The sitcom reader : America re-viewed, still skewed / edited by Mary M. Dalton and Laura R. Linder.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Dalton, Mary M., 1962- editor.

Linder, Laura R., editor.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Situation comedies (Television programs)--United States--History and criticism.

Situation comedies (Television programs).

United States.

Genre:

Criticism, interpretation, etc.

Physical Description:

xv, 396 pages ; 23 cm

Edition:

Second edition.

Place of Publication:

Albany : State University of New York Press, [2016]

Summary:

This updated and expanded anthology offers an engaging overview of one of the oldest and most ubiquitous forms of television programming: the sitcom. Through an analysis of formulaic conventions, the contributors address critical identities such as race, gender, and sexuality, and overarching structures such as class and family. Organized by decade, chapters explore postwar domestic ideology and working-class masculinity in the 1950s, the competing messages of power and subordination in 1960s magicoms, liberated women and gender in 1970s workplace comedies and 1980s domestic comedies, liberal feminism in the 1990s, heteronormative narrative strategies in the 2000s, and unmasking myths of gender in the 2010s. From I Love Lucy and The Honeymooners to Roseanne, Cybill, and Will & Grace to Transparent and many others in between, The Sitcom Reader provides a comprehensive examination of this popular genre that will help readers think about the shows and themselves in new contexts. Book jacket.

Contents:

1 Origins of the Genre: In Search of the Radio Sitcom / David Marc Marc, David 1

The 1950s 13

2 Who Rules the Roost?: Sitcom Family Dynamics from the Cleavers to Modern Family / Judy Kutulas Kutulas, Judy 17

3 I Love Lucy: Television and Gender in Postwar Domestic Ideology / Lori Landay Landay, Lori 31

4 To the Moon! Working-Class Masculinity in The Honeymooners / Steven T. Sheehan Sheehan, Steven T. 43

The 1960s 55

5 The Rural Sitcom from The Real McCoys to Relevance / Rick Worland Worland, Rick, John O'Leary O'Leary, John 59

6 The 1960s Magicoms: Safety in Numb-ers / Gary Kenton Kenton, Gary 75

7 Negotiated Boundaries: Production Practices and the Making of Representation in Julia / Demetria Rougeaux Shabazz Shabazz, Demetria Rougeaux 91

The 1970s 105

8 The Norman Lear Sitcoms and the 1970s / Gerard Jones Jones, Gerard 107

9 Liberated Women and New Sensitive Men: Reconstructing Gender in 1970s Workplace Comedies / Judy Kutulas Kutulas, Judy 121

10 "Who's in Charge Here?" Views of Media Ownership in Situation Comedies / Paul R. Kohl Kohl, Paul R. 133

The 1980s 145

11 The Cosby Show: Recoding Ethnicity and Masculinity within the Television Text / Michael Real Real, Michael, Lauren Bratslavsky Bratslavsky, Lauren 149

12 Roseanne, Roseanne, Reality, and Domestic Comedy / Susan McLeland McLeland, Susan 165

13 Cheers: Searching for the Ideal Public Sphere in the Ideal Public House / Robert S. Brown Brown, Robert S. 177

The 1990s 185

14 Seinfeld: The Transcendence of the Quotidian / Albert Auster Auster, Albert 189

15 Cybill: Privileging Liberal Feminism in Daily Sitcom Life / Laura R. Linder Linder, Laura R., Mary M. Dalton Dalton, Mary M. 199

16 Talking Sex: Comparison Shopping through Female Conversation in HBO's Sex and the City / Sharon Marie Ross Ross, Sharon Marie 217

The 2000s 231

17 "It's Just a Bunch of Stuff that Happened": The Simpsons and the Possibility of Postmodern Comedy / H. Peter Steeves Steeves, H. Peter 235

18 Breaking and Entering: Transgressive Comedy on Television / Michael V. Tueth Tueth, Michael V. 247

19 Sealed with a Kiss: Heteronormative Narrative Strategies in NBC's Will & Grace / Denis M. Provencher Provencher, Denis M. 259

The 2010s 273

20 The Hidden Truths in Contemporary Black Sitcoms / Robin R. Means Coleman Coleman, Robin R. Means, Charlton D. McIlwain McIlwain, Charlton D., Jessica Moore Matthews Matthews, Jessica Moore 279

21 Disability and Sitcoms: A Legit Analysis / James Schultz Schultz, James 295

22 Transparent Family Values: Unmasking Sitcom Myths of Gender, Sex(uality), and Money / Maria San Filippo Filippo, Maria San 305.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9781438461311

1438461313

9781438461304

1438461305

OCLC:

918562808