Danish television drama

rdf:langString Danish television drama

rdf:langString Danish television dramas have come to represent an important and popular aspect of TV broadcasting in Denmark, especially since the 1970s. One of the most successful Danish drama series in the 70s was Matador (1978), which has been repeated many times as well as being released on DVD. For many years, Danish television drama suffered from what has been dubbed the "Matador complex": every new drama series would be marketed as "the new Matador" – only to be found, by both critics and the general viewing public, not to measure up in the event. Since the late 1990s, Danish television has once again enjoyed increasing success with a large number of drama series. Often aired in primetime on Sunday evenings, they have generally drawn large audiences, received very good reviews, and several have earned international awards. DR (Denmark's national public-service broadcasting organization) won four Emmy Awards for Best international drama series between 2002 and 2009, breaking a former UK monopoly in that category, as well as a fifth Emmy in the Best international TV Movie/Mini Series category. Danish film directors as well the Danish Film Institute have warned that the growth in television drama drains the Danish film industry of talent, particularly scriptwriters. They maintain that film producers operate on market conditions while particularly DR, funded by a broadcast receiving licence fee, is able to pay better salaries. The television stations are also able to offer longer contracts and more responsibility. In 2014 the success achieved by several Danish TV drama series in gaining international attention led Aarhus University to initiate a research project entitled What makes Danish TV drama series travel?. Its main hypothesis is that "specific transformations and value creations are happening at all stages in the production of several Danish TV drama series".