Golden Age of Television (2000s–present)


In the United States, the current Golden Age of Television has been a period widely regarded as being marked by a large number of "high quality", internationally acclaimed television programs. Various sources have identified the beginning of this period as the early 1980s, the late 1980s-early 1990s, the mid-to-late 1990s, or the early 2000s. It is believed to have resulted from advances in media distribution technology, digital TV technology, and a large increase in the number of hours of available television, which has prompted a major wave of content creation.
Its name refers to the original Golden Age of Television which occurred in the 1950s. It has also been referred to as the "New", "Second" or "Third Golden Age of Television". The era has also been called Peak TV.

History

French scholar Alexis Pichard has argued that TV series enjoyed a Second Golden Age starting in the 2000s which was a combination of three elements: first, an improvement in both visual aesthetics and storytelling; second, an overall homogeneity between cable series and networks series; and third, a tremendous popular success. Pichard contends that this Second Golden Age was the result of a revolution initiated by the traditional networks in the 1980s and carried on by the cable channels in the 1990s. Film director Francis Ford Coppola thinks that the second golden age of television comes from "kids" with their "little father's camcorder", who wanted to make films like he did in the 1970s but were not permitted to, so they did it for television.
Shows such as Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Oz, The Sopranos, The West Wing, Six Feet Under, 24, The Wire, The Shield, Deadwood, Lost, Battlestar Galactica, , Friday Night Lights, Mad Men, Breaking Bad, and Game of Thrones are generally considered the basis of the so-called Golden Age of Television. The Writer's Guild of America vote for 101 Best Written TV Shows includes a complete foundation of the current Golden Age of Television.

Origins

The golden age of television is believed to have resulted from advances in media distribution technology, digital TV technology, and a large increase in the number of hours of available television, which has prompted a major wave of content creation.
Stephanie Zacharek of The Village Voice has argued that the current golden age began earlier with network shows like Babylon 5 and ', and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Will Gompertz of the BBC believes that Friends, which debuted in 1994, might stake a claim as the opening bookend show of the period. Matt Zoller Seitz argues that it began in the 1980s with Hill Street Blues and St. Elsewhere. Kirk Hamilton of Kotaku has said that ' should be considered a part of the golden age of television, and recommended "the sophisticated kids show" to others. With the rise of instant access to content on Netflix, creator-driven television shows like Breaking Bad, The Shield, Friday Night Lights and Mad Men gained cult followings that grew to become widely popular. The success of instant access to television shows was presaged by the popularity of DVDs, and continues to increase with the rise of digital platforms and online companies.
The increase in the number of shows is also cited as evidence of a Golden Age, or peak TV. In the five years between 2011 and 2016, the number of scripted television shows, on broadcast, cable and digital platforms increased by 71%. In 2002, 182 television shows aired, while 2016 had 455 original scripted television shows and 495 in 2018. The number of shows are rising largely due to companies like Netflix, Amazon Video and Hulu investing heavily in original content. The number of shows aired by online service increased from only one in 2009 to over 93 in 2016. John Landgraf, the CEO of FX Networks, has stated that the amount of television series being aired during peak TV could be overwhelming for the viewer to choose from, especially for critics obligated to review as many shows as possible, which results in a decreased output of television series in the future. An increasing reliance on rebooting and reviving existing franchises led to widespread belief that the Golden Age of Television was ending in the late 2010s, with the caveat that some of these reboots share the positive reception and mature character development of original shows of the era.

Characteristics and criticism

Characteristics of this golden age are complicated characters who may be morally ambiguous or antiheroes, questionable behavior, complex plots, diverse perspectives and often forays into R-rated territory.
Genres of television associated with this golden age include dramas ; sitcoms, single-camera setup, or adult animation; sketch comedy ; and late-night talk shows.
The era is not without criticism as the quantity of original shows being produced have some, like FX CEO John Landgraf, worried about overwhelming the viewing audience.

List of selected important and notable figures

List of selected important and notable outlets

Terrestrial networks