Ooooooh! So many! I’m even tempted to say all of them. Lemme break it down for you.
Science Fiction/Fantasy/Period Pieces: I LOVE all of these. These are what I gravitate towards in my own writing. All of these offer an extra layer of storytelling through metaphor that other genres do not, so I find them fascinating. Also, they don’t receive as much respect from the media industry as other genres (which is totally unfair and is also bullshit), but this actually has some noteworthy positive side effects. Namely (and especially for SciFi/Fantasy; not as much for period pieces) this unfair marginalization of the genre removes works in this genre from being in as much direct competition with more traditional genres. This often leads to fresher, more unique narratives in these genres, AND it increases inclusivity for women and PoC in these shows for both writers and performers. I generally find these genres to be the most progressive and socially just. I mean… just look at the modern Battlestar Galactica.
Teen-driven content: At least… in the 1990s, I loved teen-driven content. There was an idyllic period of rational thought somethere in the mid-1990s where people realized that you don’t have to be a teen to relate to teen struggles and that life in your teens is often worse and the “these are your golden years" platitude is bullshit. This has been largely eroded by the caricaturish nature of modern teen programming but I still hold out hope! Because every once in a while a teen-driven program will show up and you’ll be like FUCK YES THIS IS WHAT LIFE IS. I think Friday Night Lights does a really good job of that. My all time favorite show in general and in this genre is Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Tonally speaking, I tend to go for shows that are “light drama" that are either heavily serialized or that contain heavily serialized elements. This means that (while I enjoy a hardcore drama like Homeland or a straight up comedy like Modern Family), my favorite shows tend to have a more natural balance between comedy and drama. In my personal opinion, I find that the juxtaposition of comedy and drama heightens my response to each. (i.e. The laughter from a quip or pun is more welcome and I feel it more deeply after a particularly heartwrenching scene. Or a character’s death cuts more deeply when it happens after a particularly hilarious scene). That is more true-to-life, at least in my experience.
As far as what I mean by serialized content, that means I like shows with long-arc narratives that extend over the course of an entire season or series. I have trouble with hardcore procedurals (e.g. Law & Order), because once I’ve seen an episode it feels like I never need to see another one. They all seem the same to me. The characters feel too distant and the cases that are solved or patients that are diagnosed go away after that one episode and just get replaced in the next one. The writing skill is still there, and I don’t knock people who love and/or write those genres. But I need a better balance between that kind of plot-driven content and a more character-driven story.
An example of a great procedural with heavily serialized elements that I really like is Castle. That show is really fun, because not only are the cases of the week always engaging and inventive, there are also substantial, ongoing stories revolving around the other characters: Beckett and Castle’s romance, Alexis’ pursuit of success, Beckett’s search for justice for her mother, etc. There are characters to really sink your teeth into. Another really amazing procedural that I loved was Saving Grace which aired on TNT and is now on Netflix and you should totally watch it. It was so unique. Yes it was a procedural cop show, but it’s main heroine (played by Holly Hunter) was incredibly damanged and complex and interesting and her relationship to her coworkers and her friends and her dog and god were so moving and unique and fascinating and beautiful and fuck now I wanna rewatch that show!
I mean, I grew up on I Love Lucy and E.R. and Friends so I have a deep deep deep love for that kind of more traditional content, but I just think the really interesting stories right now are being told in these other genres, because nobody is scrutinizing them as harshly.
Side note: Friends is still so funny. The humor is so smart and it seems fresh no matter how many times you watch it. That is SOOOOO hard to pull off. Comedy usually fizzles after you’ve already watched it. That is, although not the genre or style in which I typically write, an amazing work of television.
