The History of TV

The history of television programming, starting with scripted shows, is the subject of a huge documentary that will be broadcast on PBS, according toBroadcasting & Cable.

The documentary will begin with four one-hour looks at scripted TV, covering six decades. More examinations at other genres will follow, according to the article.

The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences is teaming up with The Documentary Group on the series. It's scheduled to launch sometime next year.

The Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the federal funding arm for PBS, has put up $2 million startup money for the documentary series, and there will be future fundraising efforts to help pay for it.

Instead of looking at the history of television chronologically, the series will break it up based on "character-driven" themes, according to the article.

The first will be about "Independent Women," and look at the role female characters have had in TV shows, from Lucille Ball to "Murphy Brown."

The other installments look at the Man of the House (from "Father Knows Best" to "The Simpsons), the adventurous series ("Mission Impossible" to "24") and the misfits of TV ("Seinfeld" and "Heroes")