History CentralTheme / LiveACtionTV

* ''Series/{{Revolution}}: The big question asked is this...if the power went off world-wide and stayed off for 15 years, what would the world be like?

* ''Series/{{Angel}}'': Redemption. Specifically, how it's hopeless, thankless, endless and painful. Seek it anyway; there is nothing more beautiful than compassion without any expectation of reward.

* ''Series/{{Community}}'': The series as a whole focusses on how people bond together to form [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin communities]] with one another, and what it takes to hold these communities together; in particular, how [[ThePowerOfFriendship friendship]] and accepting others, flaws and all, helps with this. Each season also develops a particular aspect of this theme, based around the class that the main characters are taking together for that year:

* ''Series/{{Merlin}}'': Power (including magic) does not make a person good or evil, it is what a person chooses to do with it that defines them.

* ''Series/TheXFiles'': Trust vs. paranoia; specifically, can you trust even one person when it seems like the whole world is out to get you?

* ''Series/ThePrisoner'': The conflict between the individual and authority.
* ''Series/{{Friends}}'': Friendship in all its forms (friendship among men and women, friendship that is broken and reforged, friendship that blossoms into romance).
* ''Series/ThirtyRock'': Maintaining professional integrity.
* ''NipTuck'': hiding the ugliness of people
* ''Series/MadMen'': The contradictory roles men and women are ''supposed'' to play in society.
* ''{{Spaced}}'': What it means to be a young adult in the early twenty-first century, and how that means figuring out who you are and what you want to do.
* ''Series/{{Seinfeld}}'': How some people just will never learn a lesson, if there's even a lesson to learn.
* ''MalcolmInTheMiddle'': Life is unfair.
* ''Series/BattlestarGalacticaReimagined'': The need to survive at all costs. The power of forgiveness and reconciliation. Faith, Idols and God
* ''Series/BurnNotice'': Can you work with someone you don't like?
* ''Series/TheGoodGuys'': Crimes can't be solved without getting one's hands dirty.
* ''MrBean'': Thinking outside the box, for better or worse.
* ''Series/QuantumLeap'': SetRightWhatOnceWentWrong.
* ''Series/{{Oz}}'': Does man have the capacity to change his wicked ways?
* ''Series/DharmaAndGreg'': Opposites attract.
* ''Series/{{CSI}}'': There is no perfect crime. The suspects always leave a clue behind.
* ''Series/WillAndGrace'': The evolution of a friendship (from romantic to platonic to familial).
* ''Series/LawAndOrder'': The imperfection of the criminal justice system.
* ''Franchise/StarTrek'': The possibility of friendship among races.
** ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'': Whether it is possible to break free of the past, or whether people/civilizations will be forever chained by it, at least early on. Later seasons address the GodzillaThreshold, and whether it is possible to hold onto morality in the face of certain doom.
* ''BoardwalkEmpire'': Conflict between duty and self-interest.
* ''Series/SixFeetUnder'': Human mortality, the inevitability of death, and the effect it has on those still living.
* ''Series/{{Smash}}'': What would you sacrifice to make your dream come true?
* ''Series/{{Psych}}'': The power of keen observation.
* The BBC's ''Series/RobinHood'': For the first two seasons: what's more important, the needs of the individual or the impersonal greater good?
** For the third season: fight the good fight, even if (or when) it costs you everything you hold dear.
** The relationship between an individual man, the people in his life, and the legend that builds up around him (as epitomized in the gang's CatchPhrase: "We are Robin Hood".) With that in mind...
*** No matter who dies, legends will live on, and ensure that there will always be people willing to fight against TheMan.
* ''{{Wilfred}}'': The conflict between what one wants (animal instinct) and what one is supposed to do (human conscience).
* ''Series/{{Scrubs}}'': When the power to save or destroy people's lives rests in your hands every day, you need your friends to help you handle the responsibility, because you ''can't'' do it all on your own. After all, [[WaxingLyrical you're no]] [[ThemeSongPowerUp Superman]].
** Each separate episode has it's own central theme referred to in the episode title.
* ''SexAndTheCity'': Never losing hope or becoming jaded in the search for love.
* ''MissionImpossible'': People using each other as pawns.
* ''Series/{{Touch}}'': People are all connected (a favorite Tim Kring theme). Seeing things that others can't.
* ''GossipGirl'': Taking charge of your life. Ironically, the characters lives are all being manipulated by a blogger.
* ''OneTreeHill'': The struggle of children to try to be better than their parents.

