Television series

Television series is a most audiovisual work art that is broadcast in television broadcasts, each of which maintains a story unit in itself and with continuity, at least thematically, between the different episodes that make it up.

Television series can be broadcast by seasons or sets of chapters that may or may not present their own theme and parallel to the general plot of the series. Although the term is popularly used to designate serial fiction, other genres are likely to be offered serially, such as documentaries.

The television series should not be confused with the film or film, although it may also have second parts (sequels), analepsis (prequels), recasts or reboots or form more or less extensive cycles around a character, the so-called franchises, series cinematographic films or sagas (for example, those formed around the character of James Bond or Indiana Jones, or the trilogies received under the Star Wars label). On the other hand, from a secondary character in a television series another may be born in which this character is the main character (for example, from a character from the Cheers series Frasier emerged, and from another from Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul was born). The series thus born is called a derivative series or spin-off.

To create a series, the usual procedure is to create a proof of concept called a pilot or initial episode, which serves so that producers can check if the adopted formula is good, has a high audience and good critics, and more money can be invested in its continuity, or correct minor defects that may be perceived; failing the test, it tends to be like a loose telefilm. The writing teams are very important, supervised by the executive producer or showrunner, in charge of all the creative aspects of the series and almost always its editor-in-chief. Scripting software such as Final Draft, Celtx or others are commonly used.

The initial idea for an episode is called a "trampoline", "lever" or springboard. A preview or trailer of what happened in previous episodes is often necessary to refresh the memory of the plot. Then, before the credits, an initial part of the narration that serves as a "hook" to capture the interest of the public, the so-called conflict, problem or teaser, almost always a gap that serves to focus the viewer's attention. Also important in the structure is the "label" or tag, the final scene or scenes that come after the last commercial intermission, which serves to tie up loose ends, propose later intrigues and sustain the long-term continuity of the plot, in such a way that they incite fidelity to the series.

In the development of the script, the so-called "couplets" are important, two-line dialogues in which one character answers another in an epigrammatic or ingenious way. The ladder divides the literary script into scenes to form the technical script, ensuring that they are meaningful and round in themselves. When production is late or budget short, a recapitulatory episode or "clippings episode" is often used that contains various flash-backs from previous episodes, prominent and well-known passages, framed in a minimum of new material.1

In the case of comedies, post-production is important, since different kinds of effects are added that underline the gags: sound like canned laughter or outtakes. Another phenomenon to take into account are the documentaries about the filming, which constitute a genre of their own, destined to exploit the market constituted by its fans, since each series also generates important merchandising.