In addition to creating a convenience for television viewing, the internet allows for global audiences to connect and discuss programs, yet this introduces a problem for Australian audiences. This global connection is a double edged sword as fan discussion and the potential for ‘spoilers’ online is drastic as there is no sure-fire way to filter out or block any discussion that may ruin a viewer’s enjoyment of an episode. This is a problem for Australian audiences as there is a large delay in comparison to America in terms of broadcasting new episodes. In his investigation into broadcast delay in Australian for the blog website Reckoner, Graham Spencer chose the thirty-one highest rated television shows according to meta-critic and researched the delay between air dates from the U.S. to Australia.

CLICK IMAGE FOR BETTER VIEW Sourced from reckoner.com.au: http://reckoner.com.au/2014/07/watching-tv-in-australia-the-australian-delay-under-the-microscope/

This chart showcases the results of Spencer’s study and provides an insight into my personal viewing habits. I began tracking television consumption in my time use diary on the 10th of August and ended on the 23rd of October and in that amount of time I did not watch any programs on free-to-air or cable television. Reflecting futher back on my television viewing habits, I have not watched Australian broadcast television in over three years, including news or sporting events. Over ninety percent of programs I watched during the last three months were scripted narrative programs, the other ten percent being internet games shows such as Roosterteeth’s ‘On The Spot’ or broadcast game shows such as ‘@Midnight’. The appeal of these game shows is that they deal with topics from the internet instead of national interests which allows me to follow the proceedings without the need for additional knowledge of events I have little interest in.

This is a central conceit to my viewing habits as I am regularly on the internet and therefore am constantly aware of the conversations taking place concerning the programs and topics I am interested in. All of the content I view are from international sources that are not readily available in Australia in time for me to avoid them being ruined by online activity. Out of the thirty-one shows in the above chart, I follow seventeen of them and I do not own Foxtel, leading me to source them online to keep up to date with the global community. “Most people interact with many different media during the course of a single day” (Hart, 1992) and this is especially true for the 18-40 year old audience demographic who use the internet for professional reasons as well as social. Growing up with television sets being a staple of a modern home and the rise of the internet on computers and phones has led to this demographic becoming accustomed to having multiple forms of media at their disposal at all times. As shown in my time use diary, nearly all of my consumption of media happens on my laptop in my room while I am using my mobile phone or browsing the internet. This provides privacy to watch the shows I prefer without being interrupted and giving me the freedom to create my own viewing schedule.

“Aussies pirate because global media and entertainment is a part of Australian culture now. We follow it, we talk about it and contribute back” explains Reckoner author James Croft and this is reflected in my viewing habits. The second I can watch a new episode of my favourite programs, I can and then go online and read American review sites and check social media to see fan reactions to the episodes. I have created a ritual that revolves around international conversation and the Australian broadcasting restrictions does not allow for this 21st Century form of television viewing.

References

Croft, James (2014) ‘Louis CK, Culture, And Why We Pirate All The Things’, reckoner.com.au. Found at < http://reckoner.com.au/2014/06/louis-ck-and-why-we-pirate-all-the-things/ >

Hart, Andrew (1992) ‘Understanding Television Audiences’, Journal of Educational Television, Vol. 18(1), pp. 5-17

Spencer, Graham (2014) ‘Watching TV in Australia: The Australian Delay Under The Microscope, reckoner.com.au. Found at < http://reckoner.com.au/2014/07/watching-tv-in-australia-the-australian-delay-under-the-microscope/ >

October 25, 2015 Online Journal B, Television Cultures No Comments on TV Cultures Journal B – Post #3: Reflection