Colegiul Naţional “Titu Maiorescu” AIUD

Lucrare pentru atestare profesionalăla Limba Engleză

American SeriesAmerican Series

Coordonator:Prof. Mărginean Mariana

Absolvent:Moldovan Claudiu

Profil Filologie intensiv Engleză

Aiud

2013Table of Contents

Argument.....................................................................................................................................3

Summary.....................................................................................................................................3

Etymology...................................................................................................................................3

1. Dexter..................................................................................................................................3

1.1. Series outset..................................................................................................................4

1.2. Exterior filming............................................................................................................5

1.3. Cast and crew................................................................................................................5

1.3.1. Cast........................................................................................................................5

1.3.2. Crew......................................................................................................................7

1.4. Awards..........................................................................................................................7

2. Supernatural.........................................................................................................................7

2.1. Conception and creation...............................................................................................8

2.2. Writing........................................................................................................................10

2.3. Effects.........................................................................................................................11

2.4. Filming locations........................................................................................................11

2.5. Cast and characters.....................................................................................................12

Conclusion.................................................................................................................................15

Bibliography..............................................................................................................................16

Argument

As I always loved watching TV series, I chose to write

about this subject.

Summary

Etymology

The word series comes from the Latin verb serere (“to join together, bind”). In North

America the word “series” is a synonym of “program”.

1. Dexter

Dexter is an American television drama series which debuted on Showtime on October

1, 2006. The series centers on Dexter Morgan (Michael C. Hall), a blood spatter pattern

analyst for the fictional Miami Metro Police Department (based on the real life Miami-Dade

Police Department) who also leads a secret life as a serial killer. But Dexter isn't a average

serial killer as he only kills people who fit a very precise "moral code" taught to him by his

late father Harry. Set in Miami, the show's first season was largely based on the novel Darkly

Dreaming Dexter, the first of the Dexter series novels by Jeff Lindsay. It was adapted for

television by screenwriter James Manos, Jr., who wrote the first episode. Subsequent seasons

have evolved independently of Lindsay's works.

The series has enjoyed wide critical acclaim and popularity. Season 4 aired its season

finale on December 13, 2009 to a record-breaking audience of 2.6 million viewers, making it

the most-watched original series episode ever on Showtime. Michael C. Hall has received

several awards and nominations for his portrayal of Dexter, including a Golden Globe. On

November 18, 2011, it was announced that Dexter had been renewed for two more seasons.

Season 7 premiered on September 30, 2012. The Season 7 premiere was the most watched

Dexter episode ever with over 3 million viewers.

1.1. Series outset

Orphaned at the age of three by the murder of his mother, Dexter Morgan is adopted

by Miami police officer Harry Morgan and his wife Doris. After discovering young Dexter

had been killing neighborhood pets for years, Harry tells Dexter that he believes the need to

kill "got into" him too early, and that Dexter's need to kill will only grow.

To keep Dexter from killing innocent people, Harry teaches him the code:

I. Dexter's victims must be killers themselves who have killed without justifiable

cause and are likely to do so again.

II. Dexter must always be sure of his target's guilt, thus he frequently goes to

amazing lengths to obtain undeniable proof of his victim's guilt.

III. Most importantly, Dexter must never get caught.

Flashbacks throughout the series show Harry (who died several years previously)

teaching Dexter how to fake normal human emotion and social behavior and how to cover his

tracks after a kill. Dexter follows The Code religiously to satisfy the "Dark Passenger" (the

name assigned to his urge to kill).

Like many serial killers, Dexter keeps a trophy of each kill. He slices his victim's

cheek with a scalpel to collect a droplet of their blood, which he preserves on a blood slide.

He stores his collection in a wooden box concealed within his air conditioner.

At the beginning of the series, Dexter believes he has no emotions, and must work

constantly to appear normal and blend with well-adjusted human beings. Dexter is typically

capable of faking "normal" human emotion to a degree that he is generally invisible.

