Programming the Future: Politics, Resistance, and Utopia in Contemporary Speculative TV

The twenty-first century is portrayed as dystopian in television shows, with long-form science fiction narratives exploring liberal democracy in crisis, economic precarity, terrorism, and corporate control. Programming the Future examines how recent speculative television takes on the contradictions of the neoliberal order, highlighting governance and queer theory in its representations of alternative-world political struggles.

Format: Hardback
Length: 256 pages
Publication date: 01 November 2022
Publisher: Columbia University Press

The twenty-first century appears to be heading towards a dystopian future, mirroring the concerns of our time. Long-form science fiction narratives delve deeper into the fears of today, encompassing liberal democracy in crisis, escalating economic precarity, the looming threat of terrorism, and the pervasive influence of corporate control. At the same time, many of these shows explore alternative possibilities, employing dystopian extrapolations to highlight the potential for constructing a better world. Programming the Future delves into the examination of how recent speculative television addresses the paradoxes of the neoliberal order. Sherryl Vint and Jonathan Alexander analyze a diverse selection of popular science fiction narratives from the past two decades, encompassing Battlestar Galactica, Watchmen, Colony, The Man in the High Castle, The Expanse, and Mr. Robot. They contend that science fiction television prioritizes governance as a means of explaining the novel institutions and norms of its envisioned futures. By doing so, science fiction shows allegorize and critique contemporary social, political, and economic developments, empowering audiences to resist the normalization of the status quo. Vint and Alexander also incorporate queer theory to examine the representation of family structures and their interconnectedness with larger social structures. Through the reimagining of both dystopian and utopian narratives, Programming the Future demonstrates how depictions of alternative-world political struggles resonate with pressing real-world issues related to identity, belonging, and social and political transformation.

Weight: 488g
Dimension: 160 x 238 x 19 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780231198301