In this Book
- Television Finales: From Howdy Doody to Girls
- Book
- 2018
- Published by: Syracuse University Press
- Series: Television and Popular Culture
summary
Today more than ever, series finales have become cultural touchstones that feed watercooler fodder and Twitter storms among a committed community of viewers. While the final episodes of The Fugitive and M*A*S*H continue to rank among the highest rated broadcasts, more recent shows draw legions of binge-watching fans. Given the importance of finales to viewers and critics alike, Howard and Bianculli along with the other contributors explore these endings and what they mean to the audience, both in terms of their sense of narrative and as episodes that epitomize an entire show. Bringing together a veritable "who’s who" of television scholars, journalists, and media experts, including Robert Thompson, Martha Nochimson, Gary Edgerton, David Hinckley, Kim Akass, and Joanne Morreale, the book offers commentary on some of the most compelling and often controversial final episodes in television history. Each chapter is devoted to a separate finale, providing readers with a comprehensive survey of these watershed moments. Gathering a unique international lineup of journalists and media scholars, the book also offers readers an intriguing variety of critical voices and perspectives.
Table of Contents
Download Full Book
- Contents by Year
- pp. xi-xiv
- Contents by Genre
- pp. xv-xviii
- Acknowledgments
- pp. xix-xx
- Introduction
- pp. 1-7
- 1. As the World Turns
- pp. 8-13
- 2. Ashes to Ashes
- pp. 14-19
- 3. Babylon 5
- pp. 20-24
- 4. Barney Miller
- pp. 25-33
- 5. Battlestar Galactica
- pp. 34-42
- 6. Boston Legal
- pp. 43-50
- 7. Breaking Bad
- pp. 51-56
- 8. Buffy the Vampire Slayer
- pp. 57-63
- 9. Carnivàle
- pp. 64-67
- 10. Cheers
- pp. 68-72
- 11. The Colbert Report
- pp. 73-77
- 12. Dark Shadows
- pp. 78-83
- 13. Dawson’s Creek
- pp. 84-90
- 14. Dexter
- pp. 91-97
- 15. The Dick Van Dyke Show
- pp. 98-104
- 16. Downton Abbey
- pp. 105-110
- 18. Family Ties
- pp. 117-122
- 19. Friends
- pp. 123-128
- 20. Fringe
- pp. 129-133
- 21. The Fugitive
- pp. 134-141
- 22. Gilmore Girls
- pp. 142-149
- 24. Hill Street Blues
- pp. 153-157
- 25. Homicide
- pp. 158-165
- 26. House, M.D.
- pp. 166-172
- 27 How I Met Your Mother
- pp. 173-178
- 28. Howdy Doody
- pp. 179-181
- 29. Jericho
- pp. 182-187
- 30. Justified
- pp. 188-193
- 31. The L Word
- pp. 194-199
- 32. The Larry Sanders Show
- pp. 200-204
- 33. Life on Mars (UK)
- pp. 205-212
- 35. Mad Men
- pp. 219-227
- 36. The Mary Tyler Moore Show
- pp. 228-233
- 37. M*A*S*H
- pp. 234-241
- 38. Moonlighting
- pp. 242-248
- 39. Newhart
- pp. 249-254
- 40. Nichols
- pp. 255-259
- 41. Nurse Jackie
- pp. 260-265
- 42. The Office (UK)
- pp. 266-272
- 43. The Office (US)
- pp. 273-276
- 45. Prime Suspect
- pp. 283-288
- 46. The Prisoner
- pp. 289-294
- 47. Quantum Leap
- pp. 295-300
- 48. Rectify
- pp. 301-304
- 49. Roseanne
- pp. 305-311
- 50. Seinfeld
- pp. 312-316
- 51. Sex and the City
- pp. 317-323
- 52. The Shield
- pp. 324-332
- 53. Six Feet Under
- pp. 333-338
- 54. Smallville
- pp. 339-344
- 55. Sons of Anarchy
- pp. 345-351
- 56. The Sopranos
- pp. 352-358
- 57. Spaced
- pp. 359-363
- 58. Star Trek: The Next Generation
- pp. 364-369
- 59. St. Elsewhere
- pp. 370-382
- 60. That Was the Week That Was
- pp. 383-386
- 61. 30 Rock
- pp. 387-392
- 62. The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
- pp. 393-401
- 63. Torchwood
- pp. 402-408
- 64. True Blood
- pp. 409-414
- 65. Twin Peaks
- pp. 415-424
- 66. Veronica Mars
- pp. 425-432
- 67. The West Wing
- pp. 433-438
- 68. Will & Grace
- pp. 439-444
- 69. The Wire
- pp. 445-453
- 70. Xena: Warrior Princess
- pp. 454-459
- 71. The X-Files
- pp. 460-466
- Conclusion
- pp. 467-476
- Contributors / Index
- Contributors
- pp. 479-492
Additional Information
ISBN
9780815654476
Related ISBN(s)
9780815611059
MARC Record
OCLC
1056711032
Launched on MUSE
2018-10-15
Language
English
Open Access
No