Zoe Shacklock 1514623
Compare ONE drama from Netflix/Amazon Prime’s original programming
with ONE serial drama from a network or cable provider. To what extent do
their narrational strategies differ, and why? Your answer should draw from
Mittell’s work on narrative complexity and McCormick’s discussion of
Netflix’s original programming
This essay will seek to explore the conventions of narrative complexity and its
role within a network serial drama as well as a Netflix original drama and how they
compare. ABC’s American drama Lost will serve as the network example – created
by J.J. Abrams, the show had 6 seasons employing a serial format and was first aired
in 2006. For the Netflix original, this essay will assess one of the platform’s first
original drama series, Orange is the New Black. Consisting of 5 seasons since 2013,
the show provides a noteworthy comparison to Lost, especially in terms of
narrative. To prove that Lost and Orange is the New Black are not, to a great extent,
that different, this essay will now delve into the differences and similarities between
the narrational strategies of Lost and OITNB with evidential support from critics as
well as textual analysis.
Mittell defines narrative complexity as a “redefinition of episodic forms under
the influence of serial narration – not necessarily a complete merger of episodic and
serial forms but a shifting balance.”1 Lost is a clear illustration of this definition; set
deep in the conventions of seriality, the show engaged its audience with its never-
ending cliffhangers, “rejecting the need for plot closure,”2 but with slight episodic
tendencies that allow character exploration within single episodes. Jennifer
Hayward suggests that a serial can be defined as “an ongoing narrative released in
1
Jason Mittell, “Narrative Complexity in Contemporary American Television”, The Velvet Light Trap,
59.1 (2006), p. 32.
2
Ibid.
1
, successive parts […] refusal of closure, intertwined subplots; large casts of
characters (incorporating a diverse range of age, gender, class and increasingly, race
representation to attract a similarly diverse audience); interacting with current
political social or cultural issues, dependence on profit and acknowledgement of
audience response.”3 It is clear that both Lost and Orange is the New Black typify this
definition (despite their differences in circumstance and production which will be
further explored later) but, what makes them complex? Mittell states that
conventional television narratives feature “A and B plots [and] the two stories may
offer thematic parallels or provide counterpoint to one another, but hey rarely
interact at the level of action. Complexity […] works against these norms by altering
the relationship between multiple plotlines, creating interweaving stories that often
collide and coincide.”4 OITNB (as it will sometimes now be referred) and Lost both
clearly base their premises in this exact format; the shows relies on the stories of a
large, diverse group of people – the majority of characters having their own
episodes, with backstories based in flashbacks that will go on to affect the ‘present
day’ narrative as well as other characters. Therefore, one can see that OITNB and
Lost have more similarities than might be expected, due to the shift to seriality and
narrative complexity in recent years.
This statement can first be supported by examining the concept of a narrative as
spectacle. Mittell discusses how:
“traditional industry logic dictated that audiences lacked the weekly consistency to
allow for serialized narratives […] but as the number of channels has grown and the size
of the audience for any single program has shrunk, networks and channels have grown
to recognize that a consistent cult following of a small but dedicated audience can suffice
to make a show economically viable.”5
3
Jennifer Hayward, Consuming Pleasures (University Press of Kentucky), p. 3.
4
Jason Mittell, “Narrative Complexity in Contemporary American Television”, The Velvet Light Trap,
59.1 (2006), p. 30.
5
Jason Mittell, “Narrative Complexity in Contemporary American Television”, The Velvet Light Trap,
59.1 (2006), p. 31
, Here, Mittell references how during the 70s and the rise of cable television, the
industry saw a rise in narrowcasting and seriality (in order for companies to
compete.) Networks began targeting niche audiences that were likely to remain
loyal viewers, rather than a large, busy and likely distracted audience. As he also
points out, programs such as Lost (that use narrowcasting) could also “be quite
popular with a mass audience.”6 The ‘intricate storytelling’7 that Lost evokes,
prompting its audience to decode each narrative, becomes popular with a
(potentially unintended) mass audience. Which, due to the ABC’s reliance on funds
from advertisers, gave the show even greater security than if it just appealed to a
loyal, niche audience. Therefore, the narrative complexity of the show directly
corresponds to its ability to remain on the air – making it a key convention. So
ultimately, conforming to Mittell’s ideas; Lost targeted niche markets to ensure a
loyal audience, but had the bonus of keeping quite a large one also.
OITNB (being a Netflix show) doesn’t have to rely on funding from advertisers
“in a traditional sense. […] While Netflix is accountable to shareholders and its
partners in revenue sharing, it tends to be the company that advertises itself to
subscribers rather than advertisers.”8 However, audience enjoyment and loyalty still
play a big part in its stability as a show. As Mittell suggests, “the internet’s ubiquity
has enabled fans to embrace a “collective intelligence” for information,
interpretations and discussions of complex narratives that invite participatory
engagement.”9 Like Lost, whose fans group together to decode the narrative,
OITNB’s viewers are also actively involved in the show – discussing its deep socio-
political interests as well as its narrative advancements on fan-sites and Twitter
especially. Promotion through social media will encourage subscription sign ups,
6
Ibid, 38.
7
Ibid.
