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In its exploration of some of the most influential, popular, or critically acclaimed television dramas since the year 2000, this book documents how modern television dramas reflect our society through their complex narratives about prevailing economic, political, security, and social issues.
Television dramas have changed since the turn of the 21st century-for the good, many would say, as a result of changes in technology, the rise of cable networks, and increased creative freedom. This book approaches the new golden age of television dramas by examining the programs that define the first 15 years of the new century through their complex narratives, high production value, star power, popularity, and enthusiastic fan culture.
After an introduction that sets the stage for the book's content, thematic sections present concise chapters that explore key connections between television dramas and elements of 21st-century culture. The authors explore
Downton Abbey as a distraction from contemporary class struggles, patriarchy and the past in
Game of Thrones and
Mad Men, and portrayals of the "dark hero protagonist" in
The Sopranos,
Dexter, and
Breaking Bad, as a few examples of the book's coverage. With its multidisciplinary perspectives on a variety of themes-terrorism, race/class/gender, family dynamics, and sociopolitical and socioeconomic topics- this book will be relevant across the social sciences and cultural and media studies courses.
List of contents
Introduction
What Is a Golden Age?
How to Read This Book
1 Stories and Audiences
Storytelling in the Age of Convergence Culture
Literary TV
Side Note:
Mad Men Twenty-First-Century Television Viewing and Netflix's
House of CardsJane the Virgin: The New Telenovela
Side Note: Dual-Language Dramas
ASD on TV
2 Safe and Unsafe
Rescue Me and Recovery from 9/1138
Terrorism, Torture, and Trust in Counterterrorism Narratives
Protecting the Homeland
Side Note: The Russians in
The AmericansSide Note: Comic Book TV
You Are Being Watched:
Person of Interest and Citizen Monitoring
3 Women and Men
Black Female Leads on Network Television
Side Note: Diversity in
Orange Is the New BlackWalter White and the Great Recession
Patriarchy and the Past
Side Note: Antiheroes
Masters of Sex and Gender
Words Matter in Amazon's
Transparent4 Home and Work
Friday Night Lights' Mothers and Daughters
Big Love's New Family Values
The Good 21st-Century Television Drama
Side Note: The Death of Will Gardner
The Newsroom's Assessment of New Media
5 Fact and Fiction
Prison Reform and
Orange Is the New BlackDownton Abbey Economics
Mountaintop Removal Mining in
JustifiedVisions of AI
Side Note:
Orphan Black's Clones
Side Note:
American CrimeConclusion
Notes
Selected Bibliography
Index
About the author
Amy M. Damico, PhD, is professor of communication and faculty adviser to the Endicott Scholars Honors Program at Endicott College in Beverly, MA, USA. She co-directed the grant-funded News and Information Literacy Across the Curriculum project at Endicott from 2020 to 2022. She teaches a variety of classes in the areas of mass communication and media and cultural studies. Her previous books are Women in Media: A Reference Handbook; Media, Journalism and "Fake News": A Reference Handbook; 21st-Century TV Dramas: Exploring the New Golden Age; and September 11 in Popular Culture: A Guide.SARA E. QUAY is Associate Dean of Arts and Sciences at Endicott College.
