Serial is a term, originating in literature, for a format by which a story is told in contiguous installments in sequential issues of a single periodical publication. More generally, serial is applied in library and information science to materials "in any medium issued under the same title in a succession of discrete parts, usually numbered (or dated) and appearing at regular or irregular intervals with no predetermined conclusion."^[1] By extension, serial also came to apply to a film issued in the same installment manner over a period of sequential weeks at a single movie house. This article is about the magazine as a published medium. ... Library and information science (LIS) is the study of issues related to libraries and the information fields. ... Film refers to the celluloid media on which movies are printed. ...

In recent times, the term has been used for a radio or television production with a continuously evolving, unified plot and set of characters spread over multiple episodes and sometimes years (see, e.g., soap opera). The unity of plot and contiguity across numerous episodes distinguishes a radio or television serial from a radio or television series. In British television, it is also synonymous with the American term "miniseries", meaning a short run series where one overarching story is told across several episodes and concluded in the final instalment. The first TIME cover devoted to soap operas: Dated January 12, 1976, Bill Hayes and Susan Seaforth Hayes of Days of Our Lives are featured with the headline Soap Operas: Sex and suffering in the afternoon. A soap opera is an ongoing, episodic work of fiction, usually broadcast on television... A television program is the content of television broadcasting. ... British television broadcasting has a range of different broadcasters, broadcasting multiple channels over a variety of distribution media. ... A miniseries (sometimes mini-series), in a serial storytelling medium, is a production which tells a story in a limited number of episodes. ...

Print

During the 19th century, many popular writers earned a living from writing stories in serial form for popular magazines of the day. Many of Charles Dickens' novels were originally published in this manner, for example, and this is the reason many of them are so long - the more chapters he wrote, the longer the serial continued in the magazine and the more money he was paid. Other famous writers who wrote serial literature for popular magazines include Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, who created the Sherlock Holmes stories originally for serialisation in The Strand magazine. Charles Dickens was a prolific writer who was almost always working on a new installment for a story and rarely missed a deadline. ... Arthur Conan Doyle Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle (May 22, 1859 - July 7, 1930) is the British author most famously known for his stories about the detective Sherlock Holmes, which are generally considered a major innovation in the field of crime fiction. ... Vasily Livanov was awarded the Order of the British Empire for his portrayal of Sherlock Holmes in the Russian TV series. ... The Strand Magazine was a monthly fiction magazine founded by George Newnes. ...

Film

Poster for The Perils of Pauline (1914)

A serial, or cliffhanger, was a popular form of movie entertainment that dated back to Edison's What Happened to Mary? of 1912. Usually filmed with low budgets, serials were action-packed stories that usually involved a hero (or heroes) battling an evil villain and rescuing a damsel in distress. The villain would continually place the hero into inescapable deathtraps and situations, or the heroine would be placed into a deathtrap and the hero would bravely come to her rescue, usually pulling her away from certain death only instants before she met her doom. The hero and heroine would face one trap after another, battling countless thugs and lackeys, before finally defeating the villain "once and for all"...even though the villain would almost always get away at the end, to return at a future date. Poster for The Perils of Pauline (1914) This work is copyrighted. ... Poster for The Perils of Pauline (1914) This work is copyrighted. ... The Perils of Pauline was a silent movie serial which debuted in 1914. ... Heroine, the feminine form of hero, should not be confused with heroin, the drug. ... A typical cartoon villain. ... A poster for The Perils of Pauline (1914). ...

Many famous cliches of action-adventure movies had their origins in the serials. The popular term cliffhanger was developed as a plot device in film serials (though its origins have been traced by some historians to the Sherlock Holmes stories of Arthur Conan Doyle), and it comes from the many times that the hero or heroine would end up hanging over a cliff, usually as the villain gloated above and waited for them to plummet thousands of feet to their deaths. Other popular cliches included the heroine being tied to a railroad track; being lashed to a log in a sawmill, lying on a conveyor belt and approaching a gigantic whirling sawblade; or being trapped in an abandoned mine shaft, watching as the burning fuse of a nearby bundle of dynamite sparked and sputtered its way towards the deadly explosive. The popular Indiana Jones movies are a well-known, romantic pastiche of the serials' clichéd plot elements and devices. A cliffhanger or cliffhanger ending is a plot device in which a movie or novel contains an abrupt ending, often leaving the main characters in a precarious or difficult situation. ... A plot device is a person or an object introduced to a story to affect or advance the plot. ... Vasily Livanov was awarded the Order of the British Empire for his portrayal of Sherlock Holmes in the Russian TV series. ... Arthur Conan Doyle Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle (May 22, 1859 – July 7, 1930) was a Scottish author most famously known for his stories about the detective Sherlock Holmes, which are generally considered a major innovation in the field of crime fiction. ... Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones Professor Henry Indiana Jones, Junior is a fictional bullwhip-toting, fedora-wearing archaeologist with an ophidiophobia (fear of snakes). ...

