A story arc is an extended or continuing storyline in episodic storytelling media such as television, comic books, comic strips, video games, and in some cases, films. A narrative or story is a construct created in a suitable format (written spoken poetry prose images song Theater, or Dance) that describes a sequence of For the Stratovarius album see Episode (album. An episode is a part of a Dramatic work such as a serial television Television ( TV) is a widely used Telecommunication medium for sending ( Broadcasting) and receiving moving Images, either monochromatic A comic book (often shortened to simply comic and sometimes called a comic paper or comic magazine) is a Magazine or Book of narrative A comic strip is a sequence of drawings that tells a story Currently in the Western world, most comic strips are written and drawn by a Comics artist A video game is a Game that involves interaction with a User interface to generate visual feedback on a video device. In a television series, for example, the story would unfold over many episodes. A television program (US television programme (UK or television show (U In television, the use of the story arc is much more common in dramas than in comedies, especially in soap operas. Drama is the specific mode of Fiction represented in Performance. Comedy (from the Greek κωμωδίαkomodia has a popular meaning (any discourse generally intended to amuse especially in Television, Film, and A soap opera is an ongoing episodic work of Fiction, usually broadcast on Television or Radio. Webcomics are more likely to use story arcs than newspaper comics, as most web comics have readable archives online that a newcomer to the strip can read in order to understand what's going on. Webcomics, online comics, or Internet comics are Comics Published on a Website, often exclusively providing easy access to an A newspaper is a written Publication containing News, information and Advertising, usually printed on low-cost paper called Newsprint. Comics (via Latin from the Greek "" kōmikos, of or pertaining to "comedy" from kōmos "revel"
Many American comic book series are now written in four- or six-issue arcs, within a continuing series. Short story arcs are easier to package as trade paperbacks for resale, and more accessible to the casual reader than the never-ending continuity that once characterised comics. In Comics, a trade paperback ( TPB or simply trade) refers to a collection of stories originally published in comic books, reprinted in book format In Fiction, continuity (also called time-scheme) is consistency of the characteristics of persons plot, objects places and events seen by the reader or
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Dramatic structure and purpose
The purpose of a story arc is to move a character or a situation from one state to another — in other words, to effect a change. Peripeteia ( Greek,) is a reversal of circumstances or turning point This change or transformation often takes the form of either Aristotle's tragic fall from grace or a reversal of that pattern. Aristotle (Greek Aristotélēs) (384 BC – 322 BC was a Greek philosopher a student of Plato and teacher of Alexander the Great. One common form in which this reversal is found is a character going from a situation of weakness to one of strength. For example, a poor woman goes on adventures and in the end makes a fortune for herself, or a lonely man falls in love and marries.
Another form of storytelling that offers a change or transformation of character is that of "hero's journey," as laid out in Joseph Campbell's theory of the monomyth in his work, The Hero with a Thousand Faces. A character arc is the status of the character as it unfolds throughout the story, the Storyline or series of episodes Joseph John Campbell ( March 26, 1904 – October 30, 1987) was an American Mythology Professor, Writer The Hero with a Thousand Faces (first published in 1949 is a non-fiction book and seminal work of Comparative mythology by Joseph Campbell Christopher Vogler's The Writer's Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers details the same theory specifically for western storytelling.
Story arcs in contemporary drama often follow the pattern of bringing a character to a low point, removing the structures the character depends on, then forcing the character to find new strength without those structures.
