TV Crime Drama

LO: To explore genre conventions and characters

Steve Neale – Repetition and Difference

•We understand genre through recognisable conventions which are continuously repeated•However, the audience would get bored if everything was kept the same•Therefore, there must be some difference to keep audience engagement

“while genres necessarily involve some degree of repetition or ‘sameness’, they are also

marked by difference, variation and change”

Stock Character Definition

Hero/ Heroine cop

A detective who might have qualities that corrupt or villainous on the surface but are actually the heroes.

This detective might have unusual methods and might seem odd or even crazy.

Bad tempered but brilliant police officer

Rookie

Buddy partners

The head of a unit or force who has worked at the job for a long time and doesn't suffer new or inexperienced characters gladly. This character is usually nearing retirement.

Forensic/ pathologist/ medical worker

This character is highly educated, and is able to profile criminals. They might be an amateur detective or sidekick, or may work directly within the police. Tony from Wire in the Blood is a good example.

Usually helper characters in crime drama, these individuals might help the police in building a case against a known criminal, or they might act as donors, providing extra information for them. If they represent the criminal, they might play a villain role in the plot.

Informants

Stock Character Definition

Hero/ Heroine cop Usually at the centre of a TVCD and solves the crime.

Anti-hero A detective who might have qualities that corrupt or villainous on the surface but are actually the heroes.

Maverick/ quirky detective This detective might have unusual methods and might seem odd or even crazy.

Bad tempered but brilliant police officer This character is difficult to deal with socially but is exceptional at the job. This character is completely focused on the work and doesn't feel the need to be friendly.

Rookie The new kid on the block, an inexperienced character who must learn the ropes from others.

Buddy partners Two characters who work together to solve crimes. They might be foil characters (opposites) or may complement each other perfectly.

Grumpy, world weary superior officer The head of a unit or force who has worked at the job for a long time and doesn't suffer new or inexperienced characters gladly. This character is usually nearing retirement.

Forensic/ pathologist/ medical worker A 'lab geek', or an individual who is an expert in a scientific field. Usually these characters analyse crime scenes, or may never leave the lab.

Psychology expert This character is highly educated, and is able to profile criminals. They might be an amateur detective or sidekick, or may work directly within the police. Tony from Wire in the Blood is a good example.

Lawyers Usually helper characters in crime drama, these individuals might help the police in building a case against a known criminal, or they might act as donors, providing extra information for them. If they represent the criminal, they might play a villain role in the plot.

Informants Also known as 'snitches' these characters were once criminals, and now aid the authorities in catching criminals from the inside. They may want to escape their past, or they might be providing information for cash.

Answers

Stock Characters

•Hero cop: Jack Bauer (24), Nick Rowan ( early Heartbeat), Aureilo Zen (Zen).

•Heroine cop: Cagney & Lacey, Inspector Kate Longton (Juliet Bravo), Jane Tennison (Prime Suspect), Brenda Lee Johnson (The Closer)

Stock Characters

•Anti-hero, e.g. Vic Mackey (The Shield) and Dexter Morgan (Dexter)

•Quirky detectives, e.g. Kojak, Columbo, Robert Goren (Law & Order: Criminal Intent) and Adrian Monk (Monk)

Stock Characters

• Maverick - Bad tempered but brilliant detectives, eg, Andy Sipowicz (NYPD Blue), Inspector Morse, Peter Boyd (Waking the Dead) and Wallander

• Rookie, eg Andy McNally (Rookie Blue), Ben Sherman (Southland) and John Clark Jr. (NYPD Blue)

Stock Characters

•Buddy partners, e.g. Crockett and Tubbs (Miami Vice), Benson & Stabler (Law & Order: Special Victims Unit) and Starsky and Hutch

Stock Characters

•Grumpy, world-weary superior officer, e.g. Captain Cragen (Law & Order: Special Victims Unit) and Lieutenant Bert Samuels (Cagney and Lacey)

Stock Characters

•Forensic scientists/pathologists/other medical professionals, e.g. Gil Grissom/Ray Langston (CSI: Crime Scene Investigation), and Dr Grayling Russell (Inspector Morse)

Stock Characters

• Psychology experts/consultants/helpers e.g. Fitz (Cracker), Patrick Jane (The Mentalist), Tony Hill (Wire in the Blood), Toby Logan (The Listener), Dr. Cal Lightman (Lie to Me), Alison DuBois (Medium), Jessica Fletcher (Murder She Wrote), Richard Castle (Castle) and Shawn Spencer (Psych)

Stock Characters

•FBI agents, e.g. Vivian Johnson (Without a Trace), Sue Thomas: FB Eye, Don and Charlie Eppes (Numb3rs) and Mulder and Scully (The X Files)

Eponymous hero

•A central figure detective is so crucial to some crime dramas that the show is named after them.

•This is what is known as an eponymous hero, e.g. Wycliffe, Ironside, Inspector Morse, A Touch of Frost. It could be that the there is a duo; Dalziel and Pascoe or Dempsey and Makepiece.

•This can also be applied to another convention of the genre like the location, e.g. Fargo

Sherlock – ‘Many Happy Returns’

•Watch the mini episode

•Note down any stock characters that you recognise and any recognisable genre conventions

Compare the recognisable genre features in Sherlock to Life on Mars, particularly focusing on stock

characters

•Write 2 PEE paragraphs