Watching the Story Unfold Essay -- Television Series

Whether it is finding out â€Å"who shot J.R.† on Dallas or how Dr. Doug Ross will leave County General on E.R. it is the serialized storytelling format that has continually grasped the attention of television viewers around the world. What is it about these shows that keep viewers coming back for more? This essay will be answering that question and more by taking a look at how serialized stories came to be, and more importantly what shows made it the success that it has become in television. This will be done by looking at where the genera has gone, what struggles it has faced, and will finish with a look towards the future to see where the genera is headed. To begin this discussion it is important to first understand what exactly a serialized story is. A serial according to the Encarta Dictionary is defined as â€Å"a story that is published or broadcast in parts, normally at regular intervals†. Because of the broadness of that definition this paper will be specifically focusing on those series that air at night in what has been deemed a ‘Primetime’ slot. The serialized format was not a revolutionary concept that was invented for television. On-going stories have been around since the mid 1800’s as English writers released stories in what was called Penny Dreadfuls which were released in eight-page installments (Pollick). The format however has since evolved. In 1929 it made its first splash into radio with a program called The Smith Family (University of Minnesota.). This show lasted only a week, but helped lay the foundation for the late Irna Philips to build upon and ultimately revolutionize the genera. Irna Philips has been considered by many to be the mother of the serialized format due to the success of her work on both radio a... ...geek.com/what-is-a-penny-dreadful.htm>. Television AU. Home and Away. 19 January 2008. 05 December 2010 . TelevisionAU. Neighbours. 26 July 2006. 05 December 2010 . Tv Series Finale. Soap TV Show. 05 December 2010 . Ultimate Dallas. Introduction to the TV series Dallas. 05 December 2010 . —. TNT announce new Dallas pilot episode. JR Ewing is back. 9 September 2010. 05 December 2010 . University of Minnesota. 1920-1929 : Media History Project : U of M. 30 September 2008. 05 December 2010 . "Who Done It?" Dallas. 21 November 1980.