How To Watch Television

Contents

v Contents Acknowledgments ix Introduction: An Owner’s Manual for Television 1 Ethan Thompson and Jason Mittell I. TV Form: Aesthetics and Style 1 Homicide: Realism 13 Bambi L. Haggins 2 House: Narrative Complexity 22 Amanda D. Lotz 3 Life on Mars: Transnational Adaptation 30 Christine Becker 4 Mad Men: Visual Style 38 Jeremy G. Butler 5 Nip/Tuck: Popular Music 47 Ben Aslinger 6 Phineas & Ferb: Children’s Television 56 Jason Mittell 7 The Sopranos: Episodic Storytelling 65 Sean O’Sullivan 8 Tim and Eric’s Awesome Show, Great Job!: Metacomedy 74 Jeffrey Sconce II. TV Representations: Social Identity and Cultural Politics 9 24: Challenging Stereotypes 85 Evelyn Alsultany 10 The Amazing Race: Global Othering 94 Jonathan Gray 11 The Cosby Show: Representing Race 103 Christine Acham vi contents 12 The Dick Van Dyke Show: Queer Meanings 112 Quinn Miller 13 Eva Luna: Latino/a Audiences 121 Hector Amaya 14 Glee / House Hunters International: Gay Narratives 130 Ron Becker 15 Grey’s Anatomy: Feminism 139 Elana Levine 16 Jersey Shore: Ironic Viewing 148 Susan J. Douglas III. TV Politics: Democracy, Nation, and the Public Interest 17 30 Days: Social Engagement 159 Geoffrey Baym and Colby Gottert 18 America’s Next Top Model: Neoliberal Labor 168 Laurie Ouellette 19 Family Guy: Undermining Satire 177 Nick Marx 20 Fox & Friends: Political Talk 186 Jeffrey P. Jones 21 M*A*S*H: Socially Relevant Comedy 195 Noel Murray 22 Parks and Recreation: The Cultural Forum 204 Heather Hendershot 23 Star Trek: Serialized Ideology 213 Roberta Pearson 24 The Wonder Years: Televised Nostalgia 223 Daniel Marcus IV. TV Industry: Industrial Practices and Structures 25 Entertainment Tonight: Tabloid News 235 Anne Helen Petersen 26 I Love Lucy: The Writer-Producer 244 Miranda J. Banks Contents vii 27 Modern Family: Product Placement 253 Kevin Sandler 28 Monday Night Football: Brand Identity 262 Victoria E. Johnson 29 NYPD Blue: Content Regulation 271 Jennifer Holt 30 Onion News Network: Flow 281 Ethan Thompson 31 The Prisoner: Cult TV Remakes 290 Matt Hills 32 The Twilight Zone: Landmark Television 299 Derek Kompare V. TV Practices: Medium, Technology, and Everyday Life 33 Auto-Tune the News: Remix Video 311 David Gurney 34 Battlestar Galactica: Fans and Ancillary Content 320 Suzanne Scott 35 Everyday Italian: Cultivating Taste 330 Michael Z. Newman 36 Gossip Girl: Transmedia Technologies 338 Louisa Stein 37 It’s Fun to Eat: Forgotten Television 347 Dana Polan 38 One Life to Live: Soap Opera Storytelling 355 Abigail De Kosnik 39 Samurai Champloo: Transnational Viewing 364 Jiwon Ahn 40 The Walking Dead: Adapting Comics 373 Henry Jenkins Contributors 383 Index 391 This page intentionally left blank ...