LO1 Task 1

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Task 1: Explain the difference between series, serials and single dramas.

Write about four TV programs from different genres and explain which category they fall into and why?
Series

A series is a story which has been broken down in to a set number of episodes; this is called a run of episodes. The number of episodes can vary from between 6 to 25 episodes per season. A season is broadcasted once a year. In a series all of the episodes start in the same way as it starts with a title and a signature tune. The characters fit in to stereotypes that the audience will recognise, the audience will expect the characters to behave and talk in a certain way.

A few good examples of series are Avatar- The last air bender, Doctor who, Misfits, Citizen Khan, Waterloo road, 90210, Big Bang Theory and Buffy the vampire slayer.

Doctor who
Doctor Who is a British science fiction television series that is being broadcasted on BBC. Doctor Who has had 790 episodes broadcasted. Doctor Who was originally running from 23rd November1963 till 1989 when they had a temporary cancellation. In 2005 they started broadcasting Doctor Who again and it is still being broadcasted on BBC. Doctor Who has had 110 million viewers worldwide.

Avatar- The last Air bender
Avatar was an American animated television series that has been broadcasted for three seasons on nickelodeon from 21st February 2005 till 19th July 2008. Avatar has had exactly 61 episodes. Avatar The last Air bender had 5.6 million viewers just on its best rated showing.

Misfits
Misfits is a British science fiction comedy drama television series on E4. Misfits was first broadcasted on 12^th November 2009 and is still on going. Misfits have had 29 episodes in 4 series. The second series of Misfits had an average of 1,462,000 viewers per episode.

Citizen Khan
Citizen Khan is a family based British sitcom. This has been produced and broadcasted on BBC One. The very first episode of Citizen Khan was broadcasted on the 27^th August 2012. Citizen Khan has had six episodes in one series. It has had 3.41 million viewers which is 20.9% of the audience.

Waterloo Road
Waterloo Road is a popular British television drama series produced by BBC. This was first broadcasted on 9^th March 2006 on BBC One. Waterloo Road has had 160 episodes in 8 series so far. They have approximately had 9.96 million viewers.


Serials.
Serial is a serialisation of a book or an event. This usually reflects real life. Serials are a long-running drama, which can have from one to six episodes. Often serial narratives carry more than one storyline.

A few good examples of serials are Sherlock Homes, Gun Rush and Come Fly with me.

Single drama
The single drama used to be a staple of television but is now quite rare. It is designed as a ‘one-off’ story for television as this is only broadcasted once. Single drama reflects real life. Single dramas are often based on topical issues and subject matter that producers think is more appropriate to television than the cinema, for example ‘Dirty War’ about a terrorist attack on London, X Factor, and Crime watch.