Portal:Television

The Television Portal

Flat-screen television receivers on display for sale at a consumer electronics store in 2008

Television (TV) is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. Additionally, the term can refer to a physical television set rather than the medium of transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, entertainment, news, and sports. The medium is capable of more than "radio broadcasting," which refers to an audio signal sent to radio receivers.

Television became available in crude experimental forms in the 1920s, but only after several years of further development was the new technology marketed to consumers. After World War II, an improved form of black-and-white television broadcasting became popular in the United Kingdom and the United States, and television sets became commonplace in homes, businesses, and institutions. During the 1950s, television was the primary medium for influencing public opinion. In the mid-1960s, color broadcasting was introduced in the U.S. and most other developed countries.

In 2013, 79% of the world's households owned a television set. The replacement of earlier cathode-ray tube (CRT) screen displays with compact, energy-efficient, flat-panel alternative technologies such as LCDs (both fluorescent-backlit and LED), OLED displays, and plasma displays was a hardware revolution that began with computer monitors in the late 1990s. Most television sets sold in the 2000s were still CRT, it was only in early 2010s that flat-screen TVs decisively overtook CRT. Major manufacturers announced the discontinuation of CRT, Digital Light Processing (DLP), plasma, and even fluorescent-backlit LCDs by the mid-2010s. LEDs are being gradually replaced by OLEDs. Also, major manufacturers have started increasingly producing smart TVs in the mid-2010s. Smart TVs with integrated Internet and Web 2.0 functions became the dominant form of television by the late 2010s.^{[better source needed]} (Full article...)

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The first flashback of the episode is from the point of view of Jeremy Davies's character Daniel Faraday

"Confirmed Dead" is the second episode of the fourth season and seventy-first episode overall of the ABC's serial drama television series Lost. It was aired on ABC in the United States and on CTV in Canada on February 7, 2008. The episode was written by co-executive producer Drew Goddard and co-producer Brian K. Vaughan and directed by co-executive producer Stephen Williams. "Confirmed Dead" was watched by seventeen million Americans and received positive critical reception with reviewers praising the introductions of the new characters. The episode marks the first appearance of main characters Miles Straume (played by Ken Leung) and Charlotte Lewis (Rebecca Mader) and supporting character Frank Lapidus (Jeff Fahey). The actors were given fake scenes when auditioning to limit the leak of spoilers and each actor influenced their character's development. The narrative begins on December 21, 2004, ninety-one days after the crash of Oceanic Airlines Flight 815. Flashbacks introduce the four people from the offshore freighter 130 kilometers (81 mi) who land on the island. John Locke (Terry O'Quinn) leads his group to the Barracks and begins to find out why Ben Linus (Michael Emerson) is afraid of the island's latest arrivals.

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Credit: Caroline Culler

A newscast typically consists of the coverage of various news events and other information, either produced locally in a radio or television station newsroom, or by a broadcast network. It may also include such additional material as sports coverage, weather forecasts, traffic reports, commentary and other material that the broadcaster feels is relevant to their audience.

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... that actor Tatsunari Kimura ate pancakes and drank coffee while talking for eight hours during the filming of the television drama Old-Fashioned Cupcake?
... that the Japanese live-action television drama adaptation of Accomplishment of Fudanshi Bartender was first broadcast in Taiwan before being broadcast in its home country?
... that the angel's wings in the live-action television-drama adaptation of One Room Angel took about a month to construct?
... that when her boss told her to quit her unpaid television commenting role, Katie Phang quit her paid job instead?
... that a Ramadan television show featured riddles, music, choreographed dance routines and "fantastical narratives"?
... that after his movement's victory in the Cuban Revolution, television broadcasts showed Camilo Cienfuegos freeing parrots from birdcages, declaring that the birds had "a right to liberty"?

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I find television very educating. Every time somebody turns on the set, I go into the other room and read a book.

— Groucho Marx

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...that The Simpsons' history began when Matt Groening conceived of the dysfunctional family in the lobby of James L. Brooks's office?

