As far back as 1996 people in Literary and Media Theory began using the concept of »Quality Television« (QTV), which attempts to separate regular TV from the »other«, and better television – similar to the later designations such as »Art TV«, »Prestige TV« or »Auteur Series«. What exactly is hidden behind these terms often remains somewhat vague. Is it possible to nail down, in a concrete fashion, distinctive features (controversial issues, cinema aesthetics, multiple codings or narrative complexity)? Should a narrow and a broad concept of QTV be employed, whereby the latter would contain formats which have tended to be excluded, like sitcoms? Or has the expression outlived the object that it was intended to describe? The articles in this volume offer answers.
