History & Criticism

The fictionalized Los Angeles of television's Angel is a world filled with literature--from the all-important Shansu prophecy that predicts Angel's return to a state of humanity to the ever-present books dominating the characters' research sessions...

From automatons to zombies, many fantastic elements have been cross-pollinated with the western genre. This Second Edition of the A-to-Z Encyclopedia of the Weird Western includes numerous new entries covering film, television, animation, dime novels,...

Soap operas have captured loyal, often lifelong viewers since the first daytime serial debuted in 1949. In this collection of 29 new and five classic essays and recollections, authors and soap opera insiders delve into the passion for television...

This collection analyzes twenty-first-century American television programs that employ temporal and narrative experimentation. These shows play with time, slowing it down to unfold narrative through time retardation and compression. They disrupt the...

This title analyzes the social, political, and institutional context of ""The Flip Wilson Show"", which ran on NBC between 1970 and 1974.When ""The Flip Wilson Show"" debuted on NBC in 1970, the major legislative...

Apologies but we at Booksplease don't have a full description for this book.Book InformationISBN 9781476688015Author Jonathan F BassettFormat PaperbackPage Count 175Imprint McFarland & Co IncPublisher McFarland & Co Inc

The award-winning television series Mystery Science Theater 3000 (1988-1999) has been described as ""the smartest, funniest show in America,"" and forever changed the way we watch movies. The series featured a human host and a pair of robotic puppets...

While the American soap opera is known primarily for its marketing value, producers, health professionals, politicians, and rebels elsewhere focus on the serials' potential for social change: African, Indian and South American serials offer...

Much has been written about the Walt Disney Company's productions, but the focus has largely been on animation and feature film created by Disney. In this essay collection, the attention is turned to The Disney Channel and the programs it presents for a...

In many pop culture texts, "monsters" can be read as metaphors for marginalized Others in U.S. culture. This book applies the philosophical lens of Michel Foucault's normalizing and bio-powers to zombies, vampires, magicians, genetic mutants...

The highest-rated network program during its first three seasons, comedy-variety show Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In (NBC, 1968-1973) remains an often overlooked and underrated innovator of American television history. Audiences of all kinds - old and...

Launched in 1977 by the Christian Broadcasting Service (originally associated with Pat Robertson), the ABC Family/Freeform network has gone through a number of changes in name and ownership. Over the past decade, the network--now owned by Disney--has...

Spartacus, the Thracian gladiator turned rebel leader, endures as a near-mythic hero who fought for the oppressed against a Roman oligarchy built on the backs of slave labour. The image of Spartacus as a noble if doomed avenger is familiar and his story...

Since the early 2000s, popular culture has experienced a "Zombie Renaissance," beginning in film and expanding into books, television, video games, theatre productions, phone apps, collectibles and toys. Zombies have become allegorical figures...

The West Wing, first broadcast in 1999, is thought by many to have been one of the most significant dramas shown on network television. Despite its overly idealized depiction of American political life, and blatant contradictions in the way we consider...

The subjects of this book constitute a significant cross section of BBC science fiction television. With such characters as the Doctor (an enigmatic time-traveling alien), Kerr Avon (a problematic rebel leader), Dave Lister (a slovenly last surviving...

This collection analyzes twenty-first-century American television programs that rely upon temporal and narrative experimentation. These shows play with time, slowing it down to unfold the narrative through time retardation and compression. They disrupt...

Exploring the Land of Ooo: An Unofficial Overview and Production History of Cartoon Network’s "Adventure Time" is a guide through the colorful and exuberant animated television series that initially aired from 2010 to 2018. Created by visionary artist...

This wide-ranging interdisciplinary collection-the first of its kind-invites us to reconsider the politics and scope of the Roots phenomenon of the 1970s. Alex Haley's 1976 book was a publishing sensation, selling over a million copies in its first year...

Women in television news have made great strides in the past twenty-five years. No longer limited to being the token pretty face on the nightly newscast, women have taken their places as working journalists in newsrooms, on the campaign trail, in war...