...that despite British Conservative MP Denis Keegan winning a marginal constituency by over 7,000 votes, he ended his political career after one term, preferring to work for the trade association for television shops?

...that children up to the age of five can find it difficult to distinguish between television programmes and toy advertising campaigns?

...that Melbourne rock band The Strangers appeared on weekly television for nine years straight?

...that Dr. Andrew Rochford, a presenter on the popular Australian television show What's Good For You, got his break after he won the popular show The Block?

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Howard W. "Kroger" Babb (December 30, 1906 – January 28, 1980) was an American film producer and showman. His marketing techniques were similar to a travelling salesman's, with roots in the medicine show tradition. Self-described as "America's Fearless Young Showman", he is best known for his presentation of the 1945 exploitation film Mom and Dad, which was added to the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress in 2005.

Babb was involved in the production and marketing of many films and television shows, promoting each according to his favorite marketing motto: "You gotta tell 'em to sell 'em." His films ranged from sex education-style dramas to "documentaries" on foreign cultures, intended to titillate audiences rather than to educate them, maximizing profits via marketing gimmicks. (Full article...)

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James T. Aubrey Rudolph Cartier Sydney Newman Eric Bana Kylie Minogue Peter Jennings KaDee Strickland Austin Nichols Aaron Sorkin Jake Gyllenhaal Dan Rather Brad Pitt Walter Cronkite Tom Brokaw John Le Mesurier George Formby Dan Castellaneta Perry Como Red Skelton Rose Catherine Pinkney

General images

The following are images from various television-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1Ferdinand Braun (from History of television)
Image 2Samsung's discontinued Orsay platform (from Smart TV)
Image 3Manfred von Ardenne in 1933 (from History of television)
Image 4Tihanyi' Radioskop patent (1926) was recognized as Document of Universal Significance by the UNESCO (from History of television)
Image 5RCA CT-100 at the SPARK Museum of Electrical Invention playing Superman. The RCA CT-100 was the first mass-produced color TV set. (from Color television)
Image 6RCA 630-TS, the first mass-produced television set, which sold in 1946–1947 (from History of television)
Image 7This live image of actress Paddy Naismith was used to demonstrate Telechrome, John Logie Baird's first all-electronic color television system, which used two projection CRTs. The two-color image would be similar to the basic Telechrome system. (from Color television)
Image 8The earliest photograph of a television picture, showing the face of Oliver Hutchinson in June 1926. The television picture was projected using Baird's television camera. (from History of television)
Image 9Smart TVs on display (from Smart TV)
Image 10The first mass-produced Czechoslovak TV-set Tesla 4001A (1953–57) (from History of television)
Image 11Color bars used in a test pattern, sometimes used when no program material is available (from History of television)
Image 12Philo Farnsworth in 1924 (from History of television)
Image 13DBS satellite dishes (from History of television)
Image 14Baird in 1925 with his televisor equipment and dummies "James" and "Stooky Bill" (right) (from History of television)
Image 15Ad for the beginning of experimental television broadcasting in New York City by RCA in 1939 (from History of television)
Image 16A map depicting digital terrestrial television standards (from Digital television)
Image 17First television test broadcast transmitted by the NHK Broadcasting Technology Research Institute in May 1939 (from History of television)
Image 18An RCA Victor Color TV ad featuring milliner Lilly Daché in 1959. (from Color television)
Image 19Hovannes Adamian c. 1900s (from Color television)
Image 20An early Smart TV from 2012 running the discontinued Orsay platform (from History of television)
Image 21The Philco Predicta, 1958. In the collection of The Children's Museum of Indianapolis (from History of television)
Image 22Family watching TV, 1958 (from History of television)
Image 23LG smart TV using the Web browser (from Smart TV)
Image 24The Nipkow disk. This schematic shows the circular paths traced by the holes, which may also be square for greater precision. The area of the disk outlined in black shows the region scanned. (from History of television)
Image 25LG Electronics smart TV from 2011 (from Smart TV)
Image 26Comparison of image quality between ISDB-T (1080i broadcast, top) and NTSC (480i transmission, bottom) (from Digital television)

