The Magic of Suspended Disbelief

October 2006

By Anna Carugati

The first time I walked into a television studio I was 15 and taking a course in TV production. To this very day I remember the chilly temperature, the metallic smell, the clunky cameras, the grids of lights on the ceiling, the silvery blue of the cyclorama—the background curtain that wrapped around the studio—but most of all, I remember the sense of magic.

When the lights were turned on and the cameras came to life, whatever was going on, a talk show, a newscast or a skit, through some unfathomable alchemy, was transmitted to the small screen. And the images were mesmerizing.

It was the beginning of a lifelong fascination with the television medium. I learned how to write scripts, light a set, position the cameras, operate the boom microphone, and direct. And then came those unbelievably amazing—and heavy—portable cameras that allowed us the freedom to go anywhere and shoot anything. It was exhilarating.

Mine wasn’t only a hands-on passion. I love watching television, too. More, in fact, than I was willing to admit because there always seemed to be a stigma attached to watching too much TV. As a child because it interfered with reading and playing outside, and as a young adult because the perception was that if you were home on weekends watching TV, you weren’t out dating. And then there were all those really bright people I encountered who insisted they never watched TV, as if enjoying television were equated with having a low IQ. Well, trust me, I’ve come to learn that the more someone is adamant about not ever watching TV, the more I discover they are closet TV-holics.

Who hasn’t been entertained, in-formed, moved, shocked, even comforted by TV? How much relief has television provided insomniacs? How much of the world has it brought to shut-ins? How effective has it been as a form of birth control? Kidding aside, to me the most important contributions television has given us have been shared experiences. And not just major events like the Kennedy assassinations, or Neil Armstrong taking his first steps on the moon, or the Olympics and FIFA World Cups, or the Berlin Wall tumbling down, or more recently the 9/11 attacks or the devastation of tsunamis or hurricanes.

What about the shared experiences triggered by who shot JR? Or the catfights between Alexis and Crystal, or Sgt. Esterhaus’s famous line, “Be careful out there,” or by who killed Laura Palmer, or President Bartlett grappling with a national security emergency, or Tony Soprano sitting in his shrink’s office spilling his guts out while someone else was getting their guts splattered on the sidewalk, or Detective Lennie Briscoe interrogating a suspect and Assistant District Attorney Jack McCoy cross examining in the courtroom, or Grissom and Willows solving some forensic mystery, or Jack Bauer’s latest race against the clock, or the travails of the ladies of Wisteria Lane, or the cantankerous Dr. House trying to find a cure to a mysterious malady.

Nothing examines our world and society—from major global issues to everyday intimate dilemmas—better than drama series. And as viewers we are very fortunate to be living in what is being defined as the Golden Age of Drama. Never before have there been so many series featuring exceedingly good writing, exceptional production values and compelling characters. We examine what perfect storm has unleashed such quality American drama in the main feature story of this issue, and we have interviews with top studio executives and some of the most successful creators. All share the challenges of fostering creativity while working within financial constraints.

In this issue, our One On One interview is with Richard Parsons, the chairman and CEO of Time Warner, the biggest media company in the world. We also have an in-depth interview with Mark Thompson, the director-general of the BBC, the public broadcaster with the widest global reach. And we have an exclusive interview with Steven Spielberg, who is as enthusiastic about his work in television as he is about making movies. And TV Kids, TV Docs, TV Europe, TV Formats, TV Asia Pacific and TV Latina all offer an impressive lineup of TV executives who talk about creating quality programming in this multi-platform digital world we live in.

Ultimately, the future of all media companies depends on providing viewers with compelling content that triggers those magical moments of suspended disbelief. Those that still manage to bring us together in shared experiences. Whether we choose to watch programs on the traditional TV set, or a computer screen, or an iPod or cell phone, we can still share a funny line, a surprising plot twist, an eye-popping special effect. Television can help us escape from our daily worries even if only for an hour—and in today’s world that’s quite a feat.