Why do long form television dramas from different countries you have studied challenge the
conventions of genre?
Long Form TV Drama has developed into an increasingly competitive market that is beginning to
overtake cinema as an income generator for media industries. With the rise of digital distribution
platforms and streaming from companies such as Netflix and amazon, competition is at an all time
high and this means that producers need to find new ways of creating and selling their products –
this is evident in the dramas Deutschland 83 and Stranger Things.
The nature of Long Form Drama is that it is often intended to carry on over multiple seasons with a
novelistic approach to it’s narratives, therefore in order to keep these extended narratives going,
producers need to look to challenge genre conventions. In Stranger Things the opening sequence is
that of a horror text – with the flickering lights, unseen foe with monstrous sound effects and a
pursuit of the scientist and this is reinforced by the distinct red and black opening credits which
themselves are in intertextual reference to the works of Stephen King. However, as the episode
progresses, additional narratives traditionally found in other genres are introduced such as the
‘Coming of Age’ narrative featuring the four boys and the typically spy thriller convention of the
government listening in on people’s conversations. These multiple narratives from different genres
maintain interest in the drama over a period of time.
Long Form TV Dramas producers also seek to challenge conventions of genre in order to create a
unique selling point for their own programmes. Deutschland 83 is one such drama in that seeks to
challenge the conventions of the typical spy thriller. Whilst the drama has typical conventions of the
spy genre such as the training sequence where Tischbier is training Martin and the use of spying
props, the character of Rauch also challenges the typical spy thriller protagonist. He is young and
naïve and portrayed as being weaker and more vulnerable than his peers which challenges the
typical ‘spy hero’ archetype. This gives the drama more of a Coming of Age feel to it and in turn
engages a younger audience.
It could also be argued that Long Form TV Dramas challenge conventions of genre in order to
introduce more complex characters and move ‘beyond the binary’. Within traditional dramas
characters are very often archetypes to conform to genre conventions, however within dramas such
as Stranger Things, characters are often initially introduced as archetypes before becoming
something more over series, for example the character of Hopper is introduced as the archetypical
careworn Sheriff character often seen in 1980s movies, however as the episode progresses Hopper is
revealed during the woods scene to have a tragic background of his daughter’s death thereby
becoming a more complex character and encourage the audience to identify on a more emotional
level (Gauntlett) with the characters.
As Long Form TV Drama is considered ‘high concept’ by the producers, there is the need to provide
the audience with something new, using increased levels of budget and production values. Stranger
Things is considered a ‘new’ concept in the genre of Long Form TV Drama as it takes the typical
episode nature of a TV Drama with different key events in each episode working towards a long term
resolution and equilibrium (Todorov)
Although, it can also be argued the Long Form TV Dramas don’t necessarily challenge the
conventions of genre – they still do include conventions of the genre’s they are affiliated with.
Deutschland 83 still includes conventions of the Spy Thriller genre with the training montages, the
iconic props of spying such as the miniature cameras and concealed weaponry and the revealing of
clues. However in the current context of the popularity of digitally convergent media, producers are
now increasingly able to use their distribution platforms in order to market their products to
multiple genres, such as Netflix’s use of the micro-genre tagging system which not only categorises
Stranger Things as horror but also as Science Fiction and Conspiracy.