TV DRAMA
GENRE REPORT
shows in terms of premise, genre, casting and budget, he says. “But the red thread running through each of them is brilliantly crafted characters. Particularly throughout the pandemic, viewers wanted to be told stories that they hadn’t heard before or seen on screen.” C4’s Hollick, meanwhile, cites Succession
as being about as good as TV drama gets. “The characters are so layered and well-drawn, their stories become more and more interesting the more the series goes on.” She also picks comedy Alma’s Not Normal as funny, but also having “so much to say about sex and class.” Amazon’s Mount cites It’s A Sin. “Nothing
has affected me in the way it did.” While the show was about the HIV crisis, it’s actually about friendship and joy as well, says Mount. “It made me want to go to a house party, but it’s heart-breaking too. It was a real masterclass in balancing entertainment with depth of story, and had really fantastic performances.”
FRESH PERSPECTIVES Shindler takes heart that so much rich
“We’re not afraid to explore dark topics or to
really challenge viewers, but we’re going to be entertainment first,” she says. Historically, Amazon has had a male slant
thanks to its All or Nothing football series and The Grand Tour. “We are very much talking about bringing in female viewers, and talking to younger audiences, particularly younger adult audiences,” says Mount. “Finding shows that can deliver joy and escapism is really important for us.” Over at the BBC, Levin says that audiences
have gone for returning series like Call the Midwife, Silent Witness and Line of Duty. At a time of infinite choice, familiar shows have felt more precious than ever, she says. BBC drama hits this year have included
Bloodlands, Time and Vigil. “Those pieces had breadth of appeal in very divided times,” says Levin. “They’re very different, but they share a geographical authenticity and specificity. And I think that’s always been vital to BBC drama. Now more than ever, we ask ourselves, what parts of the UK aren’t being portrayed? And how do we keep curating work towards that.” Having dramas rooted in a particular UK place
is increasingly important to the BBC, it seems. “The BBC is there to serve British audiences. And I think that that becomes more and more
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precious, when so much content has an eye on being global,” says Levin. Coan says that amid the ‘flood of content out
there for consumers’, it’s key for a project to have a ‘self-marketing’ aspect to it. Dramas have to be able to stand out on their
own, he says. That might be achieved through a big talent attachment. Or a drama might be based on existing IP. This certainly helps attract buyers, says Coan, because “there is a credibility to the product already. And hopefully with that credibility also comes an audience who will tune in.” Or, says Coan, it’s just ‘the uniqueness of the idea’ that draws in fans. Among the dramas to draw in audiences this
year are the BBC’s Vigil, Channel 4’s It’s a Sin, Netflix’s Lupin, HBO’s Succession and White Lotus, Apple TV+’s Ted Lasso, and Netflix’s Squid Game. All have elements that broadcasters
are currently looking for, whether it’s the propulsive energy and joie de vivre of Lupin, the performances, heart and depth of It’s A Sin or the way that the high concept, brilliantly executed Squid Game has come out of nowhere to win viewers around the world. Sky’s Silver picks out It’s A Sin, White Lotus and hit FXX comedy Dave. All are very different
material is coming through drama production companies. “It’s a fantastic time to be an independent production company because every [commissioner] you meet is saying, “What is the best you have got?’ Nobody is saying, ‘What have you got that can fill a slot that’s like ten things we’ve done before?’ It means producers can meet with writers
and discuss what they really want to make. “We know that we can be really, really bold with our commissions as well, because there is an audience for that. It used to be that you would be much more conservative, because taste amongst broadcasters or buyers was more conservative. But that’s just all changed,” says Shindler. The focus on diversity and inclusion, which
has only grown since #MeToo and Black Lives Matter, means there is an appetite for a greater range and breadth of stories. “There are so many stories that weren’t told, because we were looking in a certain direction at a certain group of people to both tell stories and to represent them on screen,” says Shindler. Above all, there’s a demand for ‘hooky’,
engaging drama which keeps viewers entertained and stops them from switching to the many other distractions and offerings on their digital devices, whether rival dramas or social media posts. “What audiences won’t tolerate these days is being bored,” says Levin. “You need to marry a kinetic story with something that feels rooted in something honest, human and truthful, and has a fresh perspective.”
THE TOWER
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