Story arcs in television
Story arcs on television have been around for decades, and are common in many countries where multi-episode storylines are the norm (an example being the UK's Doctor Who), as well as most anime series. Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. Neon Genesis Evangelion, for example, is a single story arc spanning 26 episodes. commonly referred to as NGE, Eva, or Evangelion, is a commercially and critically successful influential and controversial Japanese Anime that Other longer anime have multiple story arcs, such as Bleach and One Piece. is a Japanese Shōnen Manga written and illustrated by Eiichiro Oda, that has been serialized in Weekly Shōnen Jump magazine Perhaps one of the most known anime, Dragon Ball Z, has 4 large story arcs, called "Sagas", divided into smaller sagas. The sagas (from Icelandic saga, plural sögur) are stories about ancient Scandinavian and Germanic history about early Viking voyages The CGI Cartoon Series ReBoot has 7 story arcs (One at the end of Series 2, 4 in Series 3, and 2 in Series 4), each other then the first one, has been given a name (To Mend and Defend, The Net, The Web, The Viral Wars, Daemon Rizing and My Two Bobs). ReBoot is a Canadian CGI - animated action-adventure Television series that originally aired from 1994 to 2001
Many arc-based series in past decades, such as V, were often short-lived and found it difficult to attract new viewers; they also rarely appear in traditional syndication. V The Series was a one-hour weekly television series based on American producer and director Kenneth Johnson 's science fiction franchise However, the rise of DVD retail of television series has worked in arc-based productions' favor as the standard season collection format allows the viewer to have easy access to the relevant episodes. DVD (also known as " Digital Versatile Disc " or " Digital Video Disc " - see Etymology)is One area of television where story arcs have always thrived, however, is in the realm of the soap opera, and often episodic series have been derisively referred to as "soap operas" when they have adopted story arcs. A soap opera is an ongoing episodic work of Fiction, usually broadcast on Television or Radio.
Arc-based series draw and reward dedicated viewers, and fans of a particular show follow and discuss different story arcs independently from particular episodes. Story arcs are sometimes split into subarcs if deemed significant by fans, making it easy to refer to certain episodes if their production order titles are unknown. Episodes not relevant to story arcs are sometimes dismissed as filler by fans, but might be referred to as self-contained or stand-alone episodes by producers. In media filler is material that is combined with material of greater relevance or quality to "fill out" a certain volume
Story arc usage in American TV series
Story arc usage use in American episodic series (as opposed to miniseries) has been sporadic, in part because of the belief that arc-heavy series are difficult to sell in syndication where stations might not air episodes in order, or casual/occasional viewers might lose interest. A miniseries (also mini-series) in a serial Storytelling medium is a production which tells a story in a pre-planned limited number of episodes In Broadcasting, syndication is the sale of the right to broadcast Radio shows and Television shows to multiple individual stations without going through
One of the first shows to use story arcs was I Love Lucy, which featured several ongoing story-lines such as Lucy's pregnancy in Season 2, the Ricardos and Mertzs going to Hollywood in Season 4, and Europe in Season 5. I Love Lucy is an American Situation comedy, starring Lucille Ball, Desi Arnaz, Vivian Vance and William Frawley The following is a list of episodes from the CBS television series I Love Lucy. The following is a list of episodes from the CBS television series I Love Lucy. The following is a list of episodes from the CBS television series I Love Lucy. However these arcs, with the notable exception of Lucy's pregnancy, were still mainly episodic with no long-lasting consequences.
A more influential attempt at a long-term story arc was in the 1960s TV series The Fugitive. The 1960s decade refers to the years from the beginning of 1960 to the end of 1969 The Fugitive is an American Television series produced by QM Productions and United Artists Television that aired on ABC Though the series consisted of self-contained episodes, the protagonist Richard Kimble's primary motivation was finding the mysterious "One-Armed Man" who framed him for murder (giving him the impetus to appear in a different town each week). Dr Richard Kimble is the fictional character featured in the television series The Fugitive, portrayed by actor David Janssen. A small handful of episodes devoted themselves almost entirely to the search for the "One-Armed Man" or Kimble's attempt to stay a step ahead of his primary police pursuer, Inspector Gerard. The series proved influential, with the The Incredible Hulk being the best-known imitator. The Incredible Hulk is an American Television series based on the Marvel Comic book character of the same name.
