Episodic Drama
Episodic - adjective, Containing or consisting of a series of separate parts or events.
‘an episodic narrative’ by https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/episodic
An episodic narrative - https://www.thebalance.com/what-are-episodic-novels-how-do-i-write-one-1277096
One of the many ways of constructing a plot, based on loosely connected incidents which do not need other incidents to make sense themselves. The story is mostly presented through many different adventures, obsticles etc and they are all connected by a central character or characters. Usually the action, adevnture etc. do not have a large impact on the character or it dos not have any impact at all.
Episodic narrative can be presented through comedy or drama and its message can be both deep and non-existing.
A perfect example of episodic narratives can be founf in television series in 60s and 70s.
Episodic narrative can be presented through comedy or drama and its message can be both deep and non-existing.
A perfect example of episodic narratives can be founf in television series in 60s and 70s.
Lazarillo de Tormes - an annomyous work written around 1554. "Lazarillo de Tormes is a bit like Oliver Twist. It is the story of a young boy who works for various masters and it tells of his adventures and mishaps. In fact, Lazarillo de Tormes was the first published story of this kind. It is known as a picaresque novel and the boy is known as a pícaro, travelling between masters from one existence to another." http://www.euroclubschools.co.uk/page57.htm
Picaresque Novels - "usually a first-person narrative, relating the adventures of a rogue or lowborn adventurer (Spanish pícaro) as he drifts from place to place and from one social milieu to another in his effort to survive" https://www.britannica.com/art/picaresque-novel
It is believed that Lazarillo de Tormeswas the first episodic novel to be ever written. It then inspired other aritsts to write in a similar style. The new genre has been born, yet the annonymous author was not the one to be the base for genre. This title goes to Mateo Alemán (1547 - 1614) who in 1599 wrote Guzmán de Alfarache which then become the first step of the genre's devlopmen. The novel also helped with establishing realism as the dominant trend in Spanish literature among novel writers.
Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra (1547 - 1616) - an author of pieces such as Don Quixote (1605, 1615) which is the master piece of the genre.
Thomas Nashe (1567 - 1601) - he was the first one to write an episodic novel in Engand. His piece was called Unfortunate Traveller; or, The Life of Jacke Wilton (1594). In the same time, other places around the globe started to make their mark on the new genre.
- In Germany - H.J. von Grimmelshausen’s Simplicissimus (1669)
- In England - Daniel Defoe’s Moll Flanders (1722)
- Henry Fielding’s Jonathan Wild (1725)
- Joseph Andrews (1742)
- Tom Jones (1749)
- Tobias Smollett’s Roderick Random (1748)
- Peregrine Pickle (1751)
- Ferdinand, Count Fathom (1753)
- Jonathan Swift
- Charles Dickens
- Henry Fielding
- Mark Twain
- Jack Kerouac
- JRR Tolkien
Sitcom -
noun: sitcom; plural noun: sitcoms; noun: sit-com; plural noun: sit-coms
- a situation comedy.https://www.google.co.uk/search?safe=active&client=firefox-b-ab&dcr=0&ei=l96uWuvSKKuFgAbAgInoBg&q=sitcom+dictionary&oq=sitcom+dict&gs_l=psy-ab.1.0.0j0i22i30k1l9.15688.16416.0.18286.5.5.0.0.0.0.112.336.0j3.3.0..3..0...1.1.64.psy-ab..2.3.336...35i39k1j0i67k1.0.Qh6utdRaIU8
Therefore, sitcomes are pat of the "episodic" genre. The characters remain the same, linking different adventures together.
The Adams Family (1964 - 1966)
A TV show from 60s about a monster family, going through funny and spooky adventures.
The show is an example of an episodic drama/sitcom as the main character remain the same, however their adventures do not follow each other and any of them do not influence the characters.
Each episode showed different adventure. Many TV series from around 60s and 70s were presented in that style.
Shows simmialr to this one can be:
Lassie (1954 - 1973) - was a TV series about a dog and its owner, capturing their adventures, without a large impact on neither of those characters.
Friends (1994 - 2004)
It is another sitcom about 6 friends in their 20s trying to sort their lifes, find happiness and stability. The shows shows their adventures and obsitcles that they try to overcome. Similary, The Big Bang Theory (2007 - ) is a sitcom about 7 friends and their lives. 5 of them are proper nerds, working at scienesits and trying to find love. Just like Friends, the show is build out of random adventures or obsticles, however, slightly different to pure episodic dramas, both shows have episodes that have some kind of an impact on the characters, but they are very small and the episodic structure is still the strongest.
In all of those shows, each episode is about something else. As sitcomes, they always have a comidic touch to them. The locations are limited just like the number of characters.
They are not complicated and easy to follow. There is not need to watch the show from the 1st episode, one by one for an episode to make sense and to have the viewier enjoy it.
Examples of animated episodic shows:
1. The Amazing World of Gumball (2011 - )
The show is an amazing mmix of many styles of animation linked together in the universe in which the main character faces many obsticles and crazy adventures. Ech episode tells different story and each is equally helerious. The show is not complicated but sometimes it seems like the show was not only aimed at children. The show does not have to be watched episode by eppisode for it to make sense. The characters stay mostly the same. We have the main characters and each episode focuses on them or a different character from the show that we can see anyway.
