Category: WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT
Wonder women
A host of female characters are rewriting the rules for women on television. DQ explores how they are being brought to the small screen to front series ranging from contemporary crime dramas and thrillers to period and historical series.
Following procedure
Procedural series were once the bread and butter of US broadcast networks. But international buyers are finding them harder to come by amid the appetite for increasingly serialised storytelling. DQ examines the future of the story-of-the-week format.
On the right track
As the battle for the best projects becomes ever more fierce, leading drama commissioners and producers open up about their own development processes and reveal how they work to bring new series to air.
Down with the kids
While some say young people are no longer watching TV, the global success of series like Riverdale and Pretty Little Liars has turned that theory on its head. DQ explores how series are driving youth audiences back to the box.
A house divided
Game of Thrones creators David Benioff and DB Weiss have ruffled some feathers by revealing their plans for life after Westeros. Stephen Arnell analyses their proposal for a new alternative-history drama about the Civil War.
Comic Con’s top trailers
From the new season of Stranger Things to CBS’s long-awaited Star Trek: Discovery, DQ presents 10 of the hottest drama trailers to premiere at this year’s Comic Con event, which concluded in San Diego yesterday
Measuring success
As technology continues its assault on traditional television models, success is no longer just about overnight viewing figures. So in today’s crowded drama marketplace, what defines a hit – and how are our views of success changing?
There will be blood
Violence and sex have become common features of TV drama – but are these often graphic depictions key to the success of a show?
What makes event drama?
Paula Cuddy, creative director of Eleventh Hour Films, discusses the essential ingredients that are needed to make event television.
Chain reaction
Social media is having an increasing impact on the success or failure of television drama, as Stephen Arnell discovers.
Who’s next?
With Peter Capaldi revealing he plans to leave the Tardis at the same time as showrunner Steven Moffatt also departs Doctor Who, Stephen Arnell considers the future for the long-running sci-fi drama.
Fan power
Events such as Comic-Con and social media have unleashed a new breed of super-fan – but how are TV shows utilising this new audience, and what influence do they have on the shows they love?
Drama behind bars
As Prison Break returns to television after an eight-year absence to bolster the line-up of jail-set dramas on air, DQ explores why viewers love to lock themselves up with convicts.
Stranger than fiction?
As Donald Trump prepares to move into the White House, Stephen Arnell questions the future of political dramas under the new president.
Watch all the best teasers and trailers from Comic-Con 2016
Comic-Con never fails to deliver when it comes to sneak peaks of new show, this year whetting fans’ appetites by teasing clips of shows ranging from the TV version of The Exorcist to long-awaited Neil Gaiman adaptation American Gods.
Can-do attitude: Why Canada’s drama sector looks healthy
DQ speaks to broadcasters and producers about the state of the Canadian drama industry and finds a sector in positive mood when it comes to its place in the international market.
The shape of things to come: what next for sci-fi and fantasy?
Stephen Arnell casts his eye over the television landscape and finds there are plenty of science-fiction and fantasy series in the works to keep genre fans happy.
Watch your language
Subtitles are now a familiar element of many TV dramas, but how are languages changing the stories we watch and the way these shows are made?
To Babylon and beyond
Hot on the heels of some breakout hits, German drama is paving the way for fresh stories to be told as new players enter the original programming game. Michael Pickard reports.
What’s comes after the ‘golden age’ of drama?
The talking point in TV circles continues to be whether we are at the point of ‘peak drama’ and, if so, how long it can last – but shouldn’t we just enjoy this golden age?