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The first season of the international fantasy series Highlander: The Series, part of the Highlander franchise, consisted of 22 episodes produced between 1992 and 1993, and began airing on October 3, 1992 in broadcast syndication. Highlander: The Series follows the adventures of Duncan MacLeod, a 400-year-old Immortal who can only die if he is beheaded; conflict inevitably finds him because he is part of the Gathering, an ongoing battle in which all Immortals have to fight and behead each other until only one is left. The season was released on DVD as a nine-disc boxed set on November 12, 2002 by Anchor Bay Entertainment. It is also available at the online video on demand service Hulu, a joint venture between NBC and Fox Broadcasting Company. (Full article...)
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Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane also provides the voices of Peter Griffin, Stewie Griffin, Brian Griffin, and Glenn Quagmire.

Family Guy is an American animated sitcom that features five main voice actors, and numerous regular cast and recurring guest stars. The principal voice cast consists of show creator Seth MacFarlane, Alex Borstein, Mila Kunis (who replaced Lacey Chabert after the first season (her last episode is "Holy Crap," now marketed as the second episode of season two)), Seth Green, and Mike Henry; Patrick Warburton and Arif Zahir were later added to the main cast (the former being promoted from recurring cast); Recurring voice actors include Adam West, Sam Elliott, John G. Brennan, Nicole Sullivan and Jennifer Tilly, and repeat guest stars include Phyllis Diller, Charles Durning, Rush Limbaugh, James Woods and Phil LaMarr.

Many cast members provide voices for multiple characters. The voice actors, in portraying the various character personalities on the show, draw inspiration from celebrities and pop culture. Family Guy characters have been played by more than one actor, after members of the show left the series or had conflicting obligations. (Full article...)
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Game of Thrones is an American fantasy drama television series created for HBO by David Benioff and D. B. Weiss. It is an adaptation of A Song of Ice and Fire, George R. R. Martin's series of fantasy novels. The story, set on the fictional continents of Westeros and Essos, has several plot lines and a large ensemble cast. The first story arc follows a dynastic conflict among competing claimants for succession to the Iron Throne of the Seven Kingdoms, with other noble families fighting for independence from the throne. The second covers attempts to reclaim the throne by the exiled last scion of the realm's deposed ruling dynasty; the third chronicles the threat of the impending winter and the legendary creatures and fierce peoples of the North.

The series, mostly written by Benioff and Weiss, has been nominated for many awards, including eight Golden Globe Awards (one win), ten Writers Guild of America Awards, eight Producers Guild of America Awards (one win), ten Directors Guild of America Awards (two wins), eight Art Directors Guild Awards (five wins), thirty-four Saturn Awards (six wins), fourteen Satellite Awards (three wins), and a Peabody Award (one win). The series has received 164 Primetime Emmy Award nominations, including eight consecutive Outstanding Drama Series nominations, with a total of 59 wins. Game of Thrones received numerous nominations, with awards recognizing various aspects of the series such as directing, writing, cast, visual effects, or overall quality. (Full article...)
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Green Wing is a British sitcom set in the fictional East Hampton Hospital. It was created by the same team behind the sketch show Smack the Pony – Channel 4 commissioner Caroline Leddy and producer Victoria Pile – and stars Mark Heap, Tamsin Greig, Stephen Mangan and Julian Rhind-Tutt. It focuses on soap opera-style twists and turns in the personal lives of the characters, portrayed in sketch-like scenes and sequences in which the film is slowed down or sped up, often emphasising the body language of the characters. The show had eight writers. Two series were made by the Talkback Thames production company for Channel 4.