Ally McBeal, the popular Fox television series (1997-2002), was both groundbreaking and controversial. With its challenging presentation of gender roles and gender politics, the show provided fuel for an ever-expanding international debate over...

Here is an excellent reference book on "first run" syndication--the distribution of programs either made exclusively for non-network play, or of programs intended for network telecasts but ultimately making their debuts in syndication. Bringing...

The classic television show 'The twilight Zone' explored the possibilities inhering in the ordinary. A twilight Zone episode moved us by being poignant and intimate, rambunctious or thought provoking.Book InformationISBN 9780879727291Author Peter...

Created around the world and available only on the web, Internet "television" series are independently produced, mostly low budget shows that often feature talented but unknown performers. Typically financed through crowd-funding, they are filmed with...

ABC's action-comedy series Batman (1966-68) famously offered a dual address in its wildly popular portayal of a comic book hero in a live action format. Children uncritically accepted the show's plots and characters, who were guided by lofty ideals and...

HBO's critically acclaimed drama The Wire has seen increasing use as course material in college classrooms since the 2008 series finale. This collection of new essays discusses various approaches for using The Wire to bring the experiences of...

The Dick Van Dyke Show (CBS 1961-1966) was a uniquely self-reflexive sitcom that drew on vaudevillian tropes at a time when vaudeville-based comedy variety was disappearing from television. At the same time, it reflected the liberal politics of the...

A pioneering study at the intersection of religion and media, Small Screen, Big Picture treats television as a virtual meeting place where Americans across racial, ethnic, economic and religious lines find instructive and inspirational narratives. An...

European Television History brings together television historians and media scholars to chart the development of television in Europe since its inception. The volume interrogates the history of the medium in divergent political, economic, cultural and...

This title explores the development of local television news and the economic and social factors that elevated it to prominence.As the chief source of information for many people and a key revenue stream for the country's broadcast conglomerates, local...

This anthology presents writings that examine the TV sitcom in terms of its treatment of gender, family, class, race and ethnic issues. The selections range from early shows such as ""I Remember Mama"" to the more recent ""Roseanne"". The volume also...

Apologies but we at Booksplease don't have a full description for this book.Book InformationISBN 9780909952211Author Tony FryFormat PaperbackPage Count 125Imprint Power Institute of Fine ArtsPublisher Power Institute of Fine ArtsWeight(grams) 200g

The definitive oral history of the landmark television series and streaming hit The Sopranos, packed with untold stories from behind the scenes and on the set. Stars Michael Imperioli and Steve Schirripa-whose Talking Sopranos podcast has become a...

Beyond the Box gives students and couch potatoes alike a better understanding of what it means to watch television in an era of profound technological change. Charts the revolution in television viewing that is currently underway in living rooms across...

Julia Child's TV show, The French Chef, was extraordinarily popular during its broadcast from 1963 until 1973. Child became a cultural icon in the 1960s, and, in the years since, she and her show have remained enduring influences on American cooking,...

Apologies but we at Booksplease don't have a full description for this book.Book InformationISBN 9780879727307Author Peter WolfeFormat PaperbackPage Count 217Imprint Bowling Green University Popular Press,USPublisher University of Wisconsin...

For over 35 years, "Live from New York, it's Saturday Night!" has greeted late night-TV viewers looking for the best in sketch comedy and popular music. SNL is the variety show that launched the careers of a mass of comedians including Dan Aykroyd, Chevy...

Pobody's nerfect" - or whatever the saying might be! As humans we are constantly worried about how our actions may come back to haunt us. The Good Place (2016-2020) is a high-concept American sitcom that brought light to the dark topic of the afterlife,...

Apologies but we at Booksplease don't have a full description for this book.Book InformationISBN 9780692832776Author Matthew McKenzieFormat PaperbackPage Count 226Imprint McKenzie House PublishingPublisher McKenzie House PublishingWeight(grams)...

Apologies but we at Booksplease don't have a full description for this book.Book InformationISBN 9780692449080Author Valerie Estelle FrankelFormat PaperbackPage Count 256Imprint Litcrit PressPublisher Litcrit PressWeight(grams) 327gDimensions(mm) 216mm *...