8
Mareike Jenner, “Is This TVIV? On Netflix, TVIII and Binge-Watching”, New Media and Society,
18.2 (2014), p. 262
9
Jason Mittell, “Narrative Complexity in Contemporary American Television”, The Velvet Light Trap,
59.1 (2006), p. 31
Compare ONE drama from Netflix/Amazon Prime’s original programming
with ONE serial drama from a network or cable provider. To what extent do
their narrational strategies differ, and why? Your answer should draw from
Mittell’s work on narrative complexity and McCormick’s discussion of
Netflix’s original programming
This essay will seek to explore the conventions of narrative complexity and its
role within a network serial drama as well as a Netflix original drama and how they
compare. ABC’s American drama Lost will serve as the network example – created
by J.J. Abrams, the show had 6 seasons employing a serial format and was first aired
in 2006. For the Netflix original, this essay will assess one of the platform’s first
original drama series, Orange is the New Black. Consisting of 5 seasons since 2013,
the show provides a noteworthy comparison to Lost, especially in terms of
narrative. To prove that Lost and Orange is the New Black are not, to a great extent,
that different, this essay will now delve into the differences and similarities between
the narrational strategies of Lost and OITNB with evidential support from critics as
well as textual analysis.
Mittell defines narrative complexity as a “redefinition of episodic forms under
the influence of serial narration – not necessarily a complete merger of episodic and
serial forms but a shifting balance.”1 Lost is a clear illustration of this definition; set
deep in the conventions of seriality, the show engaged its audience with its never-
ending cliffhangers, “rejecting the need for plot closure,”2 but with slight episodic
tendencies that allow character exploration within single episodes. Jennifer
Hayward suggests that a serial can be defined as “an ongoing narrative released in
1
Jason Mittell, “Narrative Complexity in Contemporary American Television”, The Velvet Light Trap,
59.1 (2006), p. 32.
2
Ibid.
1
, successive parts […] refusal of closure, intertwined subplots; large casts of
characters (incorporating a diverse range of age, gender, class and increasingly, race
representation to attract a similarly diverse audience); interacting with current
political social or cultural issues, dependence on profit and acknowledgement of
audience response.”3 It is clear that both Lost and Orange is the New Black typify this
definition (despite their differences in circumstance and production which will be
further explored later) but, what makes them complex? Mittell states that
conventional television narratives feature “A and B plots [and] the two stories may
offer thematic parallels or provide counterpoint to one another, but hey rarely
interact at the level of action. Complexity […] works against these norms by altering
the relationship between multiple plotlines, creating interweaving stories that often
collide and coincide.”4 OITNB (as it will sometimes now be referred) and Lost both
clearly base their premises in this exact format; the shows relies on the stories of a
large, diverse group of people – the majority of characters having their own
episodes, with backstories based in flashbacks that will go on to affect the ‘present
day’ narrative as well as other characters. Therefore, one can see that OITNB and
Lost have more similarities than might be expected, due to the shift to seriality and
narrative complexity in recent years.
This statement can first be supported by examining the concept of a narrative as
spectacle. Mittell discusses how:
“traditional industry logic dictated that audiences lacked the weekly consistency to
allow for serialized narratives […] but as the number of channels has grown and the size
of the audience for any single program has shrunk, networks and channels have grown
to recognize that a consistent cult following of a small but dedicated audience can suffice
to make a show economically viable.”5
3
Jennifer Hayward, Consuming Pleasures (University Press of Kentucky), p. 3.
4
Jason Mittell, “Narrative Complexity in Contemporary American Television”, The Velvet Light Trap,
59.1 (2006), p. 30.
5
Jason Mittell, “Narrative Complexity in Contemporary American Television”, The Velvet Light Trap,
59.1 (2006), p. 31
, Here, Mittell references how during the 70s and the rise of cable television, the
industry saw a rise in narrowcasting and seriality (in order for companies to
compete.) Networks began targeting niche audiences that were likely to remain
loyal viewers, rather than a large, busy and likely distracted audience. As he also
points out, programs such as Lost (that use narrowcasting) could also “be quite
popular with a mass audience.”6 The ‘intricate storytelling’7 that Lost evokes,
prompting its audience to decode each narrative, becomes popular with a
(potentially unintended) mass audience. Which, due to the ABC’s reliance on funds
from advertisers, gave the show even greater security than if it just appealed to a
loyal, niche audience. Therefore, the narrative complexity of the show directly
corresponds to its ability to remain on the air – making it a key convention. So
ultimately, conforming to Mittell’s ideas; Lost targeted niche markets to ensure a
loyal audience, but had the bonus of keeping quite a large one also.
OITNB (being a Netflix show) doesn’t have to rely on funding from advertisers
“in a traditional sense. […] While Netflix is accountable to shareholders and its
partners in revenue sharing, it tends to be the company that advertises itself to
subscribers rather than advertisers.”8 However, audience enjoyment and loyalty still
play a big part in its stability as a show. As Mittell suggests, “the internet’s ubiquity
has enabled fans to embrace a “collective intelligence” for information,
interpretations and discussions of complex narratives that invite participatory
engagement.”9 Like Lost, whose fans group together to decode the narrative,
OITNB’s viewers are also actively involved in the show – discussing its deep socio-
political interests as well as its narrative advancements on fan-sites and Twitter
especially. Promotion through social media will encourage subscription sign ups,
6
Ibid, 38.
7
Ibid.
8
Mareike Jenner, “Is This TVIV? On Netflix, TVIII and Binge-Watching”, New Media and Society,
18.2 (2014), p. 262
9
Jason Mittell, “Narrative Complexity in Contemporary American Television”, The Velvet Light Trap,
59.1 (2006), p. 31
