Anthology series

An anthology series is a written series, radio, television, film, or video game series that presents a different story and a different set of characters in each different episode, season, segment, or short.[1] These usually have a different cast in each episode, but several series in the past, such as Four Star Playhouse, employed a permanent troupe of character actors who would appear in a different drama each week.[2] Some anthology series, such as Studio One, began on radio and then expanded to television.[3]

Lux Radio Theatre ad art featuring Joan Crawford

Etymology

The word comes from Ancient Greek ἀνθολογία (anthología, "flower-gathering"), from ἀνθολογέω (anthologéō, "I gather flowers"), from ἄνθος (ánthos, "flower") + λέγω (légō, "I gather, pick up, collect"), coined by Meleager of Gadara circa 60 BCE, originally as Στέφανος (στέφανος (stéphanos, "garland")) to describe a collection of poetry, later retitled anthology – see Greek Anthology. Anthologiai were collections of small Greek poems and epigrams, because in Greek culture the flower symbolized the finer sentiments that only poetry can express.

Radio

Many popular old-time radio programs were anthology series. On some series, such as Inner Sanctum Mysteries, the only constant was the host, who introduced and concluded each dramatic presentation. One of the earliest such programs was The Collier Hour, broadcast on the NBC Blue Network from 1927 to 1932.[4] As radio's first major dramatic anthology, it adapted stories and serials from Collier's Weekly in a calculated move to increase subscriptions and compete with The Saturday Evening Post. Airing on the Wednesday prior to each week's distribution of the magazine, the program soon moved to Sundays in order to avoid spoilers with dramatizations of stories simultaneously appearing in the magazine.[4]

Drama

Genre series

Radio anthology series provided a format for science fiction, horror, suspense, and mystery genres (all produced in the US, unless noted):

Nelson Olmsted of NBC's Sleep No More fantasy series.

The final episode of Suspense was broadcast on September 30, 1962, a date that has traditionally been seen as marking the end of the old-time radio era.[6] However, genre series produced since 1962 include:

Television

In the history of television, live anthology dramas were especially popular during the Golden Age of Television of the 1950s with series such as The United States Steel Hour and The Philco Television Playhouse.[7][8]

Dick Powell came up with an idea for an anthology series, Four Star Playhouse, with a rotation of established stars every week, four stars in all. The stars would own the studio and the program, as Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz had done successfully with Desilu studio. Powell had intended for the program to feature himself, Charles Boyer, Joel McCrea, and Rosalind Russell. When Russell and McCrea backed out, David Niven came on board as the third star. The fourth star was initially a guest star. CBS liked the idea, and Four Star Playhouse made its debut in fall of 1952.[2] It ran on alternate weeks only during the first season, alternating with Amos 'n' Andy. It was successful enough to be renewed and became a weekly program from the second season until the end of its run in 1956. Ida Lupino was brought on board as the de facto fourth star, though unlike Powell, Boyer, and Niven, she owned no stock in the company.

American television networks would sometimes run summer anthology series which consisted of unsold television pilots.[9] Beginning in 1971, the long-run Masterpiece Theatre drama anthology series brought British productions to American television.

In 2011, American Horror Story debuted a new type of anthology format in the U.S. Each season, rather than each episode, is a standalone story. Several actors have appeared in the various seasons, but playing different roles—in an echo of the Four Star Playhouse format.[10]

The success of American Horror Story has spawned other season-long anthologies such as American Crime Story and True Detective.[11]

American drama

Anime

  • Gokujō!! Mecha Mote Iinchō (2009-2011)
  • The Grimm Variations (2024)
  • Hakken Taiken Daisuki! Shimajirō (2008-2010)
  • Mewkledreamy Mix! (2020-2021)
  • Miracle! Mimika (2006-2009)
  • Shimajirō Hesoka (2010-2012)
  • Shimajirō no Wow! (2012-present)
  • Shūkan Storyland (1999-2001)

British drama

Canadian drama

Indian drama

Pakistani drama

Philippine drama

Thai drama

Animated

Adult animation

Children and family

Comedies

Crime dramas

Educational

Historical

Medical

Military

Mystery and suspense

Religious

TitleStartedEndedSeasonsEpisodesNotes
The Catholic Hour19561967
Crossroads also known as Way of Life19551957278
Family Theater19491958540
Insight1960198423250
Lamp Unto My Feet19481969
Look Up and Live19671971
This is the Life also known as The Fisher Family19521988

