Introduction: the many steps and factors of a European renaissance

From 2008 to 2020 television scripted-series production in Europe underwent a succession of major changes, prompting a "European television fiction renaissance". In this period an original production/distribution model for premium television fiction has developed, through trial and error, and then become established. Chapter one outlines some important developments and trends in the contemporary television and media field, tracing more than a decade of changes in fictional content production in Europe, courtesy of pay TV and the on-demand players. The research methodology is explained, spotlighting the selected countries, industry case histories and corpus of representative series. A guide to the edited collection’s various sections and chapters is also included.