2. Osomatsu San (2015 - )
The show is inspired by its old, oryginall version from 60s. 6 identical brothers stay at home with their perents, not planning on being productive at all. They are 25 years old, lazy group of people with helerious adventures. Each episode tells different story, however the whole series focues on them trying to find a job and start a real life away from their perents house and themselves. The story does not get anywhere with it, allowing the audience to enjoy never ending adventures and obsticles.
3. Miraculous : Ladybug & Cat Noir (2015 - )
The show tells a story of a young boy and a girl with super powers fighting against their main villan villan in Paris. Each episode tells a different story and introduces different villan. The story does not improve over time or changes. Watching episode one by one is not neccessery for a show to be understoon and enjoyed.
Teen dramas
Skins (2007 - 2013)
I have looked at Skins, because we were planning to call each episode by the name of a character that the story is based around in the particular episode. The same was dony in Skins.
13 reasons why (2017)
The series tell a multiple stories about Hannah, a girl who commited suicide. She recorded 13 tapes which were going round all of the people that apparently caused the ental and physical harm to Hannah.
Each episode tells a different story as it features different of the 13 tapes. Those are listened through by the main character, who is one of the people that helped Hannah with making that terrible decision.
The episodes are linked with each other by the main characters and their strougle with dealing and accepting Hannahs's death.
I also decided to write about the series, because it focuses on suicide, which touches one of our characters, Jess as well as shows the grief and the behaviour of people who lost Hannah.
We are exposed to devastated peretns, who try to support each other after losing their daughter as well as the main character who was in love with her.
We see how hard it is for him to accept that she is not there and that he is blaming himself for that which again reminds me of Jess who was sure that it was her fault that her friend died - she would not listed to the voice mail that her best friend left behind, being sure that she is angry at her and blames her for the suicide that she commited.
During one of the sessions, we were introduced to 5 episode episodic drama on BBC Three. We looked at it, because it had 5 episodes that take 5mmin each- the amout of episodes and time we are going to have and the flow of the story and introduction of new characters is very dynammic and interesting.
"Idris Elba stars in BBC Three’s five by five, a series of short films from new writers, featuring new and established on-screen talent working side by side. Set in London, the five standalone films feature chance encounters between characters which question identity and change perceptions.
The drama has an interesting chain reaction, where each character and each situation chellanges different issue, such as stereotypes or racism.
For example, a prosn on a whilechair is taken as someone unable to commit a crime or a black boy is picked on by te policeman.
It was interesting to look at the story, however episodic dramas should be mostly or entairly made in a way in which the audiences can watch any eopisode they want and still enjoy it. Here the chain structure almost breaks that rule, because it is such a big part of the story. I do not think it is something we should follow.
Each episode tells a different story as it features different of the 13 tapes. Those are listened through by the main character, who is one of the people that helped Hannah with making that terrible decision.
The episodes are linked with each other by the main characters and their strougle with dealing and accepting Hannahs's death.
I also decided to write about the series, because it focuses on suicide, which touches one of our characters, Jess as well as shows the grief and the behaviour of people who lost Hannah.
We are exposed to devastated peretns, who try to support each other after losing their daughter as well as the main character who was in love with her.
We see how hard it is for him to accept that she is not there and that he is blaming himself for that which again reminds me of Jess who was sure that it was her fault that her friend died - she would not listed to the voice mail that her best friend left behind, being sure that she is angry at her and blames her for the suicide that she commited.
During one of the sessions, we were introduced to 5 episode episodic drama on BBC Three. We looked at it, because it had 5 episodes that take 5mmin each- the amout of episodes and time we are going to have and the flow of the story and introduction of new characters is very dynammic and interesting.
"Idris Elba stars in BBC Three’s five by five, a series of short films from new writers, featuring new and established on-screen talent working side by side. Set in London, the five standalone films feature chance encounters between characters which question identity and change perceptions.
Five writers. Five characters. One story.
In a city of millions, teenager Ash is lost. He wants to be the big man, but reality doesn’t quite deliver. A chance encounter leads him to make a dangerous decision, starting a chain reaction that plays out across these five connected short films."
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p04t6hpk
The drama has an interesting chain reaction, where each character and each situation chellanges different issue, such as stereotypes or racism.
For example, a prosn on a whilechair is taken as someone unable to commit a crime or a black boy is picked on by te policeman.
It was interesting to look at the story, however episodic dramas should be mostly or entairly made in a way in which the audiences can watch any eopisode they want and still enjoy it. Here the chain structure almost breaks that rule, because it is such a big part of the story. I do not think it is something we should follow.
Also looked at;
http://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/latestnews/2016/five-by-five
http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2017-03-27/five-reasons-you-should-watch-idris-elbas-five-by-five/
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt6770204/
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt6770204/
http://web.lincoln.k12.mi.us/buildings/HS/elstone/WebPage/PDF%20Files/The%20Episodic%20Structure.pdf
https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2014/sep/15/as-if-teen-show-youth-dramas
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