Old Fears, New Hopes. Flemish TV fiction and National Identity in the 21st Century

Abstract

The overarching narrative about TV drama and TV more generally is one of continuous change. Taking a step back, in this paper I reflect on changes and continuities in the past 25 years. Starting in the late 1990s, I discuss the challenges facing European serial drama production as the market increasingly commercialised, digitised, and globalised. From a product typically associated with domestic markets, popular mostly with national audiences, it turned into a transnational commodity, as U.S. drama had been for a long time. Taking the case of Flanders, a small region and TV market, as a starting point, I discuss how these evolutions had an impact on the quantity and quality of drama, with particular attention to the issue of national identity. I argue that, despite many changes and new challenges, including increasing competition, domestic fiction continues to occupy a privileged position in Flanders. Fears about the viability of Flemish drama are not new, but rather the reiteration of old worries, which have challenged the industry – and academics – for at least a quarter century now. Streaming, in particular, carries competition to a new level, but it also creates new possibilities for coproduction and transnational distribution.