The Television Genre Book

Genre is central to understanding the industrial context and visual form of television. This new edition of the key textbook on television genre brings together leading international scholars to provide an accessible and comprehensive introduction to the debates, issues and concerns of the field. Structured in eleven sections, The Television Genre Book introduces the concept of 'genre' itself and how it has been understood in television studies, and then addresses the main televisual genres in turn: drama, soap opera, comedy, news, documentary, reality television, children's television, animation and popular entertainment. This third edition is illustrated throughout with case studies of classic and contemporary programming from each genre, ranging from The Simpsons to Buffy the Vampire Slayer and from Monty Python's Flying Circus to Who Wants to be a Millionaire?. It also features new case studies on contemporary shows, including The Only Way Is Essex, Homeland, Game of Thrones, Downton Abbey, Planet Earth, Grey's Anatomy and QVC, and new chapters covering topics such as constructed reality, travelogues, telefantasy, stand-up comedy, the panel show, 24-hour news, Netflix and video on demand.

Genre is central to understanding the industrial context and the visual form of television. This new edition of a key textbook brings together leading international scholars to provide an accessible and comprehensive introduction to the debates, issues and concerns of television genre. The Television Genre Book is structured in eleven sections which introduce the concept of ‘genre’ itself and how it has been understood in television studies, and then address in turn key televisual genres: drama, soap opera, comedy, news, documentary, reality television, children’s television, animation, prime time and day time. The discussion is illustrated throughout with case studies of classic and contemporary programming from each genre, ranging from The Sopranos to Bleak House and from Monty Python’s Flying Circus to South Park. The second edition includes selected guides to further reading and a full bibliography.

""Genre and Television" is an insightful, original, and well researched book and makes a significant and timely contribution to television studies." --Annette Hill, University of Westminster, UK)

Thinking Outside the Box brings together some of the best and most challenging scholarship about TV genres, exploring their genesis, their functions and development, and the interaction of disparate genres. The authors argue that genre is a process rather than a static category and that it signifies much about the people who produce and watch the shows. In addition to considering traditional genres such as sitcoms, soap operas, and talk shows, the contributors explore new hybrids, including reality programs, teen-oriented science fiction, and quality dramas, and examine how many of these shows have taken on a global reach. Identifying historical continuities and envisioning possible trends, this is the richest and most current study of how television genres form, operate, and change.

Genre is a key means by which we categorize the many forms of literature and culture. But it is also much more than that: in talk and writing, in music and images, in film and television, genres actively generate and shape our knowledge of the world. Understanding genre as a dynamic process rather than a set of stable rules, this book explores: the relation of simple to complex genres the history of literary genre in theory the generic organisation of implied meanings the structuring of interpretation by genre the uses of genre in teaching. John Frow’s lucid exploration of this fascinating concept will be essential reading for students of literary and cultural studies.

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This book fills a need. It will be used by scholars and revered by undergraduates doing papers. It is a highly desirable acquisition for libraries of all types. Choice [an] essential purchase for universityand most college libraries as well as large public libraries. Reference Books Bulletin

Genre and Television proposes 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 Dragnet to The Simpsons, 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.