Politics and politicians in contemporary US television : Washington as fiction / edited by Betty Kaklamanidou and Margaret J. Tally.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Kaklamanidou, Betty, 1972- editor.

Tally, Margaret, 1960- editor.

Series:

Routledge advances in television studies ; 6.

Routledge advances in television studies ; 6

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Politics on television.

Television programs--United States--History--21st century.

Television programs.

History.

United States.

Physical Description:

xxi, 155 pages ; 24 cm.

Place of Publication:

London ; New York : Routledge, 2017.

Summary:

Bringing together well-established scholars of media, political science, sociology, and film to investigate the representation of Washington politics on U.S. television from the mid-2000s to the present, this volume offers stimulating perspectives on the status of representations of contemporary US politics, the role of government and the machinations and intrigue often associated with politicians and governmental institutions. The authors help to locate these representations both in the context of the history of earlier television shows that portrayed the political culture of Washington as well as within the current political culture transpiring both inside and outside of "The Beltway." With close attention to issues of gender, race and class and offering studies from contemporary quality television, including popular programmes such as The West Wing, Veep, House of Cards, The Americans, The Good Wife and Scandal, the authors examine the ways in which televisual representations reveal changing attitudes towards Washington culture, shedding light on the role of the media in framing the public's changing perception of politics and politicians. Exploring the new era in which television finds itself, with new production practices and the possible emergence of a new 'political genre' emerging, they also consider the 'humanizing' of political characters on television, asking what that representation of politicians as human beings says about the national political culture.

Contents:

Foreword: Television criticism and contemporary U.S. politics / Douglas Kellner

Introduction: American television in the 2010s / Betty Kaklamanidou and Margaret Tally

The political TV shows of the 2010s: showrunners, reality and gender / Betty Kaklamanidou and Margaret Tally

"The last hurrah": the West Wing and the future of American politics after 9/11 / Ian Scott

"Stand up, fight back": race and policing in the Good wife and Scandal / Caryn Murphy

The leader of the free world? representing the declining presidency in film and television / Gregory Frame

Would Niccolò Machiavelli endorse House of cards' Frank Underwood? / Anthony Petros Spanakos

House of cards, house of power: political narratives and the cult of serial sociopaths in narrative politics in American quality dramas in the digital age / Elena Pilipets & Rainer Winter

The Cold War (re)-visited in House of cards and the Americans / Betty Kaklamanidou

"Call it the Hillary effect": Charting the imaginary of "Hillary-esque" fictional narratives / Margaret Tally

Veep's poetics of omnishambles / Marc Edward Shaw.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9781472486042

1472486048

OCLC:

951949308