Crime GenreTo understand the conventions of crime drama

Crime dramas Crime drama is one of the most enduring, popular genres, not just on TV but

also novels, films and theatre.

Its engaging narrative offers a space for debates about policing, criminality, gender, race and social and cultural values.

Crime dramas There are two kinds of TV crime drama, with important distinctions between

them. One-off crime dramas tend to focus on the kinds of crime that create the most anxiety among the viewing public.

E.g. Murder and serial killing in shows such as Hollyoaks

Crime dramas They are distinguished by which aspects of law enforcement they focus on,

for example a police inspector, a team of detectives, a psychologist or a lawyer.

Long running TV crime dramas will have a variety of sub-plots over time that help build relationships between characters.

Crime dramas Criminal centre stage-

Minder, Hustle

Investigative detective and sidekick stories-

Midsomer murders, A touch of Frost

Women investigators-

Prime suspect, Rosemary and Thyme

Crime dramas Cold case narratives-

Waking the Dead

Specialist criminologists-

Cracker, Silent witness

Courtroom narratives-

Judge John Deed

Police Soap series-

The Bill

There are some Crime Dramas that are mixture of subgenres such as Jonathan Creek which is also classed as comedy.

Crime dramas Crime dramas tend to be a male orientated genre.

Although there are a few acceptions, Helen Mirren in Prime suspect being one of them.

Why is this? Is it because it appeals to the dominant male audience? Or is it being stereotypical of the male role of the police?

Prime suspect main character Inspector Tennison usually involved failed relationships so that her character takes on traits of a male detective from TV drama.

Crime dramas Corruption and betrayal are common in today’s crime series. There is an

increasing polarisation today between the series that present shocking images, often in the form of still photographs taken at the scene of the crime or in reconstructions of the event.

Crime dramasDramas such as Prime Suspect and Waking the dead have

resorted in using even more graphics, gruesome depictions of killings and torture, others, like Inspector Morse and Midsomer murders have moved away from this, offering the audiences the pleasure of observing the slow solution to the mystery from the perspective of a comfortable safety zone.