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re: What was the first modern-style TV drama?
Posted on 3/7/22 at 10:40 am to TheTideMustRoll
Posted on 3/7/22 at 10:40 am to TheTideMustRoll
Nypd blue
0
Posted on 3/7/22 at 10:49 am to CocomoLSU
quote:
the first one that comes to my mind is NYPD Blue (started in September 1993). It definitely changed the way those types of shows were seen I think, and led to staples like Law & Order,
Law&Order premiered in 1990.
Posted on 3/7/22 at 11:07 am to Dire Wolf
quote:
You could make an argument for The West Wing too
You could. But it's already been established that the trend started at least 25 years before The West Wing or Sopranos ever aired.
Posted on 3/7/22 at 11:46 am to TheTideMustRoll
Twin Peaks has to be in the discussion.
Posted on 3/7/22 at 11:47 am to TheTideMustRoll
Probably the first show to really break the mold and help establish the genre was Twin Peaks in 1989 or 1990?
The Sopranos was the show that kicked off the boom.
Posted on 3/7/22 at 12:17 pm to brewhan davey
quote:
Twin Peaks has to be in the discussion.
Yeah that was my first thought. Obviously with Lynch there was the cinematic element plus he loved soap operas, I think there was a soap opera within the show, so it had the continuing story.
And like any great modern drama, it got shittier and more ridiculous and the show went on although they pulled it back together at the end.
Posted on 3/7/22 at 12:17 pm to brewhan davey
dup
This post was edited on 3/7/22 at 12:17 pm
Posted on 3/7/22 at 12:59 pm to Diseasefreeforall
Law and Order is about as episodic as it gets. Some, but very little serialization. The West Wing had more season arcs, but it’s still pretty episodic as well. Though it was shot on film and had movie stars in the cast, so it meets criteria 2 for sure. I think The Shield gets mentioned a lot as an early “modern drama,” especially considering the anti-hero aspect that’s become sort of synonymous with what we’re talking about. But I think The Sopranos is probably the standard and where most people would draw the line.
Posted on 3/7/22 at 1:04 pm to Hot Carl
quote:
The Shield
An excellent choice, Hot Carl.
I'd like to mention the criminally underrated and nearly forgotten "Homicide: Life on the Street." That was a drama with grit.
This post was edited on 3/7/22 at 1:05 pm
Posted on 3/7/22 at 2:15 pm to DaleGribble
quote:
You could. But it's already been established that the trend started at least 25 years before The West Wing or Sopranos ever aired.
There were shows in 70s that starred established movie actors like Martin Sheen?
Posted on 3/7/22 at 2:36 pm to TheTideMustRoll
CSI
Posted on 3/7/22 at 2:57 pm to Dire Wolf
quote:
There were shows in 70s that starred established movie actors like Martin Sheen?
Yeah, but that wasn't the original topic. Continuing plots with good acting in a drama was, I thought.
Rock Hudson was a pretty big star. Karl Malden, Michael Douglas, Jim Garner...how many are you looking for?
Posted on 3/7/22 at 3:30 pm to Dire Wolf
quote:
You could make an argument for The West Wing too
I think it certainly elevated network dramas and influenced the premium drama category (largely non-network) in years since. Not sure that qualifies for what OP is looking for, but I agree in many ways.
Posted on 3/7/22 at 3:46 pm to TheTideMustRoll
Hill Street Blues was very influential on cop shows that followed.
Posted on 3/7/22 at 4:07 pm to DaleGribble
quote:
Yeah, but that wasn't the original topic. Continuing plots with good acting in a drama was, I thought.
2. They have acting and effects comparable to movies. If you walk into a room where one of these shows is playing on TV, you cannot generally tell at a glance that it is a TV series as compared to a movie. They also often have actors who have appeared in movies.
Posted on 3/7/22 at 4:09 pm to TheTideMustRoll
In the Heat of the Night
Posted on 3/7/22 at 4:24 pm to TheTideMustRoll
Posted on 3/7/22 at 4:58 pm to TheTideMustRoll
Serendipitous thread 
I've been on a Columbo binge this past week since it was before my time during its height and for adults and that was my immediate thought...is this the godfather of modern cinematic TV?
I mean Columbo aired during the Brady Bunch and Partridge Family rage.
Each episode is like a mini-movie, with cinematic qualities (especially the 1st season) that you can see its footprint for the Cinema to TV boom of the 2000s.
I've been on a Columbo binge this past week since it was before my time during its height and for adults and that was my immediate thought...is this the godfather of modern cinematic TV?
I mean Columbo aired during the Brady Bunch and Partridge Family rage.
Each episode is like a mini-movie, with cinematic qualities (especially the 1st season) that you can see its footprint for the Cinema to TV boom of the 2000s.
Posted on 3/7/22 at 8:15 pm to TheTideMustRoll
The X Files was halfway there. You had monster of the week episodes but you also had the story arc episodes.
Posted on 3/7/22 at 8:21 pm to brewhan davey
quote:
Twin Peaks has to be in the discussion.
Twin Peaks is the beginning and end of the discussion. Another was Homicide: Life On The Street three years later.
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