* ''Series/{{House}}'': The cure sometimes being worse than the disease.
* ''PushingDaisies'': Life and death are not opposites. Life, death, and rebirth are the opposites of stasis.
* ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'': [[CrapsackWorld Life sucks]]. [[TrueCompanions Family]] is the only thing you can really count on.

* ''Series/{{Dollhouse}}'': What is the human identity? Is it tangible? Can it be destroyed?
* ''Series/{{Glee}}'': Popularity is a fleeting and unsatisfactory thing, and the more you try to achieve it the more you'll hurt yourself and others.
* ''Series/DoctorWho'' overall could be said to focus on pacifism ([[DependingOnTheWriter whether]] [[TechnicalPacifist technical]] or otherwise), the question of where "home" really lies and the ever-changing nature of reality. But breaking it up for each Doctor (mainly taken from the ''Series/DoctorWho Ratings Guide''):

* ''Series/TheGoodies'' used its central theme [[DrunkWithPower (Everybody goes drunk with power)]] to kick off silly, wacky plots involving violence and slapstick.
* ''Series/{{Mash}}'': The only way to deal with the horrors of war without going completely crazy is to let yourself go a ''little'' bit crazy instead.

* ''TheSarahConnorChronicles'': True heroism sometimes means doing things people won't like.
* ''Series/TwentyFour'': How far will you go to see justice done?
* ''Series/{{Angel}}'': Redemption. Specifically, how it's hopeless, thankless, endless and painful. Seek it anyway; there is nothing more beautiful than compassion without any expectation of reward.
** Angel lays it out explicitly a couple times, first in "Epiphany" when he talks about the existential reasons for being kind even if you know it won't change things, and again when Faith and Angel and Angelus are having a fight inside Angel's mind. Angel saves Faith and himself by admitting that he doesn't believe in redemption any more: the point is to do good for the sake of doing good, not to win some epic, endless battle. Evil triumphs not when good people do nothing but when people don't do good things. Not ''because'' they're good people. Just because it's right.
** To put it simply, in the words of the series itself: If nothing we do matters, then all that matters is what we do.
* ''Series/{{Merlin}}'': Power (including magic) does not make a person good or evil, it is what a person chooses to do with it that defines them.
** Parents cast long shadows over their children.
** Secrets are destructive, especially when they exist between friends and family.
** Social status is not an indicator of worth and blood is not necessarily ThickerThanWater.
** YouCantFightFate and BecauseDestinySaysSo.
* ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'': [[GrowingUpSucks Kids need to grow up sooner or later]]. We will lose the ones we love eventually.
* ''DeadLikeMe'': Picking up the pieces of your life, the importance of seizing second chances.
* ''TheWire'': Every human institution is run by petty, selfish human beings, and is therefore doomed to mediocrity.
** The effect of the drug trade and the resulting War on Drugs on society as a whole.
* ''Series/{{Chuck}}'': IJustWantToBeNormal vs. IJustWantToBeSpecial
* ''Series/TheXFiles'': Trust vs. paranoia; specifically, can you trust even one person when it seems like the whole world is out to get you?
** The shady things those in authority will get up to when they think no one is looking and the ways they will manipulate you if they think they can get away with it.
** If the 'Truth' really out there? And if so, is it even possible to find it through all the lies?
* ''Series/MightyMorphinPowerRangers'' and ''Series/PowerRangersZeo'': Overlaping theme of tradition vs progress, showing that mindlessly climbing to either is bad.
* ''EarlyEdition'': How a single act can change the lives of others, [[NiceJobBReakingItHero or make it worse]].

* ''{{Life}}'': The difference between forgiveness and revenge.
* ''Series/ColdCase'': No crime stays unsolved forever.

