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Five theses on the difficulty of ending Quality TV series

Vaage, Margrethe Bruun (2021) Five theses on the difficulty of ending Quality TV series. In: Nannicelli, Ted and Pérez, Héctor J., eds. Cognition, Emotion, and Aesthetics in Contemporary Serial Television. Routledge, United Kingdom. ISBN 978-1-03-203715-8. (The full text of this publication is not currently available from this repository. You may be able to access a copy if URLs are provided) (KAR id:89922)

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Abstract

In long-term narratives such as television series, closure is often postponed for a long time. At the same time, the difficulty of ending a story with multiple characters and plotlines can be said to be endemic to the serial form. Indeed, the denigration of serial fiction is as old the form itself, and in order for a series to be elevated to the status of art, perhaps its seriality must be controlled by the promise of an ending. This chapter explores what difference it makes for the spectator whether or not a television series is plotted through to a planned, intentional finale. I argue that the search for authorial presence plays a central role in our expectations, experience, and evaluation of a finale. The ending is especially important for the viewer’s search for authorial comments, intentions, or a moral in the story. I suggest that one explanation for why there is always (a promise of) an ending in American quality TV is because a proper finale reminds and reassures the spectator that the series is authored, as compared with popular culture, which often appears unauthored.

Item Type: Book section
Subjects: N Visual Arts
Divisions: Divisions > Division of Arts and Humanities > School of Arts
Depositing User: Margrethe Bruun Vaage
Date Deposited: 26 Aug 2021 15:03 UTC
Last Modified: 01 Mar 2022 14:48 UTC
Resource URI: https://kar.kent.ac.uk/id/eprint/89922 (The current URI for this page, for reference purposes)

University of Kent Author Information

Vaage, Margrethe Bruun.

Creator's ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7608-0025
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