Remarkably, people tend to gravitate to Dexter despite himself, such that he inadvertently

finds himself saddled with unexpected friends, acquaintances, and even lovers. The closest he

approaches the emotion of love is his "fondness" for his adoptive sister Debra. She is unaware

of Harry's training but harbors lingering jealousy of the perceived preferential treatment Harry

gave Dexter. In the first season, Dexter dates a woman named Rita as part of the "disguise of

normalcy". Rita, subconsciously traumatized by years of domestic abuse at the hands of her

ex-husband, Paul Bennett, initially cannot bring herself to be physically intimate with another

male. This suits Dexter, who believes physical

intimacy and closeness may unveil his true

personality. He is fond of children in general,

particularly Rita's children Astor and Cody. But

his attachment to Debra, Rita, Astor and Cody

(and later his biological son, Harrison) complicates

his double life, causing him to question his "need"

to kill.

1.2. Exterior filming

Although the series is set in Miami,

Florida, many of the exterior scenes are filmed in Long Beach, California. Many landmark

buildings and locations in Long Beach are featured throughout the series.

1.3. Cast and crew

1.3.1. Cast

Besides Michael C. Hall playing the title character, the show's supporting cast includes

Jennifer Carpenter as Dexter's adoptive sister and co-worker (and later boss) Debra, and James

Remar as Dexter's adoptive father, Harry. Dexter's co-workers include Lauren Vélez as

Lieutenant (later Captain) María LaGuerta, Dexter and Debra's supervisor, David Zayas as

Detective Sergeant Angel Juan Marcos Batista, and C. S. Lee as lab tech Vince Masuka

(promoted to title credits in Season 2). Erik King portrayed the troubled Sgt James Doakes for

the first two seasons of the show. Desmond Harrington joined the cast in Season 3 as Joey

Quinn; his name was promoted to the title credits as of Season 4. Geoff Pierson plays Captain

Tom Matthews of Miami Metro Homicide. Julie Benz starred as Dexter's girlfriend turned

wife Rita in Seasons 1–4 with a guest appearance in Season 5. Rita's children Astor and Cody

are played by Christina Robinson and Preston Bailey (who replaced Daniel Goldman after the

first season). Dexter's infant son Harrison is played by twins, Evan and Luke Kruntchev. On

February 5, 2013, it was reported that Aimee Garcia was promoted to series regular status

starting season 8.

Notable appearances in Season 1 are Christian Camargo as the Ice Truck Killer and

Mark Pellegrino as Rita's abusive ex-husband Paul. Jaime Murray portrayed Lila Tournay in

Season 2, a beautiful but unhinged, know-it-all, British "artist" who becomes obsessed with

Dexter. Keith Carradine, as Special FBI Agent Frank Lundy, and Jimmy Smits, as ADA

Miguel Prado, each appeared in season-long character arcs in Seasons 2 and 3, respectively.

David Ramsey, who plays confidential informant Anton Briggs in Season 3, returned in

Season 4, romantically involved with Debra. John Lithgow joined the cast in season four as

the "Trinity Killer". Carradine returned in Season 4, reprising his role as newly retired FBI

Special Agent Frank Lundy, who was hunting the Trinity Killer. Courtney Ford was featured

in Season 4 as an ambitious reporter who mixes business with pleasure, getting romantically

involved with Joseph while simultaneously fishing for sources and stories. Julia Stiles joined

the cast a little later as Lumen Pierce, a woman who gets involved in a complex relationship

with Dexter after the tragedy that culminated the previous season. In the sixth season, Mos

Def was cast as Brother Sam, a convicted murderer turned born-again Christian, and Edward

James Olmos and Colin Hanks guest starred as Professor James Gellar and Travis Marshall

who were involved in a murderous apocalyptic cult. The seventh season features multiple

guest stars including Ray Stevenson as Ukrainian organized crime boss, Isaak Sirko, Jason

Gedrick as strip club owner and mob enforcer, George Novikov, and Yvonne Strahovski as

female serial killer and Dexter's love interest for the season, Hannah McKay.

Brad William Henke had a role as amputee victim Tony Tucci in the first season. Margo

Martindale had a recurring role as Camilla, a records office worker who was close friends

with Dexter's adoptive parents. JoBeth Williams portrays Rita's suspicious mother, Gail

Brandon, in four episodes of season 2. Malcolm-Jamal Warner appeared as a family lawyer,

and John Marshall Jones appeared as a man who murdered his wife, to be shot by Doakes.