The serials were filmed in separate parts, and each chapter (a typical serial usually had fifteen of them) would be screened at the same theater for one week. The serial would end with a cliffhanger, as the hero and heroine would find themselves in the latest perilous situation from which there could be no escape. The audience would have to return the next week (and pay admission) to find out how the hero and heroine would escape and battle the villain once again. Serials were especially popular with children, and for many youths in the first half of the 20th century, a typical Saturday at the movies included a chapter of at least one serial, along with cartoons, newsreels, and two feature films. (19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901–2000 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar (1900–1999 in the...

Silent era

Famous American serials of the silent era include The Perils of Pauline and The Exploits of Elaine made by Pathé Frères and starring Pearl White. Another popular serial emerged that year, the 119 episode The Hazards of Helen made by Kalem Studios and starring Helen Holmes for the first forty-eight episodes then Helen Gibson for the remainder. Other major studios of the silent era produced them, such as Vitagraph and Essanay, as did Warner Bros., Fox, and Universal. Several independent companies (for example, Mascot Pictures) made Western serials. At least three silent Tarzan serials were also made. Europe had its own serials, notably the French Judex and the German Homonculus. The Perils of Pauline was a silent movie serial which debuted in 1914. ... The Exploits of Elaine is a 1914 film serial in the genre of The Perils of Pauline, and even outgrossed that serial in ticket sales. ... Pathé or Pathé Frères is the name of various businesses founded and originally run by the Pathé Brothers of France. ... Pearl Fay White, born March 4, 1889 in Greenridge, Missouri, United States - died August 4, 1938 in Neuilly-sur-Seine, Auteuil-Neuilly-Passy, France, was a singer and star of silent film. ... The Hazards of Helen, episode # 44 The Hazards of Helen is an American adventure film serial of 119 twelve minute episodes released over a span of slightly more than two years by the Kalem Company between November 7, 1914 and February 24, 1917. ... Kalem Studios and Hollywood staff, 1915 The Kalem Company was an American film studio founded in New York City in 1907 by Frank J. Marion, Samuel Long, and George Kleine. ... Helen Holmes, c. ... Helen Gibson Helen Gibson (August 27, 1892 - October 10, 1977) was an American rodeo rider and film actress. ... American Vitagraph was a United States movie studio, founded by J. Stuart Blackton and Alfred E. Smith in 1897 and bought by Warner Brothers in 1925. ... Essanay Studios was a motion picture company founded in Chicago, Illinois by George K. Spoor and Bronco Billy Anderson under the name Essanay (S and A). It produced silent films with such stars as Ben Turpin, Wallace Beery, Francis X. Bushman, Gloria Swanson and Charlie Chaplin. ... The WB Shield used from 2003 to present day Warner Bros. ... 20th Century Fox logo Fox Plaza, the company headquarters. ... The current Universal Studios logo Universal Studios, a subsidiary of NBC Universal, has production studios and offices located at 100 Universal City Plaza Drive in Universal City, California, an unincorporated area of Los Angeles County between Los Angeles and Burbank. ... The Western is an American genre in literature and film. ... James H. Pierce and Joan Burroughs Pierce starred in the 1932-34 Tarzan radio series Tarzan, a character created by Edgar Rice Burroughs, first appeared in the 1914 novel Tarzan of the Apes, and then in twenty-three sequels. ... Judex is the title of a 1914 silent movie serial created by Louis Feuillade and Arthur Bernède. ... Hartsoekers homunculus The concept of a homunculus (Latin for little man, sometimes spelled homonculus) is often used to illustrate the functioning of a system. ...

Sound era

The arrival of sound technology made it costlier to produce serials, so that they were no longer as profitable on a flat rental basis. Further, the Great Depression made it impossible for many of the smaller companies which had turned out serials to upgrade to sound, and they therefore went out of business. Only one serial specialty company, Mascot Pictures was in fact able to make the transition from silent to sound filmmaking: Universal Pictures also kept its serial unit alive through the transition. Dorothea Langes Migrant Mother depicts destitute pea pickers in California, centering on Florence Owens Thompson, a mother of seven children, age 32, in Nipomo, California, March 1936. ... Universal Studios Theme Parks. ...

