Notes towards a formal and social poetics of television drama

Abstract

This article seeks to build a bridge between approaches to television drama that explore form and style, and those that explore realism and representation. It proposes questions which can be applied to any television drama, and reveal meaningful distinctions. The argument is developed through comparative analysis of Sally Wainwright’s Happy Valley (2014‐present) and long-running British soap opera Coronation Street (1960‐present).