Anne Ramsay portrayed defense attorney Ellen Wolf, Miguel's arch-nemesis. Valerie Cruz

had a recurring role as Miguel's wife, Sylvia. April Lee Hernández joined the cast early into

the fifth season as Cira Manzon, a police "uniform" who was included in an investigation by

Debra because of her Hispanic descent and knowledge of Santa Muerte. In season 6, Billy

Brown was cast as transferred-in Detective Mike Anderson to replace Debra after her

promotion to Lieutenant; Josh Cooke plays Louis Greene, a lab tech and Masuka's intern; and

Aimee Garcia played the role of Batista's younger sister, Jamie.

1.3.2. Crew

The main creative forces behind the series were executive producers Daniel Cerone, Clyde

Phillips and Melissa Rosenberg; Cerone left the show after its second season. Coming off a

record-setting Season 4 finale, executive producer and showrunner Clyde Phillips departed the

series to spend more time with his family. 24 co-executive producer Chip Johannessen took

over Phillips' post. Head writer Melissa Rosenberg left after Season 4 as well.

After the conclusion of Season 5, it was revealed that Chip Johannessen was departing the

show after a single season and that Scott Buck would take over as showrunner from season 6.

1.4. Awards

Dexter has been nominated for 25 Primetime Emmy Awards (winning 4), in the category of

Outstanding Drama Series 4 times in a row, from 2008 to 2011, and Outstanding Lead Actor

in a Drama Series (for Michael C. Hall) 5 times in a row, from 2008 to 2012. It has also been

nominated for 10 Golden Globe Awards (winning 2) and 12 Screen Actors Guild Awards

(winning 1).

2. Supernatural

Supernatural is an American

supernatural drama television series,

created by Eric Kripke, which was first

broadcast on September 13, 2005, on The

WB, and is now part of The CW's lineup.

Starring Jensen Ackles as Dean Winchester

and Jared Padalecki as Sam Winchester, the

series follows these two brothers as they

hunt demons, ghosts, monsters and other figures of the supernatural. The series is produced by

Warner Bros. Television, in association with Wonderland Sound and Vision. The current

executive producers are Eric Kripke, McG, and Robert Singer; former executive producer

Kim Manners died of lung cancer during production of the fourth season.

This series is filmed in Vancouver, British Columbia and surrounding areas, and was in

development for nearly ten years, as creator Kripke spent several years unsuccessfully

pitching it. The pilot was viewed by an estimated 5.69 million viewers, and the ratings of the

first four episodes prompted The WB to pick up the series for a full season. Originally, Kripke

planned the series for three seasons, but later expanded it to five. The fifth season began airing

on September 10, 2009, and concluded the series' main storyline; however, The CW officially

renewed the show for a sixth season on February 16, 2010. On April 26, 2011, the show was

renewed for a seventh season for the 2011–2012 season, which began on September 23, 2011.

On May 3, 2012, Supernatural was renewed for an 8th season by The CW with Jeremy Carver

replacing Sera Gamble as co-showrunner with Robert Singer. On February 11, 2013, The CW

renewed the series for a 9th season.

2.1. Conception and creation

Before bringing Supernatural to television, creator Eric Kripke had been developing

the series for nearly ten years, having been fascinated with urban legends since he was a child.

Although he had envisioned Supernatural as a movie, he spent years unsuccessfully pitching

it as a series. The concept went through several phases before becoming the eventual product,

shifting from the original idea of an anthology series to one of tabloid reporters driving around

the country in a van "fighting the demons in search of the truth".Kripke wanted it to be a road

trip series, feeling that it was the "best vehicle to tell these stories because it's pure, stripped

down and uniquely American... These stories exist in these small towns all across the country,

and it just makes so much sense to drive in and out of these stories." Because he had

previously written for The WB series Tarzan, Kripke was offered the chance to pitch show

ideas to the network, and used the opportunity for Supernatural. However, the network

disliked his tabloid reporter idea, so Kripke successfully pitched his last-minute idea of the

characters being brothers. He decided to have the brothers be from Lawrence, Kansas, due to

its closeness to Stull Cemetery, a location famous for its urban legends.

