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The Wonderful World of Television

SOME DEFINITION


There are some terms we need to go over before delving deeper into the topic of television. For example, the difference between a series and a season. Why character development is so important. And what exactly a Mary Sue is.


Series - In the US, a series is the entire length of a television show. People also refer to a television series as a television show.


Season - In the US, a season is usually the representation of the number of years a show has been on the air (or streaming). For example, The Simpsons is one of the longest running shows in the US with 33 seasons meaning it’s been on the air for about 33 years. In the UK, this is referred to as a series.


Character Development - Also referred to as a character arc. This is how a character might use adversity or conflict to change their personality or ambitions. This could either make a character a better person or a worse person.


Mary Sue - Mary Sue’s are usually female characters. They can do no wrong, which usually makes them uninteresting because there is no room for their character to grow. Some examples of Mary Sues are Mary Poppins, Arya Stark, Katniss Everdeen, there are plenty more.


THIS WEEK


In my last post, I mentioned my favorite television writer Mindy Kaling (The Office, The Mindy Project, Never Have I Ever, etc.). Her new television series is called The Sex Life of College Girls, it follows four freshman girls who come from different walks of life. The reason I like Mindy Kaling and I am choosing to write about her new show this week is because of how she writes her characters, they're all flawed. All of the characters she writes for are all in someway selfish, quick to anger, and do stupid things that negatively affected the lives of the people around them and I say this with the utmost respect and appreciation. It is easy to write characters who are smart and kind and all around good people, it is harder to write characters who are flawed and . . . human.


The Sex Life of College Girls starts out with the four main characters moving into their freshmen dorm room, that all four of them will share, in their fake Vermont university. First, there is Kimberly. She is a white work-study student whose parents struggled to get her into college because of financial difficulties. Kimberly is from a small town that is mostly white so she is more naive about what life is like for her black co-workers and friends. Then there is Bela. She is an Indian-American girl, Bela wants to join an elite comedy writing club on campus. In order to be acknowledged by the current club members, Bela does some unconventional things that make some of the members unhappy, while others are pleased. The third roommate is Leighton. Leighton is a white, wealthy girl from New York City. Because of how close she is with her brother who belongs to a fraternity on campus she doesn’t understand how toxic the frat can be. Finally, there is Whitney. A black soccer player who is the daughter of a US Senator. Whitney is having a sexual relationship with an older man. All four of these girls are not perfect in any way, but by the end of the first season they experience a lot of growth. The series has been renewed for a second season and the entire first can be streamed on HBO Max.




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