In the early 1930s a handful of independent companies tried their hand at making serials, but managed only two or three, including the once-prolific Weiss Brothers. The Weisses bought a little time when Columbia Pictures decided to take a try at serials, and contracted with them (as Adventure Serials Inc.) to make three chapterplays. They were successful enough that Columbia then established its own serial unit and the Weisses essentially disappeared from the serial scene. This was in 1937, and Columbia was probably inspired by the previous year's serial blockbuster success at Universal, Flash Gordon, the first serial ever to play at a major theater on Broadway; and by the success of that same year of the newly-created Republic Pictures, which dedicated itself to a program of serials and westerns, eschewing major productions in their favor. The creation of Republic involved the absorption of Mascot Pictures, so that by 1937, serial production was now in the hands of three companies only - Universal, Columbia and Republic, with Republic quickly becoming the acknowledged leader in quality serial product. Each company turned out four to five serials per year, of 12 to 15 episodes each, a pace which they all kept up until the end of World War II when, in 1946, Universal dropped its serial unit along with its b-picture unit and renamed its production department Universal-International Pictures. Republic and Columbia continued unchallenged, with about 4 serials per year each, Republic fixing theirs at 12 chapters each while Columbia fixed at fifteen. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... The Columbia Pictures logo, since 1996. ... 1937 (MCMXXXVII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ... Flash Gordon is a 1936 film serial which tells the story of three people from Earth who travel to the planet Mongo to fight the evil Emperor Ming the Merciless. ... Republic Pictures Corporation (aka Republic Entertainment) is an independent film, television, and video distribution company that was originally a movie production-distribution corporation with studio facilities, best known for its specialization in quality B pictures, westerns and movie serials. ...

By the mid-50s, however, episode television series and the sale of older serials to TV syndicators by all the current and past major sound serial producers, together with the loss of audience attendance at Saturday matinees in general, made serial-making a losing proposition.

Machinima

Many films created using machinima, the art of using pre-existing consumer-level three-dimensional rendering engines to create computer-generated imagery, have been distributed in serial format. According to Hugh Hancock of Machinima.com, three to five minutes is an optimal length for videos downloaded over the Internet. As a result, a serial composed of multiple short videos can be an effective way of telling a longer story in this medium. Red vs Blue: The Blood Gulch Chronicles — an ongoing comedy series by Rooster Teeth Productions with a continuous, single plot spanning more than 70 episodes — popularized this distribution method.^[2] Many Red vs Blue episodes end with cliffhangers, and Rooster Teeth Productions has in fact acknowledged that the series is similar to older film serials in this regard.^[3] Another notable machinima production, Edgeworks Entertainment's The Codex, is a self-contained film, but was nonetheless released as a serial in 20 episodes between February and August 2005. A scene from the popular machinima series Red vs Blue. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Rendering is the process of generating an image from a model, by means of a software program. ... The pseudopod in The Abyss marked CGIs acceptance in the visual effects industry. ... Red vs Blue: The Blood Gulch Chronicles, sometimes abbreviated as RvB, is a science fiction comedy series created by Rooster Teeth Productions. ... Rooster Teeth Productions is a production group from Buda, Texas, near Austin, Texas, that specializes in machinima movies. ... Edgeworks Entertainment is a machinima production group created by Alexander Winn and Ryan Luther. ... The Codex is a 20 episode online machinima series, set in the Halo video game universe following the story of a Covenant invasion of a Human world in order to recover a Forerunner artifact, and the story of the Humans resisting that invasion. ...