When it came time to name the two lead characters, Kripke decided on "Sal" and

"Dean" as an homage to Jack Kerouac's road-trip novel On the Road. However, he felt that

"Sal" was inappropriate for a main character, and changed the name to "Sam". It was

originally intended for the brothers' last name to be "Harrison" as a nod to actor Harrison

Ford, as Kripke wanted Dean to have the "devil-may-care swagger of Han Solo". However,

there was a Sam Harrison living in Kansas, so the name had to be changed for legal reasons.

Combining his interest in the Winchester Mystery House and his desire to give the series the

feel of "a modern-day Western", Kripke settled on the surname of "Winchester". However,

this also presented a problem. The first name of Sam and Dean's father was originally "Jack",

and there was a Jack Winchester residing in Kansas, so Kripke was forced to change the

character's name to "John"

Growing up, Kripke connected to television shows that had signature cars, such as The

Dukes of Hazzard and Knight Rider. This prompted him to include one in Supernatural. He

originally intended for the car to be a '65 Mustang, but his neighbor convinced him to change

it to a '67 Impala, since "you can put a body in the trunk" and because "you want a car that,

when people stop next to it at the lights, they lock their doors." Kripke has commented, "It's a

Rottweiler of a car, and I think it adds authenticity for fans of automobiles because of that,

because it's not a pretty ride. It's an aggressive, muscular car, and I think that's what people

respond to, and why it fits so well into the tone of our show."

“We say it's a modern American Western — two gunslingers who ride into town, fight the bad guys, kiss the girl and ride out into the sunset again. And we were always talking from the very beginning that if you're going to have cowboys, they need a trusty horse. ”

—Eric Kripke on the decision to add the Impala

2.2. Writing

The staff for the first

season consisted of Kripke

and five other writers, with

assistants to help with

researching urban legends.

Most of the work done in writing the series is very collaborative, with the writers often

breaking up into groups. At the beginning of each season, the writers are brought together and

pitch out their ideas, which are then assigned to a specific writer to be developed. Each story

idea is outlined on a dry-erase board, with Kripke and Bob Singer making necessary changes.

Afterward, the script is written, and Kripke goes through it to make sure it has the same tone

as other episodes. Kripke found this task very difficult to do in the first season, but he felt it

became easier by the third season, as the staff came to "really understand the show's style".

The tone of Supernatural was heavily influenced by films such as Poltergeist—having

the horror happen in a family setting rather than remote location—and Evil Dead 2 and An

American Werewolf in London—having bits of comedy mixed in. Commenting on the former,

Kripke added, "It's the idea that horror can happen in your own backyard. How many viewers

have to worry about the vampire in the gothic castle?" Other influences include The Two

Sisters and Asian horror films The Eye, Ju-on, and Ring.

According to creator Eric Kripke, the show originally was intended to focus on the

weekly monsters, with Sam and Dean Winchester merely being "an engine to get us in and out

of different horror movies every week". His sole desire was to merely "scare the crap out of

people". However, a few episodes in, Kripke and executive producer Bob Singer noticed the

onscreen chemistry between Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles. This revelation caused them

to change the series to focus more on the brothers than the monsters, basing the weekly

monster around the storyline they wanted for the Winchesters. According to Kripke,

"...sometimes we don't even have the monster until way late in the break, once we get all the

angst and the drama done first."

Unlike shows with "endless mythology" like Lost, Kripke prefers to keep

Supernatural's mythology simpler, saying, "It's so hard to go season after season after season

with a mystery and then provide an answer that's going to be satisfying." He prefers to have

the series' structure like that of the earlier X-Files episodes, having mythology-based episodes

spread through many self-enclosed episodes—Supernatural usually having three self-enclosed

episodes followed by a mythology episode. With this format, viewers do not have to have

previous knowledge of the mythology in order to watch the series, being able to "join the

party at any time".

