Chapter 404： First time in American drama

The broadcasting system of American TV series is different from the concept of Chinese TV series. There are twenty episodes of a Chinese TV series, and the finale is the end of the broadcast. In contrast, American TV series are broadcast on a "season" basis. If the ratings are successful, there will be second and third seasons in an infinite loop.

"Season" is not a natural season in the traditional sense, but a broadcast season. The so-called "seasonal broadcast" means that TV broadcasters adjust the channel program configuration and broadcast arrangement according to the seasonal changes presented by the audience's viewing habits in the market. After years of planning, there is a broadcast season from mid-September to late May of the following year. After entering September and autumn, the weather in the northern hemisphere has turned cooler and the darkness has become longer, people have reduced outdoor activities and increased TV viewing time: the corresponding students have returned to school and their regular lives have been restored, because the audience size has increased significantly. .

From June to August every year, the northern hemisphere is in hot summer and there are many activities outside, so TV Jin will rebroadcast some classic dramas during this period. However, with the passage of time, various TV stations have also begun to compete for the summer market.

The TV drama market from June to August also began to see summer TV dramas, so the American TV drama market was divided into traditional seasons and summer seasons. Although the ratings of the summer season cannot surpass the traditional season for the time being, it has still become a new cake in the TV drama market.

Therefore, American and solid TV series are all based on seasons. After the first season is finished, after adjustment and rest, the second season will be broadcast. As long as the ratings are successful, the TV station will not mind the endless production of a TV series. .

In the U.S.—in fact, in most countries around the world, ratings are one of the most important and important metrics for a TV show's success. For commercial TV stations, ratings means advertising revenue, which means the station's profits and smooth operation; for cable TV stations, cable subscription rates mean revenue and the operation of the station. In particular, the ratings of 18 to 49-year-old adults, which are also the main part of advertisers' attention, will often become an important criterion for determining the life and death of a TV series.

Generally speaking, once the ratings of the first round of TV dramas continue to decline, it means that the audience's attention has shifted. On the contrary, as long as the ratings are satisfactory, the TV station will continue to make additional investments to maintain its vitality and prolong its influence as much as possible. For example, "Friends (FN)

IENDA has been broadcast for ten seasons: another example is "Saturday Night Live", which was hosted by Evan Bell not long ago, from 1975 to the present.

In the United States, a TV series that has been broadcast for three seasons is considered a small achievement, five seasons can be regarded as a big hit, and eight seasons can be regarded as a classic. Of course, this is not an absolute criterion.

After Sean-Bonan came to the United States, he planned six TV series before and after, but none of them made it past the first season. Under such circumstances, it is no wonder that no TV station is willing to invest in his script. The same "CSI was able to get VBS to approve the spinoff "Miami CSI" after two seasons, which speaks to the popularity of CSI.

Sean-Bonan wrote only six episodes of the first season when he wrote the new script for the NCIS, which is also tied to the American television system.

First of all, because the life and death of TV dramas on American TV is directly linked to the ratings, pilot episodes are usually filmed. It may be piloted within the TV station, or it may be broadcast directly to the audience to test the waters, and then decide whether the TV series will be officially put into filming. So at the beginning, there was no need to write too many scripts. Maybe after the pilot, I didn’t decide to shoot, so it’s useless to write too many scripts.

Secondly, American TV dramas are broadcast while filming. They will not only match the changes in current events, but also shoot special dramas in conjunction with festivals. At the same time, they will also adopt the opinions of the audience to make changes to the plot. This shooting method is also a magic weapon to make TV dramas closer to people's lives and attract more TV dramas to watch. For example, the second season of "24 Hours", which started in September this year, is based on last year's September 11: Another example is that most TV dramas will shoot related content on Christmas and Thanksgiving, so that viewers can gather at the same time. Feel the festive atmosphere here. Therefore, the script cannot be written too much, because it needs to be changed at any time according to the passage of time. If you write too much before the broadcast, there is a high probability that it will be useless.

"Law Enforcement Warrior? Is it a TV series about the U.S. Naval Enforcement Agency?" Evan Bell mentioned the source of inspiration for Sean Bonan. "So what's the difference between your script and "Law Enforcement Warrior?" "

"Law Enforcement" started in 1995, and this year's seventh season is still highly supported on CBS TV screens.