Science fiction and horror

TitleStartedEndedSeasonsEpisodesNotes
Alcoa Presents: One Step Beyond19591961396
Amazing Stories (original series)19851987245
Amazing Stories (reboot)2020202015
American Horror Story2011Present11114
American Horror Stories2021Present17
Are You Afraid of the Dark?19902000791
Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction19972002445
Black Mirror2011Present627UK series
Castle Rock20182019220
Channel Zero20162018424
Chiller1995199515
Darknet2013201416
Dark Realm20012001113
Deadtime Stories20122013111
Dimension 4042017201716
Electric Dreams (2017 TV series)20172018110
Exposure20002002242
Fantasy Island197719847152Includes 2 Movies
Fear and Fancy19531953115
Fear Itself20082008113
The Fearing Mind20002000112
Freddy's Nightmares – A Nightmare on Elm Street: The Series19881990244
Ghost Stories19971998144
Ghost Story1972197312223 total includes 1 Pilot
Goosebumps19951998474
Great Ghost Tales19611961112
A Haunting2005Present10105Stopped in 2007 and returned in 2012
The Haunting20182020219-
Historias para no dormir19661982329
The Hunger19972000244UK/Canadian Series
Infinity Train2019Present440
Inside No 92014Present849
Into the Dark20182021224
Journey to the Unknown19681969117
Lee Martin's The Midnight Hour20082015
Lights Out19461952
Lore20172018212
Love, Death & Robots2019Present335
Masters of Horror20052007226
Masters of Science Fiction2007200716
Métal Hurlant Chronicles20122014212
Monsters19881991372
Mystery and Imagination19661970524UK series
Night Gallery19701973343
Night Visions20012001113
The Nightmare Room20012002113
Nightmare Cafe1992199216
Nightmares & Dreamscapes: From the Stories of Stephen King2006200618
Out of the Unknown19651971449UK series
Out of This World19621962113UK series
Out There19511952112
The Outer Limits19631965249
The Outer Limits199520027154
Perversions of Science19971997110
Play for Tomorrow1981198116UK series
Quinn Martin's Tales of the Unexpected1977197718Not to be confused with the UK series (below)
The Ray Bradbury Theater19851992665
R.L. Stine's The Haunting Hour20102014476
Room 1042017Present224
Science Fiction Theatre19551957278
Scream20152019330
Slasher2016Present324
Strange Stories19561956
Tales from the Darkside19841988489Plus 1 Pilot
Tales from the Crypt19891996793
Tales of Mystery19611963329
Tales of Mystery and Imagination19951995113
Tales of the Unexpected197919889112UK series unconnected with the Quinn Martin series (above)
Tales of Tomorrow19511953285
The Terror20182019220
Thriller19601962267
Trapped19501951
The Twilight Zone (original series)195919645156
The Twilight Zone (first reboot)19851989365
The Twilight Zone (second reboot)20022003143
The Twilight Zone (third reboot)20192020220
The Unexpected19521952
Urban Gothic20002001222
The Veil19581958111
Way Out19611961114
Welcome to Paradox19981998113
What If...?2021Present218
Star Wars: Visions2021Present118

Westerns

TitleStartedEndedSeasonsEpisodesNotes
Frontier Theatre19501950No episodes are known to have survived.
Death Valley Days1952197018452
Frontier19551956131
Zane Grey Theater195619615149
Cheyenne195719627107
Dead Man's Gun19971999244

Film

Anthology film series are rare compared to their TV and radio counterparts. There have been several attempts within the horror genre to have a franchise with an anthology format, such as with the Halloween franchise where the third film, Halloween III: Season of the Witch, was meant to be the beginning of a series of anthology horror films, but due to negative reception that plan was shelved.

Drama series

TitleStartedEndedInstalmentsNotes
Cities of Love2006N/A5[14]

Genre

TitleStartedEndedInstalmentsNotes
Carry On...1958199231Comedy series which used the same roster of comedic actors and comedians
Shinobi no Mono196219709Composed of five unrelated stories/characters. Story 1 (films #1–3), story 2 (films #4–5, 7), story 3 (film #6), story 4 (film #8), story 5 (film #9).
The Bloodthirsty Trilogy197019743
The Ninja Trilogy198119843Composed of Enter the Ninja, Revenge of the Ninja, and Ninja III: The Domination.[15]
Shake, Rattle & Roll1984202316
Hanna-Barbera Superstars 101987198810The series of syndicated animated television films produced by Hanna-Barbera, as part of The Funtastic World of Hanna-Barbera programming block.
Three Flavours Cornetto trilogy200420133
Cloverfield2008N/A3

Video games

Anthology video games have been very rare since the 1980s.

TitleStartedEndedInstallmentsNotes
Final Fantasy1987N/A16
Silent Hill1999N/A9Each game presents a different story and main characters, but in the same titular town of Silent Hill.
The Dark Pictures Anthology2019N/A4It is planned to consist of eight games, with one entry per year.
Fears to Fathom2021N/A4An episodic psychological horror game where each episode unveils a short story narrated by the ones who survived.

See also

References

External links