Television Show Trends, 2016-2020

Television Show Trends, 2016-2020
Author: Yvonne D. Leach
Publisher: McFarland
Total Pages: 246
Release: 2023-12-04
Genre: Performing Arts
ISBN: 1476689229

What do Euphoria, Normal People, Atlanta, Ramy, Vida, I May Destroy You, Stranger Things, and Lovecraft Country have in common? In the 2016-2020 time period they were created, these TV shows exemplified one (or more) of four noteworthy trends: authenticity, diversity, sexual candor, and retrospection. This is the first book to examine live action, fictional television shows produced within a five-year period through the lens of the trends that they epitomize. For each show, the following is discussed: the significance of the platform and the format; the intentions of the creators and showrunners; pertinent background information; similar shows and precedents; the storytelling approach; the cinematic form; and finally, how the show is emblematic of that particular trend. Since trends have the possibility of becoming part of the mainstream, they are important to identify as they emerge, especially for viewers who have a keen interest in narrative television shows.

Mr. Show

Mr. Show
Author: Naomi Odenkirk
Publisher: Squaresville Productions
Total Pages: 252
Release: 2002-09
Genre: Performing Arts
ISBN: 9780971359789

The ultimate insider's guide to one of the most daring, influential, and critically-acclaimed comedy shows on TV. From the first time it aired on late-night TV in 1995, Mr. Show began developing a cult-like following, which has only grown since the series' end. Born out of the experimental "alternative" comedy scene in L.A., Bob Odenkirk and David Cross, two of the boldest, most innovative comedy minds to emerge in years, created a veritable comedy haven "where ideas hang out...and do whatever!" and discovered a perfect use of their brilliantly bent talents. Though their road was long and unpaved, Bob and David never compromised their vision of the show, and, with the creative autonomy granted by HBO, the result was a comedy series that is fresh and sublimely funny. Written by Naomi Odenkirk, this book chronicles Bob and David's journey from before their first awkward meeting to the taping of their final episode. It is chock-full of archival photos and artifacts, and features original, never-before-seen material plus a complete episode guide, making it a rich, unique time-caplet of what may be the period's most important and influential comedy movement. Book jacket.

The Television Will Be Revolutionized, Second Edition

The Television Will Be Revolutionized, Second Edition
Author: Amanda D Lotz
Publisher: NYU Press
Total Pages: 411
Release: 2014-09-19
Genre: Performing Arts
ISBN: 1479830070

“Incredibly prescient . . . the revised edition updates its account to reflect an age when Hulu, Netflix, and Amazon are now competing for Emmy and Peabody Awards.” —Henry Jenkins, coauthor of Spreadable Media: Creating Meaning and Value in a Networked Culture Many proclaimed the “end of television” in the early years of the twenty-first century, as capabilities and features of the boxes that occupied a central space in American living rooms for the preceding fifty years were radically remade. In this revised second edition of her definitive book, Amanda D. Lotz proves that rumors of the death of television were greatly exaggerated and explores how new distribution and viewing technologies have resurrected the medium. Shifts in the basic practices of making and distributing television have not been hastening its demise but redefining what we can do with it, what we expect from it, how we use it—in short, revolutionizing it. Television, as both a technology and a tool for cultural storytelling, remains as important today as ever, but it has changed in fundamental ways. The Television Will Be Revolutionized provides a sophisticated history of the present, examining television in what Lotz terms the “post-network” era while providing frameworks for understanding the continued change in the medium. The second edition addresses adjustments throughout the industry wrought by broadband-delivered television such as Netflix, YouTube, and cross-platform initiatives like TV Everywhere, as well as how technologies such as tablets and smartphones have changed how and where we view. Lotz begins to deconstruct the future of different kinds of television—exploring how “prized content,” live televised sports, and linear viewing may all be “television,” but very different types of television for both viewers and producers. Through interviews with those working in the industry, surveys of trade publications, and consideration of an extensive array of popular shows, Lotz takes us behind the screen to explore what is changing, why it is changing, and why the changes matter. “[A] thorough and engaging analysis.” —Velvet Light Trap “Thick with trade facts and figures.” —Popular Communication

Very Special Episodes

Very Special Episodes
Author: Jonathan Cohn
Publisher: Rutgers University Press
Total Pages: 257
Release: 2021-08-13
Genre: Performing Arts
ISBN: 1978821174

Very Special Episodes examines how the quintessential “very special episode” format became a primary way in which the television industry responded to and shaped social change, cultural traumas, and industrial transformations. With essays covering shows ranging from the birth of Desi Arnaz, Jr. on I Love Lucy to contemporary examples such as a delayed episode of Black-ish and the streaming-era phenomenon of the “Very Special Seasons” of UnReal and 13 Reasons Why, this collection seriously and critically uses the “very special episode” to chart the history of American television and its self-identified status as an arbiter of culture.

