The characteristic that is NOT associated with the golden age of television is content appeals to a wide audience. During this era, television shows began to feature more complex storylines and themes that often targeted specific audiences rather than aiming for broad appeal. The focus shifted towards depth and complexity rather than simply attracting as many viewers as possible.
Television shows can be as complex as novels and can provide students with opportunities to learn that novels do not. Yet, there are legitimate concerns about using classroom time to dissect television. One issue is that complex television shows tend to have adult or graphic themes not suitable for the classroom. Another concern involves how much time students spend on television. Plenty of students already watch and discuss television in their own time, so is television needed in the classroom, too? Finally, the written word teaches cognitive skills that television cannot.
The idea of television as a form of literature that should be taught in classrooms remains controversial. How many times have you heard the phrase “television rots your brain”? If television is literature, should it be taught in English class the same way traditional literature is taught?
The Golden Era of Television
We are now living in the golden era of television. The term “golden era” is what television and media critics call the collection of TV shows from the late 1990s to present day. Commercial television shows have existed since the early 20th century, but as Jason Mitchell notes in his book Complex TV, technological development in the late 1990s led to three drastic changes in television. First, TV shows started to look better and showcase more interesting camera work. Second, the growth of more available channels led to an increase in the number of shows being produced. And third, technology allowed users to record, pause, and rewind the shows they were watching. Together, these three changes ushered in the golden era of television, allowing TV shows to tell more complex stories.
There isn’t a clear-cut division between a complex plot and a simple one, but in general, simple plots exist in shows where every episode begins as if the one before it hasn’t happened (known as stand-alone episodes). Complex plots, on the other hand, exist in shows where each episode depends on what happens before (known as serialized episodes). Stories with plots that are artistically and socially relevant are considered complex and literary by scholars, critics, and fans alike. A television show that uses social, political, or highly-personal issues in its plots is complex.
Until the golden era of television shows, TV plots and characters tended to be simple. They had to be; television shows were designed to appeal to as broad an audience as possible and to be easy to catch up on. Technology changed all of that. Now, television shows have as many complex characters and plotlines as novels do. As Thomas Doherty put it in the Chronicle of Higher Education, golden era television shows are ones “like Mad Men, Breaking Bad, Downton Abbey, Homeland, Dexter, Boardwalk Empire, and Game of Thrones... where the talent, the prestige, and the cultural buzz now swirl.”Which of the following is NOT characteristic of the golden age of television?
more complex storylines
availability on more channels
more visually pleasing
content appeals to a wide audience
1 answer