List of nonlinear narrative television series
Nonlinear narrative is a storytelling technique in which the events are depicted, for example, out of chronological order, or in other ways where the narrative does not follow the direct causality pattern of the events featured, such as parallel distinctive plot lines, dream immersions, flashbacks, flashforwards or narrating another story inside the main plot-line.
In television, there are several examples of works that use this kind of narrative, although not all of them use it in the same way. In spite of it being more commonly used on dramas, it can also found on comedies.
This technique is used for different purposes, such as serving as a narrative hook, to mimic human memory or to explore the past of the story without leaving its present completely aside. In addition, not all television series use this technique in the same extent; some of them use it only in certain episodes, e.g. Fringe, others only in certain seasons, e.g. Breaking Bad, while others do troughout their entire run, e.g. Lost.
1990s
| Year | Title | Genre | Distributor | Notes | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990―1991 | Twin Peaks | Drama | ABC | [1] |
2000s
| Year | Title | Genre | Distributor | Notes | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000―2004 | Coupling | Comedy | BBC Two | ||
| 2002 | Boomtown | Action-drama | NBC | ||
| 2002 | Firefly | Science fiction | Fox | Only episode Out of Gas | |
| 2003―2006 2013―present |
Arrested Development | Comedy | Fox (season 1-3) Netflix (season 4-present) |
Especially season 4 | [2] |
| 2004―2010 | Lost | Drama | ABC | [3] [4] | |
| 2005―2014 | How I Met Your Mother | Comedy | CBS | [4] | |
| 2006―2013 | 30 Rock | Comedy | NBC | Mainly through the use of flashbacks and smash cuts. | |
| 2006―2010 | Heroes | Drama | NBC | ||
| 2007―2012 | Damages | Drama | FX | [4] | |
| 2008―2013 | Breaking Bad | Drama | AMC | Only Pilot, season 2 and season 5 | [5] |
| 2008―2013 | Fringe | Science fiction | Fox | Only certain episodes, such as Peter and Subject 13 | |
| 2009―2010 | FlashForward | Drama | ABC | ||
| 2009―present | The Vampire Diaries | Fantasy drama | The CW | ||
| 2009―2015 | Parks and Recreation | Comedy | NBC | Only episodes Leslie and Ron and One Last Ride |
2010s
2010
| Year | Title | Genre | Distributor | Notes | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010―2014 | Boardwalk Empire | Period drama | HBO | Only episode Under God's Power She Flourishes and season 5 | |
| 2010 | The Event | Science fiction | NBC | [4] | |
| 2010―present | The Walking Dead | Horror drama | AMC | ||
| 2010―present | Pretty Little Liars | Teen drama | ABC Family |
2011
| Year | Title | Genre | Distributor | Notes | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011―present | American Horror Story | Horror drama | FX | ||
| 2011―present | New Girl | Comedy | Fox | Mainly though the use of flashbacks | |
| 2011―present | Shameless (U.S.) | Comedy-drama | Showtime | Only episode A Night to Remem... Wait, What? | |
| 2011―present | Person of Interest | Science fiction | CBS | ||
| 2011―present | Once Upon a Time | Fantasy drama | ABC | [4] |
2012
| Year | Title | Genre | Distributor | Notes | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Alcatraz | Science fiction | Fox | ||
| 2012―present | Arrow | Superhero | The CW | [4] | |
| 2012―2014 | Revolution | Science fiction | NBC | ||
| 2012 | The Returned | Drama | Canal+ |
2013
| Year | Title | Genre | Distributor | Notes | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Once Upon a Time in Wonderland | Fantasy drama | ABC | ||
| 2013 | Deception | Soap opera | NBC | ||
| 2013―2015 | Hannibal | Drama | NBC | Especially season 3 | |
