Procedural drama

A procedural or procedural drama is a cross-

The procedural format is popular around the world.[1] In 2011, the director of a TV consultancy said, "The continuing trend is for procedurals because they use a predictable structure."^[1] Due to their stand-alone episodic nature, they are more accessible to new viewers than serials. Self-contained episodes also make it easier for viewers to return to a show if they have missed some episodes.^[2] In general, procedural dramas can usually be re-run with little concern for episode order.^[1]

Procedurals are often criticized for being formulaic.^[3][4] Procedurals are also generally less character-driven than serialized shows. However, some procedurals have more character emphasis than is typical of the format.^[5][6] Some may occasionally feature a storyline stretching over several episodes (often called a story arc).^[7]

A popular subgenre is the police procedural.

Types of media

Television

Fiction

In television, "procedural" specifically refers to a genre of programs in which a problem is introduced, investigated and solved all within the same episode. These shows tend to be hour-long dramas, and are often (though not always) police or crime related.^{[citation needed]}

The general formula for a police procedural involves the commission or discovery of a crime at the beginning of the episode, the ensuing investigation, and the arrest or conviction of a perpetrator at the end of the episode.

Modern examples of this genre are the

• Procedural dramas are generally very popular in broadcast syndication because the lack of long-term storylines makes it easier for viewers to tune in for just one episode without feeling lost.
• Procedurals are sometimes noted for their lack of character development, with little attention being paid to the lives of the recurring characters outside of their jobs.^[8]

Non-fiction

• Non-fiction science procedurals such as the PBS Secrets of the Dead series or Court TV's Forensic Files take a viewer step-by-step through an investigation, much like a fictional procedural.^[9]

Literature

• Police procedural: the best known variety, a large subgenre of mystery fiction. Lawrence Treat's 1945 novel V as in Victim is cited as perhaps the first "true" police procedural.^[10]
• Military procedural: a term used by Publishers Weekly in 1989^[11] referring to Ralph Peters' novel Red Army
• War procedural: an example is the film The Dam Busters, 1955, which was called a war procedural by Richard Gilliam in Allmovie.^[12]
  • Tom Clancy's novels are sometimes called war procedurals or political procedurals.
• Science procedural: Science fiction novels or stories may have sequences of scientific procedure. An example would be Timescape, written by the scientist and author Gregory Benford.
• A relatively recent subgenre is the presidential procedural; a novel which focuses on the office of the US presidency, and the activities of its occupant. Examples would be
  Robert Serling, and Maximum Vigilance by Steve Pieczenik
  .