Fans of US television dramas watch their favorite series for different reasons: some want to improve their English skills, others just want to kill time.
Some TV series are more than pure entertainment―they have a certain depth. Mad Men, which returned with a sixth season recently; Monday Mornings, which just finished its first season; and Modern Family, which sweeps the awards every year, are just a few examples.
Why do these shows stand out among so many similar ones? TV critics Raymond Zhou will give you an idea of why some shows are better than others.
Period drama—More than time travel
Period dramas are intended to capture the ambience (气氛) of a particular era. Directors must therefore attract audiences as much by their recreation of a historical setting as by an interesting storyline.
Mad Men is an excellent example of this balance being struck. Set in New York during the 1960s, it accurately shows US attitudes in the workplace through the alcoholism and chain-smoking common of the time, and places an absorbing plot right in its center.
But rather than merely presenting a past decade, Mad Men’s subtle (微妙的) description of the struggles of white-collar workers at the time, both male and female, makes it stand out.
“The series’ attention to detail is superb,” Raymond Zhou said. “For example, creator Matthew Weiner makes Don Draper―the leading role of the series―drive a Buick instead of a Cadillac, because Weiner thinks the ad man lacks the self-pride to buy a luxury car. It’s this kind of attentiveness that raises the show’s artistic value.”
Critics also recommend
Another period drama that works is Broadwalk Empire, set during the prohibition period of the 1920s and 1930s in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
Heather Havrilesky at Salon magazine noted how the show “revels in the oddities(怪事) of its time, peeling back the layers of polite society to reveal a shadow world of criminals and politicians working together to keep the liquor flowing.”
Why does it appeal to viewers? Because they know that the “liquor” is a metaphor (暗喻) for today’s political scandals (丑闻).
小题1: How many US TV series are mentioned in this passage?
| A．One. | B．Two. | C．Three. | D．Four. |
小题2: The following statements are the reasons why many people are attracted by US television dramas EXCEPT that __________.
| A．US television dramas merely present a past decade |
| B．directors recreate a historical setting and adopt interesting storylines |
| C．the dramas can improve their English skills, and help people kill time |
| D．some TV series are more than pure entertainment, and they have a certain depth |
小题3: According to Raymond Zhou, Don Draper’s driving a Buick instead of a Cadillac shows __________.
| A．Mad Men attaches much importance to details |
| B．Mad Men places an absorbing plot right in its center |
| C．the director wants to raise the show’s artistic value |
| D．Mad Men’s description of the struggling white-collar workers makes it stand out |
小题4: What does the passage mainly talk about?
| A．Directors of US dramas. | B．US dramas and their storylines. |
| C．US period dramas to kill time. | D．US dramas and their magic touch. |