Prestige Television: Cultural and Artistic Value in Twenty-First-Century America

Prestige Television examines how 21st-century US programming is produced and received, elevating select series above the competition in a saturated market. Contributing authors demonstrate that efforts to imbue series with prestigious or elevated status now permeate the rest of the medium, including network as well as basic and undervalued premium cable channels. Case study chapters highlight how authors extend conceptions of the genre beyond expected parameters.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 240 pages
Publication date: 11 November 2022
Publisher: Rutgers University Press

Prestige Television delves into the intricate processes of creating and consuming 21st-century US programming, showcasing how a select few series manage to stand out in a highly competitive market. Contributing authors unveil that these shows are strategically positioned and perceived as belonging to an increasingly recognizable genre, distinguished by familiar markers of distinction. Unlike most accounts of elite categorizations of contemporary US television programming that primarily focus on HBO and its primary streaming rivals, these essays explore how efforts to confer prestigious or elevated status on series have permeated the entire medium, encompassing network channels as well as basic and undervalued premium cable channels. Case study chapters, featuring diverse series such as The Americans (2013-2018) and The Knick (2014-15), as well as contested examples like Queen of the South (2016-2021) and How I Met Your Mother (2005-2014), illustrate how contributing authors push the boundaries of genre definitions, expanding our understanding of these captivating programs.

Weight: 54g
Dimension: 235 x 156 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781978818262