vacantlook
Super Moderator
I was just reading through the introduction (written by Rhonda V. Wilcox and David Lavery) in the book Fighting The Forces: What's At Stake In Buffy The Vampire Slayer, and in it there is a list of nine characteristics of quality TV made by someone named Robert J. Thompson.
I thought it might be interesting to look at those nine characteristics and discuss how they apply to Babylon 5, which I feel and assume most on this board also feel is indeed quality TV.
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1. "Quality TV usually has a quality pedigree." i.e those responsible for the show -- the creators -- have done quality work in the past and been strongly associated with others that have done quality work.
2. "Desirable demographics notwithstanding, quality shows must often undergo a noble struggle against profit-mongering networks and non-appreciative audiences."
3. "Quality TV tends to have a large ensemble cast."
4. "Quality TV has memory." In other words, the characters change and behave in a way that acknowledges that they have a past that continues to grow with each episode. There is no reset button that enables the characters to revert to what they were before the episode and never actually grow.
5. "Quality TV creates a new genre by mixing old ones."
6. "Quality TV tends to be literary and writer-based."
7. "Quality TV is self-conscious." Basically, a quality tv show is aware of its own story history and doesn't abandon it, is aware of the fans, is aware of the real world and events going on in it.
8. "The subject matter of quality TV tends toward the controversial."
9. "Quality TV aspires toward 'realism.'"
I thought it might be interesting to look at those nine characteristics and discuss how they apply to Babylon 5, which I feel and assume most on this board also feel is indeed quality TV.
----
1. "Quality TV usually has a quality pedigree." i.e those responsible for the show -- the creators -- have done quality work in the past and been strongly associated with others that have done quality work.
2. "Desirable demographics notwithstanding, quality shows must often undergo a noble struggle against profit-mongering networks and non-appreciative audiences."
3. "Quality TV tends to have a large ensemble cast."
4. "Quality TV has memory." In other words, the characters change and behave in a way that acknowledges that they have a past that continues to grow with each episode. There is no reset button that enables the characters to revert to what they were before the episode and never actually grow.
5. "Quality TV creates a new genre by mixing old ones."
6. "Quality TV tends to be literary and writer-based."
7. "Quality TV is self-conscious." Basically, a quality tv show is aware of its own story history and doesn't abandon it, is aware of the fans, is aware of the real world and events going on in it.
8. "The subject matter of quality TV tends toward the controversial."
9. "Quality TV aspires toward 'realism.'"