Early serial films

What Happened to Mary? is the first motion picture serial made in the United States. ... The Adventures of Kathlyn is an American motion picture serial released on December 29, 1913 by the Selig Polyscope Company. ... Fantômas, a fictional master criminal and villain, is the subject of a series of early-20th century French detective thrillers. ... France has been influential in the development of film as a mass medium and as an art form. ... The Perils of Pauline was a silent movie serial which debuted in 1914. ... The Hazards of Helen, episode # 44 The Hazards of Helen is an American adventure film serial of 119 twelve minute episodes released over a span of slightly more than two years by the Kalem Company between November 7, 1914 and February 24, 1917. ... The Exploits of Elaine is a 1914 film serial in the genre of The Perils of Pauline, and even outgrossed that serial in ticket sales. ... Les Vampires is a 1915 10-part silent movie. ... Buford and the Galloping Ghost was a 1978 Saturday morning cartoon produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions, spun off from Yogis Space Race. ... DArtagnan and the Musketeers The Three Musketeers (Les Trois Mousquetaires) is a novel by Alexandre Dumas, père. ... Categories: Stub | Fictional characters ... The New Adventures of Tarzan is a 1935 American film serial in 12 episodes. ... The Phantom Empire starring Gene Autry, the Singing Cowboy, was a 12 chapter 1935 Mascot serial that combined western, musical, and science fiction genres. ... Flash Gordon is a science fiction comic strip originally drawn by Alex Raymond, first published on January 7, 1934. ... Dick Tracy USPS stamp Dick Tracy is a comic strip detective and a popular character in American pop culture. ... Secret Agent Corrigan a. ... Tim Tylers Luck was an adventure comic strip created by Lyman Young, older brother of Blondie creator Chic Young. ... Blondie is a 1938 movie directed by Frank Strayer, based on the comic strip of the same name. ... Flash Gordons Trip to Mars is a 1938 film serial of 15 episodes, based on the comic strip Flash Gordon. ... The Lone Ranger The Lone Ranger was an early, long-running radio and television show based on characters created by George W. Trendle of Detroit, Michigan and developed by writer Fran Striker of Buffalo, New York. ... The Green Hornet (above) and Kato (below). ... Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe is a 1940 twelve episode serial film about Flash Gordon. ... Who knows what evil lurks?—The Shadow, as seen on the cover of the July 15, 1939 issue of The Shadow Magazine. ... The Adventures of Captain Marvel is an acclaimed film serial directed by John English and William Witney for Republic Pictures in 1941. ... 1941 Big Little Book Captain Midnight was a U.S. radio serial broadcast from 1938 to 1949. ... Spy Smasher (real name Alan Armstrong) is a DC Comics superhero, formerly owned by Fawcett Comics. ... There were two Batman serials released in the 1940s, starring the DC Comics characters Batman and Robin. ... The Phantom is a comic strip created by Lee Falk (also creator of Mandrake the Magician), recounting the adventures of a costumed crime-fighter called the Phantom. ... Superman is a fictional character and superhero of DC Comics who first appeared in Action Comics #1 in 1938 and is considered one of the three greatest superheroes of the world, the others being Batman, also of DC Comics, and Spider-Man of Marvel Comics. ... There were two Batman serials released in the 1940s, starring the DC Comics characters Batman and Robin. ...

Peak form

The classic sound serial has a first episode of about 30 minutes (approximately three reels in length, and begins with reports of a masked, secret, or unsuspected villain menacing an unspecific part of America. This episode traditionally has the most detailed credits at the beginning, often with pictures of the actors with their names and that of the character they play. Often there follows a montage of scenes lifted from the cliffhangers of previous serials to depict the ways in which the master criminal was a serial killer with a motive. In the first episode, various suspects or "candidates" who may, in secret, be this villain are presented, and the viewer often hears the voice but does not see the face of this mastermind commanding his "spearpoint villain," similar to a sergeant, whom the viewer will see in just about every episode. A reel may also refer to a type of dance and its accompanying music. ...

In the succeeding weeks (usually eleven to fourteen) thereafter, an episode nearer 20 minutes (approximately two reels) in length was presented, in which the "spearpoint villain" and lesser thugs commit crimes in various places, fight the hero, and trap someone to make the ending a cliffhanger. Many of the episodes have clues, dialogue, and events to lead the viewer to think that any of the candidates were the mastermind. As serials were made by writing the whole script first and then slicing it into portions filmed at various sites, often the same location would be used several times in the serial, often given different signage, or none at all, just being referred to differently. There would often be a female love interest of the male hero, or a female hero herself, but as the audience was mainly children, there was no hugging and kissing. A reel may also refer to a type of dance and its accompanying music. ...

One episode, near the end of this run, was often an "economy episode" in which the characters reminisce about their adventures so as to introduce showing those scenes again. This type of episode usually had a cheap, mechanical cliffhanger, like a time bomb rather than being unconscious in a runaway vehicle.

The last episode was sometimes a bit longer than most, for its tasks were to unmask the head villain (who usually was someone completely unsuspected), wrap up the loose ends, and end with a triumphal proclamation, followed by a joke -- and sometimes a kiss (provided that the story supplied a heroine to receive it).

