Cable Guys Television and Masculinities in the 21st Century [Hardcover]

The emergence of male-centered serials such as The Shield, Rescue Me, and Sons Of Anarchy and the challenges these characters face in negotiating modern masculinities.                                                                                                                                    Fromthe meth-dealing but devoted family man Walter White of AMC’sBreaking Bad,to the part-time basketball coach, part-time gigolo Ray Drecker of HBO’sHung,depictions of male characters perplexed by societal expectations of men andanxious about changing American masculinity have become standard across thetelevision landscape. Engaging with a wide variety of shows, includingTheLeague,Dexter, andNip/Tuck, among many others, Amanda D. Lotzidentifies the gradual incorporation of second-wave feminism into prevailinggender norms as the catalyst for the contested masculinities on display incontemporary cable dramas.

Examiningthe emergence of “male-centered serials” such asThe Shield,Rescue Me, andSons of Anarchyand the challenges these characters face in negotiatingmodern masculinities, Lotz analyzes how these shows combine feminist approachesto fatherhood and marriage with more traditional constructions of masculineidentity that emphasize men’s role as providers. She explores the dynamics ofclose male friendships both in groups, as inEntourageandMen of aCertain Age, wherein characters test the boundaries between the homosocialand homosexual in their relationships with each other, and in the dyadicintimacy depicl³%