Genre and Television From Cop Shows to Cartoons in American Culture [Paperback]

Genre and Televisionproposes a new understanding of television genres as cultural categories, offering a set of in-depth historical and critical examinations to explore five key aspects of television genre: history, industry, audience, text, and genre mixing. Drawing on well-known television programs from Dragnetto TheSimpsons, this book provides a new model of genre historiography and illustrates how genres are at work within nearly every facet of television-from policy decisions to production techniques to audience practices. Ultimately, the book argues that through analyzing how television genre operates as a cultural practice, we can better comprehend how television actively shapes our social world.Introduction: Genres that Matter
1. Television Genres as Cultural Categories 
2. Before the Scandals: Genre Historiography and the Cultural History of the Quiz Show
3. From Saturday Morning to Around the Clock: The Industrial Practices of Television Cartoons
4. Audiences Talk Genres: Talk Shows and the Intersections of Taste and Identity
5. Policing Genres: Dragnet's Texts and Generic Contexts
6. Making Fun of Genres-The Politics of Parody and Genre Mixing in Soapand The Simpsons
Conclusion: Some Reflections on Reality Television
Notes
Appendices
Index

Mittell makes a strong case for a return to genre theory, history, and criticism within television studies as a means of understanding the production, distribution, and reception of television programs. Each of the case studies is compelling in its own terms, offering a deep picture of important trends in the history of American television. -- Henry Jenkins, MIT

Genre and Televisionis an insightful, original, and well researched book and makes l“m