How to watch television / edited by Ethan Thompson and Jason Mittell.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Thompson, Ethan, editor.

Mittell, Jason, editor.

Series:

User's guides to popular culture.

User's guides to popular culture

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Television programs--United States.

Television programs.

Television programs--Social aspects.

United States.

Television programs--Social aspects--United States.

Television programs--Political aspects--United States.

Physical Description:

x, 406 pages : illustrations ; 26 cm.

Edition:

Second edition.

Place of Publication:

New York : New York University Press, [2020]

Summary:

"We all have opinions about the television shows we watch, but television criticism is about much more than simply evaluating the merits of a particular show and deeming it 'good' or 'bad.' Rather, criticism uses the close examination of a television program to explore that program's cultural significance, creative strategies, and its place in a broader social context. How to Watch Television, Second Edition brings together forty original essays -- more than half of which are new to this edition -- from today's leading scholars on television culture, who write about the programs they care (and think) the most about. Each essay focuses on a single television show, demonstrating one way to read the program and, through it, our media culture. From fashioning blackness in Empire to representation in Orange is the New Black and from the role of the reboot in Gilmore Girls to the function of changing political atmospheres in Roseanne, these essays model how to practice media criticism in accessible language, providing critical insights through analysis -- suggesting a way of looking at TV that students and interested viewers might emulate. The contributors discuss a wide range of television programs past and present, covering many formats and genres, spanning fiction and non-fiction, broadcast, streaming, and cable. Addressing shows from TV's earliest days to contemporary online transformations of the medium, How to Watch Television, Second Edition is designed to engender classroom discussion among television critics of all backgrounds." -- Publisher's website.

Contents:

TV form: aesthetics and style

TV representation: social identity and cultural politics

TV politics: democracy, nation, and the public interest

TV industry: industrial practices and structures

TV practices: medium, technology, and everyday life.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9781479898817

1479898813

OCLC:

1126550651