The purpose of this course is to trace the development of some of television’s most ambitious and distinctive series with an intense focus on the notion of quality. Students will be instructed on the history of quality TV, trace the development and evolution of distinct forms of quality programming, learn about different cultural notions of quality and understand how this designation has developed and changed over time. The course offers in-depth explorations of key approaches. Students will learn to contextualize and situate their research in relation to broader writing styles as well as wider disciplinary traditions and debates in order to develop original projects that address varying conceptual and practical frameworks suitable for graduate-level Television Studies assignments.