The series ran between 3 September 2004 and 19 May 2006. One episode, filmed with the second series, was shown as a 90-minute-long special on 4 January 2007 in the UK, but was shown earlier in Australia and Belgium on 29 December 2006. Separate from the series, a sketch was made for Comic Relief and screened on 11 March 2005. Another was performed live at The Secret Policeman's Ball on 14 October 2006. On 29 April 2024, Green Wing returned as a six-part audio series released by Audible entitled Green Wing: Resuscitated. (Full article...)
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The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. It is a satirical depiction of a dysfunctional middle-class American lifestyle starring the eponymous family: Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie. Set in the town of Springfield, the show lampoons both American culture and the human condition. The family was conceived by Groening shortly before a pitch for a series of animated shorts with producer James L. Brooks. Groening named each character (other than Bart an anagram for brat) after members of his own family. The shorts became part of the Fox series The Tracey Ullman Show on April 19, 1987. After a three-season run, the sketch was developed into a half-hour prime-time hit show.

The show holds several American television longevity records. It is the longest-running prime-time animated series and longest-running sitcom in the United States. With its twenty-first season (2009–10), the series surpassed Gunsmoke in seasons to claim the spot as the longest-running American prime-time scripted television series, and later also surpassed Gunsmoke in episode count with the twenty-ninth season episode "Forgive and Regret" on April 29, 2018. (Full article...)
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The Vampire Diaries is an American supernatural drama television series that premiered on The CW on September 10, 2009, and concluded on March 10, 2017, after airing eight seasons. Screenwriters Kevin Williamson and Julie Plec adapted the show from L. J. Smith's novel series of the same name. The series takes place in Mystic Falls, Virginia, a fictional small town haunted by supernatural beings. It centers on the love triangle between the protagonist Elena Gilbert (Nina Dobrev) and vampire-brothers Stefan Salvatore (Paul Wesley) and Damon Salvatore (Ian Somerhalder). As the narrative develops in the course of the show, the focal point shifts on the mysterious past of the town involving Elena's malevolent doppelgänger Katherine Pierce (Dobrev) and the family of Original Vampires, all of whom have an evil agenda of their own.

The series has been nominated for many awards, including 67 Teen Choice Awards (30 wins), 27 People's Choice Awards (five wins), and eight Saturn Awards. The three lead protagonists—Dobrev, Wesley and Somerhalder—have received the most nominations. Lead actress Dobrev was nominated for 21 awards, winning five Teen Choice Awards, a People's Choice Award, and a Young Hollywood Award. Somerhalder earned widespread critical acclaim for his role of Damon Salvatore, and is the most nominated cast member with 30 nominations. (Full article...)
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The second season of the American serial drama television series Lost commenced airing in the United States and Canada on September 21, 2005, and concluded on May 24, 2006. The second season continues the stories of a group of over forty people who have been stranded on a remote island in the South Pacific, after their plane crashed forty-four days prior to the beginning of the season. The producers have stated that as the first season is about introducing the survivors, the second season is about a 1970s scientific Dharma Initiative research station which the survivors discovered on the island and refer to as "The Hatch".

The second season aired Wednesdays at 9:00 pm in the United States. In addition to the regular twenty-four episodes (with a run time around 42 minutes each), three clip-shows recapped previous events on the show. "Destination Lost" aired before the premiere, "Lost: Revelation" aired before the tenth episode and "Lost: Reckoning" aired before the twentieth episode. The season was released on DVD as a seven disc boxed set under the title of Lost: The Complete Second Season – The Extended Experience on September 5, 2006, by Buena Vista Home Entertainment. (Full article...)
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The Unit is an American drama television series. It began airing on CBS on March 7, 2006, in the United States, as a mid-season replacement. Created by David Mamet, The Unit follows a top-secret United States Army special forces team and their missions abroad, in addition to the effect their careers have on their wives and girlfriends. The Unit began its first season on March 7, 2006, and concluded on May 16, 2006; the second season debuted on September 19, 2006, and completed on May 8, 2007. The third season started on September 25, 2007, with a hiatus occurring after the 11th episode due to the 2007–08 Writers Guild of America strike. The show was picked up for a fourth season by CBS on May 12, 2008. The fourth season began on September 28, 2008, and ended on May 10, 2009, which was also the series finale as the show was not renewed for a fifth season. A total of 69 episodes of the series aired.

