procedurals
Case-of-the-week shows
Procedurals are a genre of crime fiction—television shows, films, or novels—that focus on the systematic investigative process rather than character drama.
Police procedurals follow detectives gathering evidence and solving cases: Law & Order, CSI.
Medical and legal procedurals apply the same formula to hospitals and courtrooms.
The appeal lies in watching professionals methodically work through problems.
Professional crime investigator
- policeCivil law enforcement
- forensicsScientific crime-scene analysis
- evidenceFacts supporting truth
- murderDeliberate unlawful killing
suspect · autopsy · interrogation · arrest · witness · alibi · crime scene · fingerprint
Serialized content unit
- seriesOrdered set of related items
- seasonYearly division or series
- ensembleUnified group or outfit
- protagonistStory's central figure
recurring · guest star · cold open · teaser · act break · cliffhanger · showrunner · network
Able to be foreseen
- clichedOverused and unoriginal
- by-the-numbersFollowing established procedure exactly
- cookie-cutterMold for baked treats
- derivativeFunction's rate of change
conventional · repetitive · stock · tired · hackneyed · overused · tropes · boilerplate
Identification of illness
- autopsyMedical examination after death
- surgeonPhysician who operates
- hospitalMedical treatment facility
- emergency roomHospital crisis department
patient · symptoms · treatment · operating room · scrubs · rounds · triage · chief of medicine
detective
Professional crime investigator
murder · suspect · autopsy · interrogation · arrest · witness · alibi · crime scene · fingerprint · ballistics
episode
Serialized content unit
protagonist · recurring · guest star · cold open · teaser · act break · cliffhanger · showrunner · network · syndication
predictable
Able to be foreseen
- clichedOverused and unoriginal
- by-the-numbersFollowing established procedure exactly
- cookie-cutterMold for baked treats
derivative · conventional · repetitive · stock · tired · hackneyed · overused · tropes · boilerplate · paint-by-numbers
diagnosis
Identification of illness
- autopsyMedical examination after death
- surgeonPhysician who operates
- hospitalMedical treatment facility
emergency room · patient · symptoms · treatment · operating room · scrubs · rounds · triage · chief of medicine · differential
courtroom
Judicial proceedings chamber
- lawyerLicensed legal representative
- prosecutionPursuing legal charges
- defenseProtection against harm
verdict · trial · judge · objection · cross-examination · testimony · jury · plaintiff · defendant · law firm
- TVcomedy series, drama series, talk shows, game shows, reality TV
- broadcast televisionnetworks, ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox
- Legal TVtrials, verdicts, testimony, evidence, cross-examination
proceduralssoap operas
Serialized melodramatic television programs
miniseries · anthology series · limited series · telenovelas
proceduralscharacter studies
Analyses of individual personalities
family sagas · coming-of-age stories · slice-of-life · literary fiction
- police proceduralsCrime fiction emphasizing investigation methods
- procedural dramaGenre emphasizing professional methodology
- procedural errorDeviation from required steps
- procedural requirementsMandated steps for compliance
- procedural generationAutomated content creation via algorithms
- procedural memoryUnconscious learned action storage