* ''Series/XenaWarriorPrincess'': When is it all right to kill?
* ''Series/TheSopranos'': BeingEvilSucks.
* ''Series/{{Andromeda}}'': Old fashioned heroics in a world lacking heroes.
* ''Series/WithoutATrace'': [[HiddenDepths You don't really know someone until the day they disappear]].
* ''Series/AmericanHorrorStory'': Everyone is haunted.
* ''Series/{{Castle}}'': In the ongoing story-arc, what cost seeking justice for the wrongs of the past can have on the present and / or future. In general, the perils and opportunities of opening yourself and your heart up to someone else.
* ''Series/{{Community}}'': The series as a whole focusses on how people bond together to form [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin communities]] with one another, and what it takes to hold these communities together; in particular, how [[ThePowerOfFriendship friendship]] and accepting others, flaws and all, helps with this. Each season also develops a particular aspect of this theme, based around the class that the main characters are taking together for that year:
** Season 1 (Spanish) - Communication; how do people of different backgrounds learn to speak a common language with one another?
** Season 2 (Anthropology) - Unity; can people of different persuasions come together as TrueCompanions? And can they stay TrueCompanions without either tearing themselves apart or letting outsiders do so?
** Season 3 (Biology) - Evolution; can the group stay together even as they evolve differently as people?
** Season 4 (History) - with the group coming to terms with their pasts but also realizing how much they've grown.
* ''FoylesWar'': The moral and ethical price of fighting a war on the people living in the home front. Can even murder be considered a crime when thousands more are dying through warfare every day?
* ''Series/TheCollector'': Is a decade of happiness enough to [[DealWithTheDevil trade in your soul]], the only thing about yourself which will last for eternity?
* ''Series/BlackMirror'': The ambiguity between the benefits and drawbacks of modern technology, and what kind of impact it's having on modern society and those who live in it; [[NewMediaAreEvil are we becoming slaves to new media? Is it changing us and how we look at the world around us for the worse?]]
* ''YesMinister'' and ''Series/TheWestWing'': The conflict between political idealism versus political realities, and how politicians and civil servants navigate and exploit this conflict in order to ensure the most favorable outcome for them. Interestingly, each series is set at opposite ends of the SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism.
** ''Series/ParksAndRecreation'' has the same theme, but takes place on a smaller scale (city government rather than national government). It takes the idealistic approach for the most part.
* ''[[Series/TheOfficeUK The]] [[Series/TheOfficeUS Office]]'' (Both UK and US): The demoralising and crushing tedium of white-collar work.

* ''BreakingBad'': What is the toll that doing evil will take on your life, family and soul, even if it's initially (apparently) for good reasons?

* ''Series/BabylonFive'': Man's need to overcome his faults and limitations.
* ''Series/HowIMetYourMother'': The really, ''really'' long path to true love. Or more generally, [[http://www.npr.org/blogs/monkeysee/2011/12/06/143195693/how-i-met-your-mother-the-optimism-of-inevitability how everything that has happened to you and everyone who came into your life is part of the story of how you got where you are today.]]
* ''TheBigBangTheory'': Brilliance and wisdom are mutually exclusive.
* ''Series/{{Heroes}}'': BewareTheSuperman.
* ''Series/TheOC'': Starting your life over.