The first three seasons have been released to Region 1 DVD by 20th Century Fox in the form of individual season box sets, which include deleted scenes, behind-the-scenes featurettes, and commentaries. 20th Century Fox has also released both sets to Region 2 DVD in the United Kingdom. Season four was released to Region 1 on September 29, 2009, and was released on February 22, 2010, in Region 2. (Full article...)
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Series title card

The Good Place is an American fantasy-comedy television series created by Michael Schur for NBC. The series focuses on Eleanor Shellstrop (Kristen Bell), a recently deceased young woman who wakes up in the afterlife and is sent by Michael (Ted Danson) to "the Good Place", a heaven-like utopia he designed, in reward for her righteous life. However, she quickly realizes that she was sent there by mistake, and she must hide her imperfect behavior, and try to be a better person. William Jackson Harper, Jameela Jamil, and Manny Jacinto co-star as other residents of the Good Place, together with D'Arcy Carden as an artificial being helping the residents. Each episode is listed as "Chapter (xx)" following the opening title sequence.

The series was first announced on August 13, 2015, as a 13-episode untitled comedy based on a pitch by Schur. The first season began airing on September 19, 2016, and concluded on January 19, 2017. On January 30, 2017, NBC renewed the series for a second season of 13 episodes, which premiered on September 20, 2017, with an hour-long premiere. The second season concluded on February 1, 2018. On November 21, 2017, NBC renewed the series for a 13-episode third season, which premiered on September 27, 2018, and concluded on January 24, 2019. On December 4, 2018, the series was renewed for a fourth and final season comprising 14 episodes, which premiered on September 26, 2019. The final episode of the series aired on January 30, 2020. During the course of the series, 53 episodes of The Good Place aired over four seasons. (Full article...)
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Twin Peaks is an American mystery-horror drama television series created by David Lynch and Mark Frost whose pilot was first released in September 1989; the series spans 48 episodes over three seasons. The show's original run, which comprises two seasons and 30 episodes, premiered on April 8, 1990, on ABC in the United States and ended on June 10, 1991. ABC canceled the original run due to declining ratings in the second season. The show's third season, consisting of 18 episodes, was announced in October 2014 and premiered on Showtime on May 21, 2017. The pilot and season 2 premiere are each 94 minutes long, while every other episode is approximately 45 minutes. Most episodes of the third season are approximately 60 minutes.

Twin Peaks follows FBI Special Agent Dale Cooper (Kyle MacLachlan), who is sent to the fictional town of Twin Peaks, Washington, to investigate the murder of popular and respected high school student Laura Palmer (Sheryl Lee). A feature-length prequel film, Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me, was released on August 28, 1992, and depicts the events leading up to Laura's death. (Full article...)
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The fourth and final season of The O.C., an American teen drama television series, aired in the United States from November 2, 2006, to February 22, 2007, and consisted of 16 episodes. The O.C.'s final season aired Thursdays at 9:00 p.m. ET in the United States on Fox, a terrestrial television network. Fox tested a new timeslot by airing the second episode on Wednesday at 9:00 p.m. ET against ABC's Lost and CBS's Criminal Minds. With Lost about to enter a three-month hiatus, Fox hoped that changing the timeslot for The O.C. would attract back viewers it had lost since the end of the previous season; however, the move was unsuccessful and the show returned to its Thursday timeslot.

The season was released on DVD as a five-disc boxed set under the title The O.C.: The Complete Fourth Season on May 22, 2007, by Warner Home Video. The season was also made available in the American versions of Zune and iTunes Store. Before the season premiered on television, it was available through on demand streaming. In the US, streaming was available from October 26, 2006, at 3:01 a.m. ET onwards, through Fox Interactive Media's MySpace and MyFoxLocal stations. (Full article...)
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John Ford with portrait and Academy Award, circa 1946

John Ford (1894–1973) was an American film director whose career spanned from 1913 to 1971. During this time he directed more than 130 films; however, nearly all of his silent films are lost. Born in Maine, Ford entered the filmmaking industry shortly after graduating from high school with the help of his older brother, Francis Ford, who had established himself as a leading man and director for Universal Studios. After working as an actor, assistant director, stuntman, and prop man – often for his brother – Universal gave Ford the opportunity to direct in 1917. Initially working in short films, he quickly moved into features, largely with Harry Carey as his star.