Production practices

The firms saved money by reusing the same cliffhangers over the years. Mines or tunnels flooded often, even in Flash Gordon, and the same model cars and trains went off the same cliffs and bridges. Republic had a Packard limousine and a Ford Woodie station wagon used in serial after serial so they could match the shots with the stock footage from the model or previous stunt driving. Three different serials had them chasing the Art Deco sound truck, required for location shooting, for various reasons. Male fistfighters all wore hats so that the change from actor to stunt double would not be caught so easily. Flash Gordon is a science fiction comic strip originally drawn by Alex Raymond, first published on January 7, 1934. ... Packard red hexagon symbol made its debut in 1905, with the color red added in 1913 Packard was a United States based brand of luxury automobile built by the Packard Motors Company of Detroit,Michigan, and later by the Studebaker-Packard Corporation of South Bend, Indiana. ... The Ford Motor Company (usually called Ford; sometimes called FoMoCo), (NYSE: F) is a multinational corporation that manufactures automobiles. ... A woodie is a wooden roller coaster. ... Asheville City Hall. ...

Exposition of what led up to the previous episode's cliffhanger was usually displayed on placards with a photograph of one of the characters on it. In 1939, Universal brought the first "scrolling text" exposition to the serial, which George Lucas used in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope in 1977. As this would have required subcontracting the optical effects, Republic saved money by not using it. 1939 (MCMXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... George Walton Lucas, Jr. ... This movie poster for Star Wars depicts many of the films important elements, such as Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, Han Solo, X-Wing and Y-Wing fighters Star Wars, retitled Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope in 1981 (see note at Title,) is the original (and in chronological... For the album by Ash, see 1977 (album). ...

Stylistic differences between the studios

The major difference between the serials made by the various firms lay in that the minor studios had their own retinue of actors and writers, their own prop department, existing sets, stock footage, and music library. The early independent studios had none of these, except for being able to rent the sets of independent Western features. As the serials were bought sight-unseen by the lesser theaters for an audience of children, their product often had the worst acting and scripts, the least capable direction, and the most monotonous music ever screened: worse than any film that got reviewed in print.

The Adventures of Captain Marvel, one of the most celebrated serials for both Republic Pictures and of the sound era in general.

Although Republic was not even a minor studio, the serials they produced have been hailed as some of the best, especially those directed by John English and William Witney who are widely considered among the most talented directors in the form. In addition to screenwriting many critics thought was quite capable, the firm also introduced choreographed fistfights which often included their stuntmen throwing things in desperation at one another in every fight to heighten the action. In addition, their productions were praised for their production values such as convincing explosions and other disasters as well as more fantastic visuals such as Captain Marvel flying. However, they were also somewhat hampered with limited shooting facilities, such as lacking their own backlot and props. This often prompted repeated use of familiar cars and locations from generic settings like identical warehouses, stairwells, offices and specialized locations like a certain speedboat rental pier. They were able to get the rights to the newspaper comic character Dick Tracy, the radio character The Lone Ranger, and the comic book characters Captain America, Captain Marvel, and Spy Smasher. DVD front cover for the film serial The Adventures of Captain Marvel. ... DVD front cover for the film serial The Adventures of Captain Marvel. ... The Adventures of Captain Marvel is an acclaimed film serial directed by John English and William Witney for Republic Pictures in 1941. ... This article is in need of attention. ... Captain Marvel is a comic book superhero, originally published by Fawcett Comics and now owned by DC Comics. ... A backlot is an area behind or adjoining a movie studio with permanent exterior sets for outdoor scenes in motion picture and/or television productions. ... Dick Tracy USPS stamp Dick Tracy is a comic strip detective and a popular character in American pop culture. ... The Lone Ranger The Lone Ranger was an early, long-running radio and television show based on characters created by George W. Trendle of Detroit, Michigan and developed by writer Fran Striker of Buffalo, New York. ... Captain America, the alter ego of Steve Rogers (in some accounts Steven Grant Rogers), is a Marvel Comics superhero. ... Spy Smasher (real name Alan Armstrong) is a DC Comics superhero, formerly owned by Fawcett Comics. ...

