Animation: A World History

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North America

Is TV an Art Too?¹

In the 1980s, American TV changed definitively. The monopoly of the three major channels (ABC, NBC, and CBS) was broken by a new network, Fox, and by the growth and spread of cable TV. From then on, there was a differentiation of supply and demand, with programmes oriented to different audiences. TV series had to cater to these new and diverse audiences in order to catch their attention.

The late 1980s, called the beginning of the Second Golden Age² of TV, represented the turning point. It marked the birth of Quality TV, a new style of American fiction. Quality TV consisted of an open serial format, multiple plots, controversial subjects, and a large ensemble cast. It created a new genre by mixing old ones, ...