A TV show even though it is not recent, that I feel displays many of the characteristics of quality TV is the seminal drama series Twin Peaks. The show which premiered in 1990, helped to change the course of the drama narrative by adding elements of melodrama, sitcom and the supernatural. Its filmic conventions and lush production qualities helped to set a new level of sophistication in the drama serial. Here are the examples I found for each of the 9 qualities listed by Wilcox and Lavery (2002).
Pedigree- The show was created by David Lynch and Mark Frost. David Lynch by that point was an established director in Hollywood with both commercial and critical success. His 1985 film Blue Velvet is considered the inspiration for some of Twin Peak's themes and styling's, and the focus on the facade of small-town America.
Trouble finding an audience- At first the show was a phenomenon and was first broadcast as a seven-episode season. However audiences grew tired of the lack of answers that the show provided, especially in accordance to the murder of Laura Palmer. Part way through the second season the show was pulled and it was only by fan determination that the season eventually was able to screen. However poor ratings led to its eventual demise and the show ended its run after only two seasons.
Large Ensemble Cast- The show focused on many of the townspeople and this helped to create a large array of relationships. From the police department, to the local hotel owner's family, to the friends and family of the murder victim Laura Palmer the multitude of characters helped to weave the narrative and provide Twin Peaks its famed multi-arc structure.
Quality TV Has Memory- As a serial Twin Peak relies on characters and events being continuous and not in a series form. The best example from the show is the use of Agent Cooper's dream sequence. It appears early in the shows history and provides the template for the rest of the murder investigation. It is dissected and analysed and the characters try and gain a deeper meaning of it all instead of just erasing it from their heads.
Quality TV Mixes Genres- Twin Peaks was one of the first network dramas to implement the use of ancient Tibetan philosophy or explore the idea of meta-physical worlds. It used dream sequences in a very surrealistic way and often was branded as 'weird' or 'strange' by mainstream audiences. It also melded the crime drama so effortlessly with soap opera and sitcom, which added to the many level of intertextuality on which it operated on.
Literary and Writer Based- As I mentioned above David Lynch is a famed artist, but co-series creator Mark Frost already came from a distinguished background. He helped to helm episodes of the integral criminal series Hill Street Blues.
Quality TV 'self-conscious'- The show focused on a bevvy of younger teenage characters and I think they best represented insecurities and self-consciousness reflected in the show. Their were plenty of awkward confessions of love and confusion and this helped to bring an innocence to the television show.
Controversial subject matter- The show dealt with issues around drugs, sex, incest and abuse and was about balancing its more supernatural elements with issues that effected people in real life. The idea of a young beautiful popular girl being murdered and wrapped in plastic was also somewhat of a controversial and haunting image and helped to set the tone of the subject matter the show tackled.
Realism- The show wasn't overtly concerned with realism in terms of its visual presentation. The camera work was more melancholic and majestic rather than a more 'fly on the wall' style. But it truly did try to uncover the issues surrounding middle-class small town america and bring of a realistic focus on it.
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