Columbia was the firm that got the most of these name-brand heroes. From newspaper comics, they got Brenda Starr, Terry and the Pirates, Mandrake the Magician, and The Phantom; from the comic books, Blackhawk, Congo Bill, a time traveller named Brick Bradford, and Batman and Superman; from radio, Jack Armstrong, Hop Harrigan, and The Shadow; from the British novelist, Edgar Wallace, the first archer superhero: The Green Archer; and even from television: Captain Video. Columbia substituted animation for more expensive special effects and showed the audience that the cliffhanger would not kill the hero by having a reassuring announcer pose the next episode's menace at the end of the episode. Their scripts had more humor than the others, often to the point of being far more absurd. And even though this was an important studio in comparison to the independent ones, it merely released serials which were subcontacted out to units outside their main production system. Brenda Starr is a comic strip about the title character, a glamorous, adventurous reporter. ... Terry and the Pirates is the title of: a comic strip created by Milton Caniff; see: Terry and the Pirates (comic strip) a radio serial, based on the comic strip; see: Terry and the Pirates (radio serial) a television series, also based on the comic strip; see: Terry and the... Mandrake the Magician is a U.S. comic strip created in 1934 by Lee Falk (also creator of The Phantom) and mainly appearing in syndication in newspapers. ... The Phantom is a comic strip created by Lee Falk (also creator of Mandrake the Magician), recounting the adventures of a costumed crime-fighter called the Phantom. ... Blackhawk #12 (Autumn, 1946), Quality Comics. ... Congo Bill was a long running DC Comics adventure comic strip, first published in More Fun Comics #56 (June, 1940). ... The Brick Bradford movie, based upon the comics Brick Bradford was a science fiction comic that began in 1933 created by writer William Ritt (a journalist based from Cleveland, Ohio) and artist Clarence Gray that was originally distributed by Cetral Press Associations, a subsidiary of King Features. ... The DC Comics superhero Batman (originally and still sometimes referred to as the Batman or the Bat-Man) is a fictional character who first appeared in Frank Fosters drawings of 1932 and later published in Detective Comics #27 in May 1939. ... Superman is a fictional character and superhero of DC Comics who first appeared in Action Comics #1 in 1938 and is considered one of the three greatest superheroes of the world, the others being Batman, also of DC Comics, and Spider-Man of Marvel Comics. ... Jack Armstrong is a dashing young man who lives in Rosebud, Victoria, Australia. ... Hop Harrigan first appeared in All American Comics #1 created by Jon Blummer (Fighting Yank, Little Boy Blue) as one of the first aviation heroes in comic history (Hop appeared before Tailspin Tommy, Barney Baxter, Connie Kurridge and others). ... Who knows what evil lurks?—The Shadow, as seen on the cover of the July 15, 1939 issue of The Shadow Magazine. ... Edgar Wallace pictured on a 1929 cover of Time Richard Horatio Edgar Wallace (April 1, 1875–February 10, 1932) was a prolific British crime writer, journalist and playwright, who wrote 175 novels, 24 plays, and countless articles in newspapers and journals. ... Captain Video and His Video Rangers was the first of the American outer space television shows, beginning on the DuMont network on June 27, 1949. ...

Universal was the studio with the most available resources. It had the best writing, so they made the best use of their contracted actors. The start of some of their episodes has the exposition of the cliffhanger given in conversation, rather than appearing on placard stills. They were able to get the characters Green Hornet and Ace Drummond from radio, and Smilin' Jack, Buck Rogers and Flash Gordon from newspaper comics. The Green Hornet (above) and Kato (below). ... Ace Drummond was a comic strip drawn by Clayton Knight and written by Eddie Rickenbacker. ... Buck Rogers may mean: Fictional characters: Buck Rogers (science fiction) Buck Rogers in the 25th Century (TV series) Buck Rogers (western) Buck Rogers (video game) Buck Rogers (song), by the rock group Feeder This is a disambiguation page: a list of articles associated with the same title. ... Flash Gordon is a science fiction comic strip originally drawn by Alex Raymond, first published on January 7, 1934. ...

Universal also signed on four of Warner Brothers' Dead End Kids to star in three serials. Although Bela Lugosi started working for Universal, his frustration at the greater celebrity of Boris Karloff made him act in several independent serials, but only one for Universal. The Dead End Kids were six young actors from New York who appeared in Sidney Kingsleys play Dead End in 1935 on Broadway. ... Bela Lugosi as Dracula United States stamp Béla Lugosi was the stage name of actor Béla Ferenc Dezső Blaskó (October 20, 1882–August 16, 1956). ... Boris Karloff Boris Karloff (November 23, 1887 – February 2, 1969), born William Henry Pratt, was an actor best known for his roles in horror films. ...

Radio and television

With the advent of television and the decline of the moviegoing audience, production of serials ceased due to the decreasing audience (and revenues). But the serial lived on, moving instead to the small screen and the world of TV reruns.

