Auteurs of Modern Television

Television production is generally thought of as a complex and collaborate process, requiring contributions from a multitude of producers, directors, writers, actors, and various others professionals. Thoughts of the writing process are typically accompanied by visions of a writer’s room and an abnormally long table filled with ten to twenty writers arguing over the content and direction of a particular show. In most cases, especially regarding network television, this really probably is the case. However, in some unique cases, a production’s content and feel can be more precisely attributed to a single, substantially influential figure. This idea of recognizing one person as the primary creative mind behind a work has been prevalent in film criticism for almost fifty years now. In the past, the term auteur has been reserved for the likes of Stanley Kubrick and Alfred Hitchcock. The Auteur Theory, as it was coined by film critics, is commonly taught in introductory film classes, and it argues that in certain cases a single person, usually the director of a film, is the primary force responsible for the way the final product will look and feel to the viewer. While this may be a popular form of film criticism, it is rare to find it applied to the television industry. I will propose that, although television is still mostly a collaborative industry, there are several creative minds that are deserving of the title auteur, as their common characteristics are prevalent throughout multiple works and, in some cases, even across multiple industries. These increasingly high profiled showrunners have as much or more control over their television series’ than most directors have over their films, and in recognizing that, we are able to understand the ways in which their worldviews are portrayed through their unique personal styles of production and direction.

            Officially given the title of writer/producer of shows such as The Wire, Treme, and Generation Kill, David Simon serves as an ideal example of an auteur in the television industry. He spent over a decade as the police reporter for the Baltimore Sun, and throughout those years he gained experience that would prove to be extremely valuable in his subsequent career producing media. Simon’s thematic signatures are perhaps the easiest to link across his multiple projects. He has been regarded as a muckraker of sorts, someone using his medium to bring issues and problems of modern society into the national conversation. In an article for Business Insider, J. Max Robins describes Simon in a similar fashion. He writes, “At heart, he is still a crusading journalist who’s outraged by injustice and knows that it’s the rare story that ends up happily ever after… And as someone who has publicly lamented the decline of the newspaper industry and criticized the Fourth Estate for putting fiscal priorities ahead of civic responsibility, he knows that crusading reporters who strive to take down corrupt politicians and criminal conspiracies are an endangered species”(Robins, 2011). Simon takes this approach in nearly everything he produces, and it is obvious to an audience that has any prior knowledge of his works.

These consistent thematic elements are most noticeable in his full-length series’ The Wire and Treme, both of which aired on HBO. In The Wire and Treme, he takes a very similar approach by using seemingly ultra-authentic characters and stories in hopes of exposing social issues and inequalities in the post-industrial American city. While the struggle between law enforcement and criminal elements are explored in both series, it is the primary focus throughout the majority of The Wire. Simon has been applauded by fans and critics alike for his ability to create fully realized characters on both sides of these issues. By giving nearly equal screen time to the cops and the criminals, he is able to construct excellent multi-faceted characters that make it difficult to go back and watch the traditional C.S.I.’s and N.C.I.S.’s that have dominated ratings over the last two decades. Simon has also shown a tendency to critique government and social institutions throughout his shows on both a local and large scale. Stylistically, David Simon produced shows also have very distinct similarities. He has shown a certain fondness for filming on actual locations in these cities as opposed to shooting scenes in pre-fabricated studio sets. This practice, along with his preference of and ensemble cast in favor of star power, provides his scenes with a sense of authenticity rarely found on television. By no means do I claim that David Simon was able to produce what he has with no help from others. His production staff, supplemental writers and cast play a crucial role. However, the constant, dominant voice and viewpoint that consistently leak through to the audience belongs to Simon.

            To explore this theory through the frame of a different genre of television, I would like to take a look at Matt Stone and Trey Parker as one entity, as it is unheard of for one to be discussed without the other. They gained their most fame and success, along with an unbelievably loyal cult following, upon the debut of their Emmy-winning television cartoon, South Park. The duo has since expanded into other industries in the entertainment sphere, and is currently only an Academy Award shy of joining the famed EGOT club, members of which have won an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony award. Parker and Stone have provided their famous, cutting edge satire to fans for the last fifteen years in the form multiple television shows, feature films, video games, and a Broadway Musical. The voices of Parker and Stone are very apparent in every one of these works, most literally in South Park and Team America: World Police where, along with writing and directing, they actually voice the majority of the characters. Their constant critiques of religion, politics and American culture are used for more than just cheap laughs. Their brand of social satire has been discussed among critics as much as any other comedy on television. They are masters at playing the devil’s advocate, almost always providing multiple viewpoints on each issue. Throughout South Park’s run, both political parties have been lampooned mercilessly, as has every major religion. Parker and Stone’s ability to frame issues from an attempted objective viewpoint allows audiences to find value in both sides of an argument. This unique ability, while most famous in South Park, is apparent through almost all of their productions. The Book of Mormon, their Tony Award winning musical, certainly finds humor in some of the more unique aspects of the Mormon faith, but it is also able to construct its Mormon characters as mostly likable young adults who are making the most out of the situation that they are in. Most importantly, they write these characters as people who ultimately mean well even if some of their methods and beliefs may be strange. As with David Simon, the voices of Matt Stone and Trey Parker are the backbone and defining feature of every project that they are involved with.

            Stylistically and thematically, the productions of these showrunners embody their own unique personalities, experiences and world views in a way that profoundly influences the product that audiences eventually consume. They represent all of the important characteristics that have previously been used when declaring someone an auteur. I don’t believe that this term should be limited to feature film directors, as these showrunners responsible for producing television are every bit as influential over their productions. Therefore, I believe that among others, David Simon, Matt Stone and Trey Parker are deserving of the title of auteur.

Works Cited

Robins, J. M. (2011, June 30). David simon, 'treme' and muckraking tv. Retrieved from http://www.businessinsider.com/david-simon-treme-and-muckraking-tv-2011-6