Writing Australian History on Screen

Writing Australian History on Screen
Author: Jo Parnell
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
Total Pages: 217
Release: 2023
Genre: Australia
ISBN: 166690869X

"Writing Australian History on Screen reveals the depths in Australian history from convict times to the present day. The essays convey perspectives of Australian history on screen taken from an Australian viewpoint in a way that offers insights and an understanding of the unique Australian history and sense of identity"--

Theories of Crime Through Popular Culture

Theories of Crime Through Popular Culture
Author: Sarah E. Daly
Publisher: Springer Nature
Total Pages: 250
Release: 2020-11-25
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 3030544346

This textbook brings criminology theories to life through a wide range of popular works in film, television and video games including 13 Reasons Why, Game of Thrones, The Office, and Super Mario Bros, from a variety of contributors. It serves as an engaging and creative introduction to both traditional and modern theories by applying them to more accessible, non-criminal justice settings. It helps students to think more broadly like critical criminologists and to identify these theories in everyday life and modern culture. It encourages them to continue their learning outside of the classroom and includes discussion questions following each chapter. The chapters use extracts from the original works and support the assertions with research and commentary. This textbook will help engage students in the basics of criminology theory from the outset.

Television Variety Shows

Television Variety Shows
Author: David M. Inman
Publisher: McFarland
Total Pages: 428
Release: 2014-12-03
Genre: Performing Arts
ISBN: 1476608776

For the few hundred television viewers in 1946, a special treat on the broadcast schedule was the variety show called Hour Glass. It was the first TV program to go beyond talking heads, cooking demonstrations, and sporting events, featuring instead dancers, comics, singers, and long commercials for its sponsor, Chase and Sanborn coffee. Within two years, another variety show, Texaco Star Theatre, became the first true television hit and would be credited with the sales of thousands of television sets. The variety show formula was a staple of television in its first 30 years, in part because it lent itself to a medium where everything had to be live and preferably inside a studio. Most of the early television stars--including Jackie Gleason, Milton Berle, Sid Caesar, Ed Sullivan, Red Skelton, Dinah Shore, and Arthur Godfrey--rose to prominence through weekly variety shows. In the 1960s, major stars such as Jerry Lewis, Dean Martin, Judy Garland and Danny Kaye were hosting variety shows. By the 1970s, the format was giving way to sitcoms and dramas, but pop music stars Sonny and Cher, Tony Orlando and Dawn, and Donny and Marie Osmond hosted some of the last of the species. This book details 57 variety shows from the 1940s through the 1990s. A history of each show is first provided, followed by a brief look at each episode. Air date, guest stars, sketches performed, and a listing of songs featured are included.

A Critical History of Television's The Twilight Zone, 1959-1964

A Critical History of Television's The Twilight Zone, 1959-1964
Author: Don Presnell
Publisher: McFarland
Total Pages: 289
Release: 2015-07-11
Genre: Performing Arts
ISBN: 147661038X

Rod Serling's anthology series The Twilight Zone is recognized as one of the greatest television shows of all time. Always intelligent and thought-provoking, the show used the conventions of several genres to explore such universal qualities as violence, fear, prejudice, love, death, and individual identity. This comprehensive reference work gives a complete history of the show, from its beginning in 1959 to its final 1964 season, with critical commentaries, incisive analyses, and the most complete listing of casts and credits ever published. Biographical profiles of writers and contributors are included, followed by detailed appendices, bibliography and index.

The Television History Book

The Television History Book
Author: Michele Hilmes
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Total Pages: 176
Release: 2021-03-11
Genre: Performing Arts
ISBN: 1839024674

Traces the history of broadcasting and the infludence developments in broadcasting have had over our social, cultural and economic practices. Examining the broadcasting traditions of the UK and USA, 'The Television History Book' make connections between events and tendencies that both unite and differentiate these national broadcasting traditions.

To Boldly Go

To Boldly Go
Author: Djoymi Baker
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Total Pages: 321
Release: 2018-03-06
Genre: Performing Arts
ISBN: 1838609741

Today's media, cinema and TV screens are host to new manifestations of myth, their modes of storytelling radically transformed from those of ancient Greece. They present us with narratives of contemporary customs and belief systems: our modern-day myths. This book argues that the tools of transmedia merchandising and promotional material shape viewers' experiences of the hit television series Star Trek, to reinforce the mythology of the gargantuan franchise. Media marketing utilises the show's method of recycling the narratives of classical heritage, yet it also looks forward to the future. In this way, it reminds consumers of the Star Trek story's ongoing centrality within popular culture, whether in the form of the original 1960s series, the later additions such as Voyager and Discovery or J. J. Abrams' `reboot' films. Chapters examine how oral and literary traditions have influenced the series structure and its commercial image, how the cosmological role of humanity and the Earth are explored in title sequences across various Star Trek media platforms, and the multi-faceted way in which Internet, video game and event spin-offs create rituals to consolidate the space opera's fan base. Fusing key theory from film, TV, media and folklore studies, as well as anthropology and other specialisms, To Boldly Go is an authoritative guide to the function of myth across the whole Star Trek enterprise.