The television serial format as we know it today actually originated in radio, in the form of daily 15-minute programs known as soap operas (so-called because many of these shows were sponsored by soap companies, such as Colgate-Palmolive and Procter & Gamble), and children's adventure shows. Soap operas were specifically engineered to appeal to women (clearly to entice them to buy more soap). They usually ran from Monday through Friday at exactly the same time every day. A show called "The Smith Family" which ran only one night a week on WENR in Chicago during the early 1930's was credited as the "great-granddaddy of the soap operas" by radio historian Francis Chase, Jr. One of the other shows that helped pioneer the daytime soap opera/serial was The Guiding Light, which debuted on NBC radio in 1937, and is still airing today on CBS Television (where "Guiding Light" has been since 1952). Some of the characters in soap operas have been portrayed as long-suffering (a common theme even in some of today's serials along with the social and economical issues of the day). Children's adventure serials were more like film serials, with continuing characters involved in exploits with episodes that often ended in a cliffhanger situation. The first TIME cover devoted to soap operas: Dated January 12, 1976, Bill Hayes and Susan Seaforth Hayes of Days of Our Lives are featured with the headline Soap Operas: Sex and suffering in the afternoon. A soap opera is an ongoing, episodic work of fiction, usually broadcast on television... Colgate-Palmolive Company NYSE: CL is a multinational corporation in the business of the provision of products such as soaps, detergents, and oral hygiene products such as toothpaste and toothbrushes. ... It has been suggested that Global Gillette be merged into this article or section. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... NBC, formerly called the National Broadcasting Company, is an American television broadcasting company based in New York Citys Rockefeller Center. ... For other uses, see CBS (disambiguation). ... 1952 (MCMLII) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ...

Guiding Light and such other daytime serials such as As the World Turns (premiered in 1956), General Hospital (premiered in 1963), Days of Our Lives (premiered in 1965), One Life to Live (premiered in 1968), All My Children (premiered in 1970), and The Young and the Restless (premiered in 1973) were popular in the Golden and Silver Ages of television and still are today. As the World Turns (ATWT) is the second longest-running American television soap opera, airing each weekday on CBS. It debuted on Monday, April 2, 1956 at 1:30 in the afternoon. ... General Hospital is the longest-running daytime soap opera on the American ABC television network, and is also the longest-running soap opera produced in Hollywood (having been taped at the Prospect Avenue ABC Television Center West since its inception). ... Days of our Lives is a long-running American soap opera. ... One Life to Live is a soap opera which has been broadcast on the American ABC television network since July 15, 1968. ... All My Children is a US soap opera which has been broadcast Monday through Friday on the ABC TV network since January 5, 1970. ... The Young and the Restless (commonly abbreviated to Y&R) is an American soap opera that takes place in Genoa City, Wisconsin (named after a vacation spot that series creators William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell visited annually). ...

Aside from the social issues, the style and presentation of these shows have changed. Whereas in the 1950s and 1960s the drama was underscored with traditional organ music, and in the 1970s and the 1980s a full orchestra provided the score, the daytime dramas of today use cutting-edged synth-driven music (in a way, music for soaps has come full-circle, from the keyboard to the keyboard).

The nighttime serials are a different story, though the concept is also nothing new. In the 1960s, ABC aired the first real breakthrough nighttime serial, Peyton Place, inspired by the novel and theatrical film of the same name. After its cancellation, the format went somewhat dormant until the mid-1970s when ABC themselves brought it back with, of all things, a comedy soap (aptly called Soap). Although the show was controversial for its time (with a homosexual character among its cast roster), it was (and still is today) a cult classic. Peyton Place was Americas first long-running nighttime soap opera. ... Soap was a sitcom which ran on the ABC network from 1977 through 1981. ...

The era of "primetime soaps" (as they are often called) really began to reach its peak when CBS began to air Dallas (which propelled Larry Hagman to stardom) in 1978. It was with this show that defined the end-of-season cliffhanger (with its "Who Shot J.R.?" and "Bobby In The Shower?" storylines) that is still utilized in today's series (whether it is a serial or not). For other uses, see CBS (disambiguation). ... Dallas title card used during the shows first season. ... Larry Hagman, born Larry Martin Hageman on September 21, 1931, is an American actor who is most famous for playing J.R. Ewing in the television soap opera Dallas. ... A cliffhanger or cliffhanger ending is a plot device in which a movie or novel contains an abrupt ending, often leaving the main characters in a precarious or difficult situation. ...

