American television today has risen from the ashes of infomercials and cheesy sitcoms to deliver viewing of such narrative quality it can be compared to that of a great novel. Even the word 'art form' is not too high a moniker for some of these shows that make social, political and racial commentary with artistry, insight and originality.
The seeds of this genesis began with David Lynch’s Twin Peaks in the early 1990s and the cult status that followed. The TV show, which was centred around the murder of homecoming queen Laura Palmer, was set in a small town in Washington, and explored the dark secrets of its townsfolk. Its surreal quality and use of motifs, along with its haunting cinematography, ushered in a new era for television.
Since then, a number of critically acclaimed TV shows have graced the screens, including The Sopranos, a long-running HBO show from 1999 until 2007 focusing on an Italian American mob family living in New Jersey. The use of multi-dimensional characters, the blurred lines between right and wrong and the exploration of grand themes, all brought a new level of artistry to the television medium and popular culture itself.
HBO has long been associated with these great offerings for the small screen. They followed up The Sopranos with Six Feet Under, a show with an unusual yet compelling format centred around a funeral home. The show, which ran for six seasons, used a darkly comical lens to explore the great themes of life through a death which begins each episode.
The Wire also by HBO took the idea of TV as a high narrative form even further, bearing some comparison to a great classic novel. Its complex and concurrent storylines, racial commentary, uncompromising characters and dissection of the various social strata of a great American city, Baltimore, gave it the esteemed title from The Guardian online as 'the best show ever' for its four consecutively brilliant seasons.
HBO and AMC as the leaders of excellence in television
Companies HBO and AMC are the companies that continue to offer up serious drama and clever comedy to viewers. Like AMC's Mad Men, which explores a transitional time in American culture when powerful men smoked and drank on the job, women were referred to as 'skirts' with perfectly coiffed hair and the sexual revolution was still very much in its infancy. Everything from the finely detailed sets to the ethical dilemmas of its characters is well executed and compelling.
A television gig has become so sought after that even great cinematic directors like Martin Scorsese have been attracted to the medium. He is now directing HBO's latest offering, Boardwalk Empire, set in the prohibition era in America in the 1920s and 1930s. Having only just finished its first season, this has been the latest show to garner critical acclaim since its first season aired in 2010.
HBO's Treme set in post-Katrina New Orleans is also in its infancy, yet it has already attracted accolades for its uncompromising yet atmospheric depiction of New Orleans life after the disaster. Even native New Orelaneans have praised its commitment to portraying the great Jazz city in all its glory and destruction after the event.
Yet whether these newer shows will reach the consistently brilliant heights of shows like The Sopranos and The Wire remains to be seen. One thing is for certain, it all signifies a shift in the medium spelling a new era of excellence for television and popular culture itself.
References
- AMC website, Retrieved 19 March, 2011
- David Simon: 'Treme is a story about how American urban culture defines how we live', The Guardian online, Retrieved 21 March, 2011
- HBO website, Retrieved 18 March, 2011
- The Sopranos, Wikipedia online, Retrieved 20 March, 2011
- The Wire is Unmissable television, TV & Radio Blog: The Guardian online, Retrieved 20 March, 2011