Sean-Bonan didn't see much bōjō from Evan-Bell's eyes, but since Evan-Bell is willing to talk in depth, that's a good thing "Law Enforcement Titans, tells the story of a U.S. Navy Judge , more of which are based on military trials and international law, aiming to improve the public image of the US Department of Defense. This is also the only TV series endorsed by the US Navy and the US Marine Corps so far. It can be said that the political meaning is impossible. A factor that is ignored. However, I am currently temporarily titled "NCIS," the TV series, focusing on all cases related to the Navy, I hope to combine the twists and turns of the case and the angle itself to open up a completely different genre . The former is the trial of cases in court, while the latter is the process of solving cases. After a pause, Sean-Bonan felt that he didn't explain clearly, so he added another sentence, ... Naval Criminal Investigative Service is just a detective investigation drama, which is consistent with "crime scene investigation, but the focus is on" But it is different, so the plot direction is bound to undergo a huge change. Sean-Bonan glanced at Evan-Bell, and found that the other party was still looking at him, with a suspicious look in his eyes, encouraging him to continue to say, "To give a slightly extreme example, "the law enforcement titan, it is the court" In crime scene investigation, several cases go hand in hand. "NCIS, there will only be one case per episode." After speaking, Sean-Bonan added, "Of course, this is not an example to decide xìng, it's just a development direction. example." Evan-Bell nodded, he had never watched "Law Enforcement Titans" and didn't know what the content of the show was, he just knew that the show had been broadcast for ten seasons and ended in 2005. The evaluation is not bad. Of course, as soon as Evan Bell heard the script was "NCIS"

At the time, his heart had already begun to secretly rejoice, this is his personal favorite TV series.

Now that the show is in my own hands, of course I won't miss it.

"NCIS (S first aired in 2003, and before the car accident in a previous life, the show was still in the top five ratings of all TV shows in the United States. The best thing is adults between the ages of 18 and 40. When the ninth season aired in 2012, the ratings were still very successful, and the tenth season was easily booked.

When the "Navy Criminal Investigation Service" was broadcast at the beginning, it was not generally favored, because the first "Law Enforcement Warrior" was also regarded as a derivative drama of "Law Enforcement Warrior" and not a derivative, although the plot was completely absent. Any relationship, it's just that Sean-Bonan got inspiration from the former, but both tell the story of the Navy, and in the first few seasons of "NCIS", they were all called "Law Enforcement Warriors". "As a guide, it drives the ratings of the "Naval Criminal Investigation Service": and then the "crime scene investigation" is booming in the United States, and it has the domineering power to monopolize the detective drama market.

In addition, "Law Enforcement Warriors", "Crime Scene Investigation" and "Navy Crime Investigation Service" are all dramas under CBS TV. Since they are TV dramas from the same TV station, they are inevitably biased. The former two already have a large audience base. , it is natural for cbs to focus on publicity strategies.

Therefore, in the first few seasons of "NCIS", the ratings were good, but they were not outstanding, and they were still overwhelmed by several big brothers.

But as Sean-Bonan said, the focus of this show is on the shaping of several protagonists. As the distinct personalities of several protagonists are gradually manifested, especially the shaping of the leader of the male protagonist team, Jessero Gibbs, is a classic, and has gradually won the love of more and more audiences.

Each team member has a special label that is unique to Oh, so that every audience can find their favorite characters in the play, and it will become more and more difficult to stop.

The biggest advantage of American TV series broadcast on a season-by-season basis is that it makes the audience more and more in love, and their feelings for the TV series are getting deeper and deeper. "Navy Criminal Investigation Service..., with good ratings, after four or five years of successful broadcast, the accumulated word-of-mouth finally broke out. From the fifth season, the ratings exploded all the way to the sixth and seventh seasons. , has dominated the ratings of all TV dramas in the United States, and the limelight has jumped over the big brother "CSI". Although the momentum has dropped slightly in the eighth and ninth seasons, they are still in the top three and top five in the ratings of all TV dramas. Stay, replaced "crime scene investigation" as the boss of dramas and detective dramas.

Evan Bell's love for this play is also his love for the characters in the play.

The more I like it, the more Evan-Bell hopes to carry forward the essence of the show, and does not want to ruin the work. Therefore, after he inquired carefully and listened to the narration of Sean-Bonan, he solemnly said, "Mr. Bonan, I think Eleven Studio is very willing to sign this script, but it is only when you put the characters in the play. After all the shapes are finished. After that, our Eleven Studio will send a producer to be in charge of the production of this TV series together with you." Sean-Bonan listened to Evan-Bell's narration with a look of disbelief on his face. Suppressed [excited], he opened his mouth to say something, but found that he had nothing to say. He couldn't help taking a deep breath, and when he spoke again, he said, "Mr. Bell, I will carefully write every character!" Sean-Bonan didn't say thank you or swear to say empty words. True words expressed his gratitude and determination. ! .