In the 1980s, you could find other nighttime soaps as Dynasty (ABC's answer to Dallas), Knots Landing, The Yellow Rose, and Falcon Crest. There were some serial shows such as Hill Street Blues and St. Elsewhere that did not officially fit into this category, but were nonetheless ratings hits season after season. As the 1990s came to a close, the primetime soap as an official format slowly passed into the sunset. Dynasty was an American primetime television soap opera that aired on ABC from January 12, 1981 to May 10, 1989. ... Knots Landing was a primetime television soap opera that aired from December 27, 1979 to May 13, 1993 on CBS and was at that time the second longest-running primetime drama on U.S. TV, after Gunsmoke. Set in the fictional Knots Landing, a small community on the California coast... Falcon Crest was an American primetime television soap opera; it aired 227 episodes from December 4, 1981 to May 17, 1990. ... Hill Street Blues was a serial police drama that first aired on NBC in 1981 and ran for 146 episodes on primetime into 1987. ... St. ...

But the primetime serial constructure can still be seen today in such shows as E.R., The West Wing, 24 and Alias. The term "serial" has become outdated, however, and viewers now speak in terms of these shows making use of "story arcs." In addition, it has been noted that the use of cliffhangers is still prevalent in adventure shows, its just that they are now typically used just before a commercial break and the viewer need only wait a few minutes to see its resolution. In addition, 24 and Alias, as well as other series such as Star Trek: Enterprise have also extensively made use of the traditional end-of-episode cliffhanger format. This often applies to their season finales which often end in a cliffhanger that would only be resolved in the next season's premiere. Current cast of ER ER is a popular NBC serial drama primarily set in a teaching hospitals emergency room, the fictional County General Hospital (based loosely off Cook County General, a real hospital) on Division Street in Chicago, Illinois. ... The West Wing is a popular and widely acclaimed American television serial drama created by Aaron Sorkin which is produced and currently co-written by John Wells, Sorkin having left the show at the end of its fourth season. ... 24 (twenty four) is a current U.S. television action/drama series, produced by the Fox Network and syndicated worldwide. ... Alias is an American SpyFi television series, created by J. J. Abrams, and starring Jennifer Garner as Sydney Bristow, a CIA agent. ... The starship Enterprise (NX-01) Star Trek: Enterprise is a science fiction television series set in the Star Trek universe. ... A season finale is the final episode of a season of a television program. ...

In British television, the term 'serial' is usually used to cover what American audiences would more commonly call a 'miniseries'. Many British television serials tend to be high-profile dramas, either costume drama such as Pride and Prejudice (BBC One, 1995) or contemporary social drama such as Our Friends in the North (BBC Two, 1996). In addition, Doctor Who's stories have a limited serial format with the typical episode running around four parts, though some stories like "The Dalek Master Plan" ran as long as twelve. However, the revived series has abandoned the format for standard self-contained episodes with some two-parters along with an overall plot arc. British television broadcasting has a range of different broadcasters, broadcasting multiple channels over a variety of distribution media. ... A miniseries (sometimes mini-series), in a serial storytelling medium, is a production which tells a story in a limited number of episodes. ... A costume drama is a period piece in which elaborate costumes, sets and properties are featured in order to capture the ambience of a particular era. ... Viewing Figure History BBC One (or BBC1 as it was formerly styled) is the oldest television station in the world. ... 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The opening titles sequence of Our Friends in the North. ... BBC Two (or BBC2 as it was formerly styled) was the second UK television station to be aired by the BBC and the first British television channel to broadcast regularly in colour (from 1967), envisaged as a home for less mainstream and more ambitious programming. ... 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ... Doctor Who is a long-running British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC about a mysterious time-travelling adventurer known only as The Doctor, who explores time and space with his companions, fighting evil. ... In episodic storytelling media such as television, comic books and comic strips a story arc is an extended or continuing storyline. ...

References

1. ↑ Reitz, Joan M. (2004). Online Dictionary for Library and Information Science. Retrieved 15 March 2006
2. ↑ Hancock, Hugh (November 23, 2004). Editorial - Serialise This!. Machinima.com. Retrieved 15 March 2006.
3. ↑ Rooster Teeth Productions (2004). Audio commentary. In Red vs Blue Season Two [DVD]. Buda, Texas: Rooster Teeth Productions.

March 15 is the 74th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (75th in Leap years). ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... November 23 is the 327th day of the year (328th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 38 days remaining. ... It has been designated the: International Year of Rice (by the United Nations) International Year to Commemorate the Struggle against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO) 2004 World Health Day topic was Road Safety (by World Health Organization) Year of the Monkey (by the Chinese calendar) See the world in... March 15 is the 74th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (75th in Leap years). ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

• The Serial Experience

See also

• Pulp magazine
• Webserial