21st-Century TV Dramas: Exploring the New Golden Age

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.

Table 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 Cards Jane 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 Americans Side 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 Black Walter White and the Great Recession Patriarchy and the Past Side Note: Antiheroes Masters of Sex and Gender Words Matter in Amazon's Transparent 4 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 Black Downton Abbey Economics Mountaintop Removal Mining in Justified Visions of AI Side Note: Orphan Black's Clones Side Note: American Crime Conclusion Notes Selected Bibliography Index

About the Author :
Amy M. Damico, PhD, is professor of communication at Endicott College in Beverly, MA, and is faculty advisor to the Endicott College Scholars honors program. Sara E. Quay is dean of the school of education at Endicott College in Beverly, MA, and is director of the Endicott College Scholars honors program.

Review :
Summing Up: Recommended. All levels/libraries.