this post was submitted on 28 Apr 2025
18 points (100.0% liked)
Television
962 readers
174 users here now
Welcome to Television
This community is for discussion of anything related to television or streaming.
Other Communities
Other Television Communities
A community for discussion of anything related to Television via broadcast or streaming.
Rules:
-
Be respectful and courteous to all members.
-
Avoid offensive or discriminatory remarks.
-
Avoid spamming or promoting unrelated products/services.
-
Avoid personal attacks or engaging in heated arguments.
-
Do not engage in any form of illegal activity or promote illegal content.
-
Please mask any and all spoilers with spoiler tags. ****
founded 2 months ago
MODERATORS
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
view the rest of the comments
Most people say The Sopranos marked the beginning of the prestige TV era, because it was the first of a cluster of high quality, high production value shows that came out around the same time. But there are some precursors that come to mind, mostly from HBO. Rome and Oz, for example.
You could make a case to go back even further with shows like NYPD Blue (90s) or even Hill Street Blues (80s) as examples of high quality TV with long, dramatic character arcs, though these shows didn't have much in the way of contemporaries to define them as part of an era.