| 2013 | Golden Boy | Drama | NBC | ||
| 2013―present | Orange Is the New Black | Comedy-drama | Netflix | ||
| 2013―present | The Originals | Fantasy drama | The CW |
2014
| Year | Title | Genre | Distributor | Notes | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014―present | BoJack Horseman | Adult animation | Netflix | ||
| 2014―present | Black-ish | Comedy | ABC | Mainly though the use of flashbacks | |
| 2014―present | Gotham | Crime-drama | Fox | Only certain episodes, such as Spirit of the Goat | |
| 2014―present | Penny Dreadful | Drama | Showtiime | Only episodes Closer Than Sisters and The Nightcomers | |
| 2014―present | The Affair | Drama | Showtime | [6] | |
| 2014―present | True Detective | Drama | HBO | Especially season 1 | |
| 2014―present | How to Get Away with Murder | Drama | ABC | In media res narrative | |
| 2014―present | The Flash | Superhero | The CW | ||
| 2014 | The Honourable Woman | Political-spy thriller | BBC Two | ||
| 2014 | Manhattan Love Story | Romantic comedy | ABC | ||
| 2014―present | The Missing | Drama | BBC One | ||
| 2014―present | The Strain | Horror drama | FX | ||
| 2014―present | The Leftovers | Drama | HBO | Only episode The Garveys at Their Best | |
| 2014―present | Transparent | Comedy-drama | Amazon | Only episode Best New Girl | |
| 2014―2015 | A to Z | Comedy | NBC | ||
| 2014―2015 | Forever | Drama | ABC |
2015
| Year | Title | Genre | Distributor | Notes | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Wayward Pines | Drama | Fox | [7] | |
| 2015 | Connected | Documentary | AOL On | ||
| 2015―present | 12 Monkeys | Science fiction | Syfy | ||
| 2015―present | American Crime | Drama | ABC | ||
| 2015―present | Bloodline | Drama | Netflix | ||
| 2015―present | Better Call Saul | Drama | AMC | Only episode Marco | |
| 2015―present | Daredevil | Superhero | Netflix | [8] | |
| 2015―present | Grace and Frankie | Comedy | Netflix | Only episodes The Fall and The Elevator | |
| 2015―present | Fresh Off the Boat | Comedy | ABC | Only through the use of flashbacks | |
| 2015―present | Humans | Science fiction | Channel 4 and AMC | Only through the use of flashbacks | |
| 2015―present | Mr. Robot | Drama | USA Network | ||
| 2015―present | Narcos | Drama | Netflix | ||
| 2015―present | Sense8 | Science fiction | Netflix | Only certain episodes, such as I Can't Leave Her | [9] |
| 2015 | The Whispers | Science fiction | ABC | ||
| 2015 | Quantico | Drama | ABC | [10] | |
| 2015 | You, Me and the Apocalypse | Comedy-drama | Sky 1 and NBC |
See also
External links
References
- ^ "Twin Peaks fans party on as show plots return to weird heart of America". The Guardian. Retrieved on September 30, 2015
- ^ Stanhope, Kate. "Arrested Development Creator on New Episodes, Surprises: "We Want to Reward the Fans"" TV Guide. Retrieved on October 5, 2015.
- ^ "Out of Order: A discussion of nonlinear narrative structure". Retrieved on August 20, 2015
- ^ a b c d e f "Anachronic Order on TV". TV Tropes. Retrieved of August 20, 2015.
- ^ Poniewozik, James. "Review of Breaking Bad Season 5 premiere, "Live Free or Die" Time. Retrieved on October 5, 2015. "
- ^ Goodman, Tim. "'The Affair' Season 2: TV Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved on October 6, 2015.
- ^ Dowling, Amber. "Wayward Pines: “The Truth” Review. IGN. Retrieved on October 10, 2015.
- ^ Steinbeiser, Andrew. "Review: Daredevil Will Heighten Your Senses (Spoiler Free" Comicbook.com. Retrieved on October 6, 2015.
- ^ Farley, Michael. "What's going on?: The Wachowskis' globe-trotting, empathetic 'Sense8'". City Paper. Retrieved on October 6, 2015.
- ^ "Review: ‘Quantico’ Flips Between Jousting F.B.I. Recruits and a Terrorist Attack". The New York Times. Retrieved on September 30, 2015