* ''{{Suits}}'': Competition in the workplace and at home.
* ''ImAlanPartridge'': The emptiness of a life lived in narcissism and wasted seeking fame and recognition for it's own sake, rather than for anything of merit.
* ''TheLarrySandersShow'': The contrast between the slick surface glamour of showbusiness and the backstabbing grubbiness behind the scenes. WordOfGod also indicates that the show is about love -- specifically, the kind of love between [[HeterosexualLifePartners lifelong friends]] who care deeply for each other but struggle to express it.
* ''Series/DadsArmy'': The contrasting absurdities and bravery of the British in wartime.
* ''Series/{{JAG}}'': The military in general represents all that’s good about America, and although there are a few rotten apples in the barrel, the military as a system is never at fault.
* ''Series/MyNameIsEarl'': Doing good for the sake of doing good and not for a reward or to avoid punishment.
* ''Series/RedDwarf'': Isolation.
* ''Series/{{Rome}}'': How long till one's fortune runs out?
* ''Series/{{Cheers}}'': No matter how different people are or where they come from, they will always have a home.
* ''Series/ThirdRockFromTheSun'': Understanding the human condition.
* ''Series/{{Bones}}'' - The awesomeness of science.
* ''Series/PersonOfInterest''
** Who do you save and who do you kill? Do you even have the right to make that decision?
** Can you trust someone if you don't agree their methods?
** The danger of digging into the truth.
* ''Series/TheCloser'' - Can you separate your personal life from work?
* ''Series/NewGirl'' - Can you stay optimistic even if life continues to beat you down?
* ''KamenRider'' - Being a franchise where each Season usually operates under its own continuity, the CentralTheme tends to change from series to series.
** ''Showa-era Riders:'' There are a few exceptions, or at least, seasons where it is not as large an issue, but the basic unifying theme of the pre-Kuuga era is "Does becoming a monster mean losing your humanity".
*** Arguably, this theme is still in effect in a number of the Heisei seasons given that many of the protagonists are related to or have powers related to the antagonists in some way.
** ''KamenRiderKuuga:'' If violence is needed to combat violence, then when and how does it stop?
** ''KamenRiderAgito:'' What does it mean to evolve?
** ''KamenRiderRyuki:'' Are some wishes or motivations more 'correct' than others, and to what degree can people be justified in striving for them.
** ''KamenRiderFaiz:'' Just because one is less evolved does not mean they are weaker.
** ''KamenRiderBlade:'' A theme along the lines of ''Faiz'' and goes one step further: What is the final product of evolution - and is it a good thing?
** ''KamenRiderHibiki:'' Behave in a way that you believe in.
** ''KamenRiderKiva:'' The actions of the past will effect the future.
** ''KamenRiderOOO:'' Do people need desire, and if they do, how much of it do they need?
** ''KamenRiderFourze:'' The Power of Friendship.
** ''KamenRiderWizard:'' People need hope.
* ''Series/{{Extras}}'': Can you achieve fame and fortune without sacrificing your integrity?
* ''Series/DowntonAbbey'': It's the EndOfAnAge and those that don't adapt to the changes are doomed to become obsolete.
* ''Series/DancingOnTheEdge'': When the going gets tough, how open-minded are self-proclaimed open-minded people?
* ''Series/{{Nikita}}'' - What kind of person do you trust to keep your secret?
* ''Series/{{Blackadder}}:'' There always have been smart and stupid people, and history is their conflict.
* ''Series/{{Dallas}}'' - Can personal ambition take precedence over family loyalty?
* ''Series/{{Gilmore Girls}}:'' How involved should parents be in their children's lives once they've grown up?

* ''Series/{{Smash}}'': TechnicianVersusPerformer

* ''Series/BurnNotice'': ThePowerOfFriendship in contrast to the "lone super spy" cliche.

* ''Series/{{House}}'': Everybody lies.

* ''MyNameIsEarl'': Doing good for the sake of doing good and not for a reward or to avoid punishment.

* ''PersonOfInterest'' - Who do you save and who do you kill? Do you even have the right to make that decision?

* ''TheCloser'' - Can you separate your personal life from work?
* ''NewGirl'' - Can you stay optimistic even if you life continues to beat you down?

* ''Series/{}Gilmore Girls}}:'' How involved should parents be in their children's lives once they've grown up?

* ''Series/DancingOnTheEdge'': When the going gets tough, how open-mindeded are self-proclaimed open-minded people?

* ''Series/DowntonAbbey'': Its the EndOfAnAge and those that don't adapt to the changes are doomed to become obsolete.

* ''MrBean'': Thinking outside the box, for better or worst.

* ''DeadLikeMe'': Picking up the pieces of your life.

* ''NewGirl'' - Can you stay optimistic even if your life sucks?

* ''ImAlanPartridge'': The emptiness of a life lived in narcissism and wasted seeking fame and recognition for it's own sake.

** ''KamenRiderAgito:'' Similar to the Showa-era theme.

** ''KamenRiderFaiz:'' Similar to the Showa-era theme.
** ''KamenRiderBlade:'' Similar to the Showa-era theme.

** ''KamenRiderWizard:'' People need hope.

*** Arguably, this theme is still in effect in a number of the Heisei seasons given that many of the protagonists have are related to or have powers related to the antagonists in some way.

* ''NewGirl'' - Can you stay optimistic even if your life sucks?