2.3. Effects

Though companies were hired for work on the pilot episode—such as Entity FX for

the visual effects—effects departments now work exclusively for the series. Ivan Hayden is

the visual effects supervisor, and works with many levels of the production staff. During pre-

production, Hayden must go through the scripts, looking for possible visual effects. He then

has a concept meeting with the writers, and after settling on the effect designs to use,

coordinates with the special effects and stunt departments. Hayden is also present during

filming to help the director make sure that the scenes are being filmed in the best way for the

visual effects, such as by ensuring that the actors are looking at the correct location where an

effect will later be added. Afterward, he then meets with the editors. Another aspect of the

visual effects department is coming up with rules and physics for each supernatural creature,

though the rules are often bent if it benefits the story. In 2012, it was announced that Hayden

will be working at the new Vancouver location of Encore for its VFX division.

2.4. Filming locations

Though the pilot was filmed in Los Angeles, principal filming takes place in

Vancouver, British Columbia. Thus, on-location filming usually takes place in the area.

"Dead in the Water" was filmed at Buntzen Lake, and the final scenes of "Simon Said" were

filmed at Cleveland Dam. Other locations used on the show are often reused two or three

times, with the art department making variations to conceal this. Heritage Park in Burnaby

has been used as a cemetery in "Red Sky at Morning", and as the location of the gingerbread-

house cottage in "Bedtime Stories".Also, Riverview Hospital in Coquitlam has served many

functions for the series, including an asylum in "Asylum", a hospital in "In My Time of

Dying", and a prison in "Folsom Prison Blues".The episode "Houses of the Holy" was filmed

on location in Vancouver at St.Andrew's-Wesley United Church. Because episodes usually

take place in the middle of nowhere, filming often takes place at an old military base. Having

been shut down for years, the buildings have been removed, leaving just roads on which sets

are erected, such as for crossroads scenes.

2.5. Cast and characters

The series focuses primarily on the brothers Sam and Dean Winchester, played by

Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles, as they travel throughout the country hunting down evil

supernatural creatures, mostly demons. Padalecki became interested in the role due to his

liking of horror series such as The X-Files and Twilight Zone, which he found similar to

Supernatural. He was also excited to play "the reluctant hero", comparing Sam to The

Matrix's Neo and Luke Skywalker of Star Wars. Padalecki had previous experience working

with executive producers McG and David Nutter, the former convincing him to audition for

the role. Ackles was originally asked by Nutter to audition for the role of Sam, but preferred

the character of Dean after reading the script. At the time of his audition, he was already a

series regular on fellow WB series Smallville. After landing the part of Dean, his Smallville

role was cut short.

While the series does not have many lead characters, there are many recurring

characters. Jeffrey Dean Morgan portrays John Winchester, father of Sam and Dean. Making

an appearance in the pilot episode, John does not return until nearly halfway through the first

season, after which he becomes a recurring character until his eventual death in the second

season's premiere episode, though his spirit returns to help his sons in the season finale.

According to writer John Shiban, it was decided early on that John would die. The writers

found that having the brothers being separated from their father "split the show". Shiban noted

that "...the boys were looking for Dad, and they were looking for a monster of the week,

whatever that is, whatever case crosses their path. It became difficult, because we thought it

was like - 'what is Dad doing? Is he doing more interesting things than the boys are doing, or

what?'" They believed Morgan was initially reluctant about returning to Supernatural for the

second season due to his recurring role on the series Grey's Anatomy. Future appearances of

the character have been hindered due to Morgan's busy schedule.

Also introduced in the first season are the demon Azazel and his unnamed daughter.

While Azazel mainly appears merely as shadows or silhouettes in the first season, only taking

physical form when he possesses John Winchester, Azazel's daughter uses a girl named Meg

Masters—portrayed by Nicki Lynn Aycox—as a host. In the second season premiere,

Azazel's host is portrayed by Fredric Lehne; originally brought on only for one episode, Lehne

impressed the showrunners so much that he was asked to return for the season's two-part

finale. Even after the character's death, Azazel makes appearances in the fourth season, being

portrayed, respectively, by Christopher B. MacCabe and Mitch Pileggi in the time travel

episode "In the Beginning" and by Rob LaBelle in a flashback in the season finale. Likewise,

after Azazel's daughter is exorcised from Meg towards the end of the first season, the demon

and her host continued to appear in the series, although now as two separate characters. Aycox

continued her role in the fourth season when the angry spirit of Meg tries to kill the

Winchesters. The demon returns for an episode in the second season, temporarily taking Sam

as a host. She appears once again in the fifth season premiere, her newest host being portrayed

by Rachel Miner, and returns to play a prominent role in season 7.