A new type of arc-based television storytelling was introduced in the early 1980s, when several dramas, notably Hill Street Blues and St. Elsewhere, began to use a format of overlapping story arcs; that is, in any given episode one new arc might be starting, while a second was ongoing, and yet another might be concluding. The 1980s was the decade spanning from January 1 1980 to December 31 1989. Hill Street Blues is a serial Police drama that was first aired on NBC in 1981 and ran for 146 episodes on primetime into 1987 St Elsewhere is a US Drama series that originally ran on NBC from October 26, 1982 to May 25, 1988. These story arcs were typically resolved much more quickly than in a soap opera show, and they might be of varying lengths and were often combined with additional storylines that were contained within a single episode. The early 1990s David Lynch-Mark Frost-produced ABC series Twin Peaks used this method extensively, which, despite critical acclaim and extensive media attention, contributed to its cancellation after two seasons. David Keith Lynch (born January 20 1946 is an American director, Screenwriter, producer, painter, Cartoonist, Composer Mark Frost (born November 25, 1953) is an American novelist television/film writer director and Executive producer. The American Broadcasting Company ( ABC) is an American Television network. Twin Peaks is a Television Serial drama that follows the investigation of the brutal murder of popular respected Teenager and homecoming queen The technique proved highly influential and was adopted for later, even more successful dramas including L.A. Law and ER, as well as for some comedies. LA Law is an American television Legal drama that ran from 1986 to 1994. ER is an Emmy Award -winning American Medical drama series created by Novelist Michael Crichton and airing on
A noted pioneer of the use of sweeping story arcs in American television, and more notably American science fiction television, was J. Michael Straczynski. Joseph Michael Straczynski (born July 17, 1954) known professionally as J His series, Babylon 5, relied almost exclusively on arcs starting at the end of its second season, at the same time that Straczynski would begin to write every single episode. Babylon 5 is an American science fiction television series created produced and largely written by J Up to that point, science fiction television in the U. S. was often associated with the reset button technique, where individual episodes dominated a series' run and consequences were rarely far-reaching. The reset button technique (based on the idea of Status quo ante) is a Plot device that interrupts continuity in works of fiction Around the same time, Chris Carter developed The X-Files, which was a mixture of stand-alone episodes and a long running story arc dubbed by Carter as "the mythology. Christopher Carl Carter (born October 13, 1956) is an American Screenwriter, Film director and producer, best known The X-Files is a Peabody, Golden Globe and Emmy Award -winning American Science fiction television series created by Chris Carter " Carter and Straczynski proved the concept was viable for science fiction and would pave the way for current arc-heavy genre shows where events within the story have lasting consequence, such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer and the new Battlestar Galactica. Fictional narratives (and works of art exist beyond their completion e The Battlestar Galactica Science fiction franchise which began as a 1978 TV series, was "reimagined" in 2003 into a TV miniseries The central storyline of such series is often called the "mytharc".
In recent years, American viewers have become increasingly more accepting of story arcs, with arc-based series such as Alias, Six Feet Under, 24, Desperate Housewives, Heroes, and Lost (which are based on huge, long-running story arcs, that intertwine and can also revert backwards and forwards in time during an episode) finding critical acclaim and ratings success, and the release of arc-heavy TV series on DVD generating huge sales. Alias is an American " Spy-fi " television series created by J Six Feet Under is an American Television Drama created by Alan Ball that was originally broadcast from 2001 to 2005 24 is an Emmy and Golden Globe award-winning American action Drama Television series. Desperate Housewives is an American Television Dramedy series created by Marc Cherry, who also serves as Show runner, and produced Heroes is an American Science fiction television drama series created by Tim Kring, which premiered on NBC on September Lost is an Emmy and Golden Globe award-winning American serial drama television series. DVD (also known as " Digital Versatile Disc " or " Digital Video Disc " - see Etymology)is The HBO series The Sopranos utilized arcs and even portrayed a main character, Christopher Moltisanti, referring to his own desire to not "just survive," but rather have his life lead on a major story arc, asking "Where's my arc?" (Sopranos, episode 1. 8, 1999).