In 1920, Ford left Universal and began working for the Fox Film Corporation. During the next ten years he directed more than 30 films, including the westerns The Iron Horse (1924) and 3 Bad Men (1926), both starring George O'Brien, the war drama Four Sons and the Irish romantic drama Hangman's House (both 1928 and both starring Victor McLaglen). In the same year as these last two films, Ford directed his first all-talking film, the short Napoleon's Barber. The following year, he directed his first all-talking feature, The Black Watch. (Full article...)
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Book Three: Fire is the third and final season of Avatar: The Last Airbender, an American animated television series created by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko. The series stars Zach Tyler Eisen, Mae Whitman, Jack DeSena, Michaela Jill Murphy, Dante Basco, Dee Bradley Baker, Greg Baldwin (replacing Mako Iwamatsu as Iroh, who died in July 2006), Grey DeLisle, and Mark Hamill as the main character voices.

The final season focuses once again on Avatar Aang, now seeking to learn Firebending, and his friends Katara, Sokka, and Toph, who must defeat the tyrannical Fire Lord Ozai before the arrival of Sozin's Comet. Concurrently, it also follows Prince Zuko, who is finally welcomed back into the Fire Nation after betraying his uncle Iroh and helping his sister Azula conquer Ba Sing Se in Book Two. (Full article...)
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Hoffman in 2010

Philip Seymour Hoffman (1967–2014) was an incredibly talented American actor, director, and producer who made his screen debut on the police procedural Law & Order in 1991. He made his film debut later in the same year by appearing in a minor role in Triple Bogey on a Par Five Hole. Hoffman followed this with supporting roles as a student in Scent of a Woman (1992), and a storm chaser in Twister (1996) before his breakthrough role as a gay boom operator in Paul Thomas Anderson's drama Boogie Nights (1997), for which he received critical acclaim. In the same year, he appeared in the Revolutionary War documentary series Liberty! (1997). Two years later, he played a kind nurse in Anderson's Magnolia and an arrogant playboy in The Talented Mr. Ripley, for which he received the National Board of Review Award for Best Supporting Actor. Hoffman made his Broadway debut the following year with his lead role in True West which garnered him a nomination for the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play.

Hoffman received the Academy Award for Best Actor, BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role, and Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama for his portrayal of writer Truman Capote in the 2005 biographical film Capote. He followed this by playing a ruthless arms dealer in the action spy film Mission: Impossible III (2006) and CIA agent Gust Avrakotos in the Mike Nichols-directed Charlie Wilson's War (2007). Hoffman's performance as a priest suspected of child abuse in the period drama Doubt (2008) with Meryl Streep and Amy Adams received critical acclaim and multiple award nominations in the Best Supporting Actor category. In the same year, he played a troubled theatre director in Charlie Kaufman's Synecdoche, New York. (Full article...)
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The Soul Society: The Sneak Entry arc (尸魂界・潜入篇, Sōru Sosaeti Sennyū Hen) is the second season of the Bleach anime series, containing 21 episodes. The episodes are directed by Noriyuki Abe, and produced by TV Tokyo, Dentsu and Studio Pierrot. In the English release by Viz Media, the title is translated as The Entry. The season adapts Tite Kubo's Bleach manga series from the 9th volume to the 14th volume (chapters 71–117), with the exception of episode 33 (filler). The episodes' plot centers on Ichigo Kurosaki and his friends' journey to the Soul Society in order to save Soul Reaper Rukia Kuchiki from her impending execution.

The season aired from March to July 2005 on TV Tokyo. The first English airing of the series lasted from February to July 2007. It was shown on YTV's Bionix programming block in Canada and Cartoon Network's Adult Swim in the United States. (Full article...)

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