ScriptLinks CA TV Genres
This list concentrates on fiction and those genres that rely on storytelling.
Most of the shows listed are American unless otherwise indicated.
indicates a Canadian show
UK indicates a British show
Action
Morality is often very black and white, plots very linear. Vigilantes are common. Emphasis on violence, fighting, and car chases.
Examples: 24 (2001-present), The A Team (1983-87)
Adventure
Exotic locations, exploration and puzzle solving. Heroes are generally not formally involved in law enforcement but often find themselves battling evil and/or criminals.
Examples: Mac Gyver (1985-92), Sliders (1995-2000)
Animation
Created using still images, such as drawings, objects, or posed people. Once considered a childrens' medium, now directed to all ages. In adult shows it's often used as a vehicle for edgy or controversial forms of comedy.
Examples: The Simpsons (1989-present), ReBoot (1994-2001), The Raccoons (1985-1991)
Anthology
A different story and a different set of characters in every episode. Typically, the only constant is the host.
Examples: Twilight Zone (1959-64), UK Masterpiece Theatre (1971-present)
Detective
Focus on private investigators and police detectives attempting to solve a crime, usually a murder or theft. Emphasis is placed on the search for clues and rationative power of the detective, rather than the efforts of police or lawbreakers. Easy to create, require few if any elaborate special effects.
Examples: Columbo (1971-present), Perry Mason (1957-66)
Documentary
Nonfiction, grounded in some aspect of real life, vary from a very deliberate account of facts to advocating a particular viewpoint on a political, social, or historical issue.
Examples: Frontline, NOVA Vietnam: A Television History (1983), Canada: A People's History (2000-01)
Drama/Comedy (Dramedy)
May be either an hour-long dramatic series with very strong comedic elements or a half-hour sitcom with more serious plots and content.
Examples: Desperate Housewives (2004-present), Buffy The Vampire Slayer (1997-2003), Wonder Years (1988-93), M*A*S*H (1972-83)
Family Drama
A dramatic hour-long show about the relationships within a family.
Examples: 7th Heaven (1996-2007), Little House On The Prairie (1974-83)
Fantasy
Hard to classify, but often include elements of magic, supernatural forces, or exotic fantasy worlds. Spill into horror and sci-fi genres.
Examples: Xena: Warrior Princess (1995-2001), Bewitched (1964-72)
Gag Series
A comedy specifically concentrating on being humorous before any concern of plot, drama, or even comprehensibility. Noted for a complete lack of tact or pomposity on the part of the writers, and frequent postmodern commentary.
Examples: Family Guy (1999-2002; 2005-present), UK Monty Python's Flying Circus (1969-74)
Government Conspiracy
Drama genre in which the Powers That Be and/or The Government are evil and hiding something/trying to assassinate someone/establishing a puppet foreign government.
Examples: The X Files (1994-02), Twin Peaks (1990-91)
Heroic Pet
Shows with a (non-anthropomorphized/talking, although probably unusually intelligent) animal as the star.
Examples: The Littlest Hobo (1975-84), Gentle Ben (1967-69)
Kid Com
A variety of Sitcom in which the main characters are children, usually teenagers, with adults relegated to supporting or background roles such as mentors or authority figures. Most often set in schools.
Examples: Saved By The Bell (1989-93), Malcolm In The Middle (2000-06)
Medical Melodrama
Hour-long drama set in a hospital or other medical environment. Most current medical dramas go beyond the events pertaining to the characters' jobs and portray aspects of their personal lives. Include 'doctor' shows, which used to be more serious, now lighter as doctors have become 'humanized'. Communications theorist Marshall McLuhan predicted the success of this particular genre because it "creates an obsession with bodily welfare".
Examples: E/R (1984-1985), Grey's Anatomy (2005-present)
Mini-Series
Limited multi-episode, fictional program which tells a complete story, usually filmed at the same time. A long-form movie of three hours or more. Shown on a daily or weekly schedule, usually lasting fifteen hours or less in total.
Examples: Roots (1977), UK I, Claudius (1976), Human Cargo (2004)
MOW (Movie Of the Week)
A movie made primarily for TV broadcast. Usually runs from 90 minutes to three hours (may include commercials), and is not part of a regular series or mini-series.