The writers eventually wanted to flesh out the concept of hunters, resulting in the

introduction of many new characters. Actor Jim Beaver makes his first appearance as Bobby

Singer, an old family friend of the Winchesters, at the end of the first season. Becoming a sort

of surrogate father to Sam and Dean after their father's death, the character acts as their mentor

and foremost point of contact before his departure in the seventh season. Other hunters appear

in the second season with the introduction of Harvelle's Roadhouse, a saloon frequented by

hunters. It is owned by Ellen Harvelle (played by Samantha Ferris), whose late husband was a

friend of John Winchester. Working alongside her mother is Jo Harvelle (played by Alona

Tal). Also present is the computer guy Ash (played by Chad Lindberg), who uses his vast

computer skills to track the paranormal. Tal was eventually written out of the series, and

believes the reason to be that the producers felt she looked like Sam and Dean's "14-year-old

sister". Kripke claims the character was incorrectly conceived, and also cites poor fan reaction

for her removal. Also, the character of Ash is killed off in the second season finale with the

destruction of the Roadhouse. Ellen was meant to return in the third season, but the episode

had to be scrapped due to the writer's strike. The writers intended for her to be featured in the

third season finale, but Ferris declined because the deal offered to her was not acceptable, as

"It could cost [her] money and work". However, both actresses returned as Jo and Ellen in the

fifth season.

For the third season, the writers decided to introduce Ruby, a demonic former witch

who claims to the Winchesters to be an ally, to the cast. However, The CW requested that

another female be added, so the character Bela Talbot, a self-centered thief who sells occult

objects to wealthy clients and who was already intended to appear in multiple episodes, was

upgraded to a series regular. Katie Cassidy and Lauren Cohan were eventually cast as Ruby

and Bela, respectively, though they originally auditioned for the others' role. Though only

making six appearances each in the third season, both actresses were credited as co-stars for

their episodes. At the end of the season, Bela was killed off and Cassidy was let go due to

budgetary reasons. Ruby was recast for the fourth season, auditions only describing the

character as "a love interest". Genevieve Cortese (who later married Padalecki) took over the

role until the character's death at the end of the season.

Wanting to bring in Christian mythology to the series, the writers created the angel

Castiel to introduce it. With Kripke wanting to keep the introduction of angels a secret, the

character was instead described as a demon during auditions. Misha Collins was cast as the

character. Making his debut in the fourth season premiere, Castiel resurrects Dean from Hell

after his death in the third season, and comes to be an ally of the Winchesters. The character

was originally intended for only a six-episode story arc, but the role was later expanded.

Collins was promoted to a series regular for the fifth and sixth season, something Collins

believes to be mainly due to fan support.

Along with Castiel came other angelic characters, with Robert Wisdom portraying the

"militant" and "dogmatic"Uriel, who secretly supports Lucifer; Julie McNiven playing the

fallen angel Anna Milton, who eventually regains her angelic form but remains an outcast of

Heaven; and Kurt Fuller as Castiel's boss Zachariah, who wishes to start the Apocalypse in

order to bring Paradise to Earth. Though Wisdom's character is eventually killed, McNiven

and Fuller continue their roles into the fifth season, and are joined by Mark Pellegrino as the

recently released Lucifer. Pellegrino had been the second choice for the role of Castiel, and

was offered the role of Lucifer without an audition. Further on, Fuller and McNiven's

characters were also killed along with both Harvelle characters.

Because the show focuses mainly on the two Winchester brothers, the writers realized that

viewers would know that the characters are not in danger of being permanently killed. To fix

this, the staff often writes in guest characters to give tension to the episode, occasionally

having them die.

Conclusion

Bibliography

http://dexter.wikia.com

http://en.wikipedia.org

http://google.com/images

http://imdb.com

http://screenrant.com/

http://www.supernaturalwiki.com