Has the drama grown with television?

Has the drama grown with television?

Pamela Douglas (Screenwriter) gives expert video advice on: When did dramas come to television?; Why are dramas so popular with audiences? and more...

Dramas have grown marvellously with television. The whole world of dramatic writing has evolved in just the last few years. At one time, dramas were two hour movies where you had a predictable beginning, a three act structure, and an end. Television has changed all of that, particularly around the time of Hill Street Blues, which was a groundbreaking show. The creators of that show, Steven Bochco and Michael Kozoll, at the time, realized their stories were spilling over the edges of the hour. The notion of closing out a story within a given time frame was false to the way life worked and did not give due justice to the stories that people needed to tell. They decided to go ahead and allow that spill-over by having episodes continue with arcs that went through multiple episodes. That opened the door to the long narrative, to telling stories that increased in depth rather than width. In other words, the stories grew as the characters and their relationships were revealed.