“Nitelikli Televizyon”: Netflix Platformunda “Nitelikli Drama”nın Yeniden İnşası

Abstract

Bu çalışmada Netflix’in küresel düzeyde en fazla izlenen The Witcher (2019- ) dizisi 1990’lı yıllardan beri televizyon literatüründe sıklıkla ele alınan “nitelikli televizyon” ve “nitelikli drama” kavramları zemininde incelenmiştir. Dijital medya platformları, televizyonun evrimini derinden etkilemiş ve daha “sinematik” dramalar için fırsat sunmuştur. The Witcher’ın dijital televizyon kültürünün yönelimlerini içeren bir dizi olması örneklem olarak seçilmesinde etkili olmuştur. Çalışmanın temel amacı Netflix’te nitelik kavramının işleyişini sorgulamaktır. Makalede ilk olarak kısa bir tarihçesiyle birlikte nitelikli televizyon kavramı açıklanmış ve nitelikli dramaların karakteristik özellikleri tanıtılmıştır. Sonrasında Netflix’in kendine özgü üretim sürecinin, hikâye anlatıcılığı tarzının, niş izleyici kitlesi yakalama ve üst üste izletmeye teşvik etme eğiliminin nitelikli drama üretimiyle ilişkisi ortaya konulmuştur. Çalışmada, bahsedilen eğilimleri somutlaştırmak üzere The Witcher dizisinin ilk sezonu metin analizine tabi tutulmuştur. Dizi, nitelikli dramaların ayırıcı niteliği haline gelen anlatı karmaşıklığı, estetik değer ve özgünlük gibi kategoriler aracılığıyla değerlendirilmiştir. Robert J. Thompson, Jane Feuer, Robin Nelson, Janet McCabe ve Kim Akass gibi öncü kuramcılara yaslanılarak belirlenen bu kategoriler aracılığıyla dizinin kültürel değerini belirleyen özellikler açığa çıkarılmıştır. Bu bağlamda Netflix platformunun sağladığı olanaklarla birlikte The Witcher’ın anlatı formlarının nitelik değerlerine denk düştüğü ve dijital medya platformlarının nitelikli televizyonda önemli bir geçiş alanı olduğu savunulmuştur.

Keywords

• Nitelikli Televizyon
• Nitelikli Drama
• Dijital Medya Platformları
• Netflix
• The Witcher

“Quality TV”: Reconstructing “Quality Drama” on Netflix

Abstract

The present study examines The Witcher (2019- ), the most-watched series on Netflix at the global level, based on the concepts of “quality television” and “quality drama” discussed extensively in the literature on television since the 1990s. Digital media platforms have profoundly affected the evolution of television, bringing about opportunities for more “cinematic” dramas. Its inclusion of trends of the digital television culture has influenced the selection of The Witcher as the sample. The study aims to bring into question the way Netflix deals with the concept of quality. Following a brief historical examination, the article elaborates on the concept of quality television and presents the characteristics of quality dramas. Then, it discusses how Netflix’s unique production process, narrative style, and the tendency of captivating a niche audience and encouraging binge-watching is related to the production of quality drama. In order to concretize the way Netflix is positioned as “quality television”, the first season of The Witcher is examined by means of textual analysis. The assessment is conducted through concepts that have become the hallmark of serialized dramas such as narrative complexity, aesthetic value, and originality. By means of these categories identified in line with the arguments of leading theoreticians such as Robert J. Thompson, Jane Feuer, Robin Nelson, Janet McCabe and Kim Akass, the features determining the distinctive narrative style of Netflix and the cultural value of the series are revealed. In this context, the study claims that with the opportunities provided for by the Netflix platform, the narrative forms of The Witcher correspond to the quality values and that digital media platforms constitute a significant transitory point in quality television.

Keywords

• Quality Television
• Quality Drama
• Digital Media Platforms
• Netflix
• The Witcher

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