European Television Crime Drama and Beyond

This book is the first to focus on the role of European television crime drama on the international market. As a genre, the television crime drama has enjoyed a long and successful career, routinely serving as a prism from which to observe the local, national and even transnational issues that are prevalent in society. This extensive volume explores a wide range of countries, from the US to European countries such as Spain, Italy, the Scandinavian countries, Germany, England and Wales, in order to reveal the very currencies that are at work in the global production and circulation of the TV crime drama. The chapters, all written by leading television and crime fiction scholars, provide readings of crime dramas such as the Swedish-Danish The Bridge, the Welsh Hinterland, the Spanish Under Suspicion, the Italian Gomorrah, the German Tatort and the Turkish Cinayet. By examining both European texts and the 'European-ness' of various international dramas, this book ultimately demonstrates that transnationalism is at the very core of TV crime drama in Europe and beyond.  

1. Down these European mean streets:Contemporary issues in European television crime drama, Kim Toft Hansen, Steven Peacock and Sue Turnbull.- Section I: Noir Aesthetics.- 2. Framing Nordic noir: From Film Noir to High-End Television Drama, Audun Engelstad.- 3. The Rise of “Bright Noir”: Redemption and Moral Optimism in American Contemporary TV Noir, Alberto N. García.- 4. Melancholy and Murder: Feelings, Atmosphere and Social Criticism in Television Crime Series, Gunhild Agger and Anne Marit Waade.- 5. Locating sound in UK/US television crime drama: The affective impact of sound effects and music inHappy Valley andHannibal, Lucy Donaldson.- 6. Seriousness, ordinariness, and “actual police work”: British and American TV crime dramasTrue Detective, Suspects andCuffs, Helen Piper.- Section II: Noir Regionalism and Transnationalism.- 7. Local, National, Transnational: Y Gwyll/Hinterland as Crime of/for all Places, Elke Weissmann.- 8. The transnational appeal of the Italian Mafia story, Milly Buonanno.- 9. The Rise of Noir in the Sun: Spanish Crime Drama and Contemporary Television Drama Production, Concepción Cascajosa Virino.- 10. Crime Scene Germany: Regionalism, Audiences, and the German Public Broadcasting System, Susanne Eichner.- 11. Searching for ‘Aura’ inCinayet: Audience Reception of the Turkish Remake ofForbrydelsen, Yesim Kaptan.- Section III: Noir Market Value.- 12. Local noir and local identity: Norskov and the spatial implications of branded content, Jørgen Riber Christensen and Kim Toft Hansen.- 13. The Flemish TV Market: Crime drama as a driver for market sustainability?, Tim Raats.- 14. Secret City and Micromarkets: The ‘Global Noir Audience’ for Australian Crime Drama, Sue Turnbull andMarion McCutcheon.- 15. Saga’s Story: Emotional engagement in the production and reception ofThe Bridge, Annette Hill.