Examples: The Day After (1983), Human Trafficking (2005)
Offensive Comedy
Depends on its controversy for success which creates a self-defeating situation. Jokes are designed to be as potentially offensive as possible.
Examples: South Park (1997-present), Married With Children (1987-97), Kids In The Hall (1988-94)
Parody
Exaggerates cliches and mocks conventions of a genre to the point of ridiculousness.
Examples: Get Smart (1965-70), Soap (1977-81), Second City TV (1976-81)
Police
Popular and controversial because of its predilection for portraying violence. An idealised representation of police, it portrays the eternal struggle between right and wrong. Action is dominated by car chases, shootouts, and physical confrontations.
Examples: Law and Order (1990-present), Hawaii Five-O (1968-80)
Prime Time Soap
A serialized drama that's like a daytime Soap Opera but shown in the evening. No longer a popular genre in the US, where it followed a once weekly format. Smaller budget productions are a staple in the UK and Australia.
Examples: UK Coronation Street (1960-present), Dallas (1978-91)
Reality
Presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and features ordinary people instead of professional actors. Include game shows and surveillance- or voyeurism-focused productions. Such shows frequently portray a modified and highly influenced form of reality, with participants put in exotic locations or abnormal situations, sometimes coached to act in certain ways by off-screen handlers, and with events on screen sometimes manipulated through editing and other post-production techniques.
Examples: Candid Camera (various productions from 1948 to present), Survivor (2000-present), British, American and Canadian Idol (2001-present), Just For Laughs Gags (2006-present)
Rescue
Focuses on a group of professional emergency response personnel who specialize in helping people and animals trapped in dangerous situations out in the field. Expensive to stage, but popular in uncertain times as they're action shows where the heroes save people instead of killing them.
Examples: Emergency (1972-79), High Mountain Rangers (1988)
Situation Comedy (Sitcom)
Most popular form of TV show, with recurring characters that remain largely static. One or more humorous story lines centered on a common, self-contained, interior set environment such as a family, home or workplace. Sitcoms are usually 30-minute individual episodes.
Examples: I Love Lucy (1951-57), Seinfield (1990-98), Little Mosque On The Prairie (2007-present)
Soap Opera
Originally, soaps were radio dramas sponsored by soap companies. Now, a drama with a large cast experiencing dramatic events in their day-to-day lives, broadcast five days a week. An individual episode will generally switch between several different story threads that may at times interconnect and affect one another, or may run entirely independent of each other. Each episode may feature some of the show's current storylines but not always all of them. Soaps can be either screened during primetime or daytime. Soaps have the most longevity of any TV genre. Loyal viewers often come to identify heavily with the characters.
Examples: General Hospital (1963-present), All My Children (1970-present)
Spy
Action series in which the main character or characters are spies or some other form of espionage professional. Tend to be either glamorous and explosive or trenchcoat gritty.
Examples: Alias (2001-06), UK The Avengers (1961-69), Mission Impossible (1966-73)
Superhero (Live-Action)
The main character has powers and/or abilities that set him aside from other people. Usually he is a costumed do-gooder, sometimes a loner. Often, his reason for existence is to defeat his nemesis the Supervillain. Usually requires much modification from the usual comic-book source material, as opposed to animation. Early shows were hampered by a lack of budget for special effects. Japan has achieved cult status for its Tokusatsu superheroes.
Examples: Batman (1966-68)), The Incredible Hulk (1978-82), Wonder Woman (1976-79)
Supernatural Soap Opera
A continuing series focusing on the personal relationships between several characters, usually in the form of a soap. The characters live in a world in which supernatural events and beings are commonplace.
Examples: Smallville (2001-present), Roswell (1999-2002)
Western
The western was a popular television genre circa 1960, has decreased in prominence over recent decades. Stories are set in the 19th century American West (sometimes Mexico, Canada or the Australian Outback during a similar time period).
Examples: Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman (1993-1998), Bonanza (1959-73)
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Last Updated - Sunday, October 25, 2009
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