Narrative Threading on T.V.

This article from the New York Times Magazine discusses how narrative threading techniques from soap operas combined with tough story lines to improve television drama. Hill Street Blues is hailed as the first prime time drama that effectively combined multiple story lines with many characters (like Dallas did) with meaningful and powerful plots and themes (like Dallas didn't).

The article goes on to discuss "flashing arrows," the narrative device used to explain things that the audience isn't likely to understand: "Don't touch that, or we'll be blown to bits!" or something like that. There's a lot less of that nowadays, which is good, because it presumes an intelligent audience.

Lots more in the article. The author, Steven Johnson, has a book coming out entitled Everything Bad Is Good for You: How Today's Popular Culture Is Actually Making Us Smarter.

Update: Dana Stevens (aka Liz Penn) over at Slate has a rejoinder to the Johnson article.