The tide has turned to the point where arcs have become expected elements of dramatic series, and shows that rely upon stand-alone episodes are now quite often held up for criticism (a good example being Star Trek: Enterprise which enjoyed fan and critical acceptance only after adopting an arc-based format after two seasons of mostly stand-alone episodes). Star Trek Enterprise (simply titled Enterprise prior to season three is a Science fiction Television program created by Brannon The Asian-influenced Avatar The Last Airbender enjoys high ratings outside its intended 6 to 11 year old audience as well as praise from various critics primarily due to being one of the very few current American animated series to feature a series-long story arc with a central storyline. Avatar The Last Airbender (also known in some countries as Avatar The Legend of Aang) is an Emmy award -winning American
While it is uncommon to see a story arc in sitcoms, many comedies have tried their hand at it. One example is seasons 4 and 7 of the NBC hit Seinfeld. The National Broadcasting Company ( NBC) is an American Television network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Seinfeld is an American Situation comedy, or sitcom that originally aired on NBC from July 5 1989 to May 14 1998 lasting nine seasons Season 4 involved Jerry and George writing their script for their own television pilot, and Elaine's relationship with "Crazy" Joe Davola. "Crazy" Joe Davola is a minor Seinfeld character who suffers from mental instability and aggressive behavior Season 7 dealt with George becoming engaged to Susan Ross, then regretting it and trying to break it off, eventually leading to her accidental death in the season finale. Curb Your Enthusiasm also had season long story arcs in seasons 2-6, and Arrested Development also contained multiple story arcs over its three seasons. Curb Your Enthusiasm is an American Sitcom starring Seinfeld writer co-creator and executive producer Larry David as himself and Arrested Development is a character-driven American television Sitcom about a formerly wealthy habitually Dysfunctional family.
Pro-wrestling has also used story arcs, called "angles" within the industry, to tell of feuds between two wrestlers and of different gimmicks each wrestler is given. World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) is most known to use the story arc format in the pro-wrestling business, so much so that owner Vince McMahon has referred to the WWE as a "sports-entertainment" brand, which has also been uttered in many ways among the WWE staff, and McMahon has at times referred to the WWE as a "male soap opera". World Wrestling Entertainment Inc ( WWE) is a publicly traded privately controlled integrated media (focusing in Television, Internet, Vincent Kennedy McMahon (born August 24 1945 popularly known by his Ring name Mr
Story arc usage in Manga and Anime
Manga and Anime are usually good examples of arc-based stories, to the point that most series shorter than 26 chapters are a single, huge arc spanning all the chapters. ˈmɑŋgə is the Japanese word for Comics (sometimes called komikku コミック and print Cartoons In their modern form manga date from shortly (anime in Japanese, Syndication, thus, is made difficult with anime, as loose episodes often end up confusing viewers unless they watch the entire series. Longer series usually have more than one arc — again, very long arcs often 30 chapters long such as Dragon Ball Z or One Piece or even Naruto. is a Japanese Shōnen Manga written and illustrated by Eiichiro Oda, that has been serialized in Weekly Shōnen Jump magazine is an ongoing Japanese Manga series written and illustrated by Masashi Kishimoto with an Anime adaptation Tokusatsu also does this and it is usually marked when a main villain is vanquished and a new villain (or hero) appears. is a Japanese word that literally means " Special effects " It is primarily used to refer to Live-action Japanese Film and
See also
- Dramatic structure
- Serial
- Antenarrative
- Storytelling
- Sjuzhet
- Miniseries
- Limited series
- Frame story
- Character arc
External links
- BFI webpage: Drama series and serials explaining the difference between a series and a serial
Dictionary
story arc
-noun
- An extended or continuing storyline in episodic storytelling media such as television or comic books.
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