Television History

Few American television series are as deeply entrenched in twentieth-century popular culture as M*A*S*H, a Korean War medical comedy characterized by its dark tone and finesse in tackling serious social and political issues. By the end of its run, M*A*S*H had been a mainstream hit for several seasons and won fourteen Emmys, leading it to be called, "the most popular pre-Seinfeld series in television history." In this comprehensive study of M*A*S*H, David Scott Diffrient analyzes the series' contextual issues such as its creation, reception, and circulation as well as textual issues like its formal innovations, narrative strategies, and themes.

From flamboyant relatives on Bewitched to closely-guarded secrets on All in the Family, from network-censor fights over Soap to behind-the-scenes activism on the set of The Golden Girls, from Ellen’s culture clash to Modern Family’s primetime power-couple, Hi Honey, I’m Homo! is the story not only of how subversive queer comedy transformed the American sitcom, from its inception through today, but how our favorite sitcoms transformed, and continue to transform, America.

Groovin' with the Classics: Weigel Broadcasting, MeTV, and the Genius of Neal Sabin in Reviving Television's Golden Era Hark back to a time of campy superheroes, whimsical family comedies, gritty detective tales, and bold space adventures. Welcome to the classic television era of the 1960s, 70s, and 80s. Thanks to the visionary endeavors of Weigel Broadcasting, MeTV, and the unparalleled foresight of Chairman Neal Sabin, today's audiences can bask in this nostalgic television glow.The Golden Days: A Brief Overview The 1960s to 1980s was an explosive period for TV. Color televisions became ...

Journalist Rick Bowers has contributed to Time, The Washington Post, and USA Today, and his fascinating Spies of Mississippi—about the spy network that tried to take down the Civil Rights Movement—earned a starred review from Booklist. Here, Bowers examines how, in the late 1940s, The Adventures of Superman radio show struck a powerful blow to the Ku Klux Klan when Superman aired episodes pitting the hero against the Klan in an effort to teach young listeners to stand up to bigotry.

Ever wonder what the people who bring us our TV entertainment are thinking? Television and pop culture historian and author Herbie J Pilato has, and now takes listeners on a provocative and entertaining look into the agenda behind TV shows and the resulting trends. Even when it seemed television programming was primarily mindless, there was serious thought behind what audiences were presented. The networks, after all, believe in giving the people what they want, even when the people should have known better.

The Back to the Past senseis were killing them in the ratings. So the sensory channel decided to do their own. They couldn't afford the variances to send the primitive back without their consent, so they had to have a contract with the primitive. To be sure they would get the contract they chose a primitive who was about to die of natural causes. Dan Baker was having a stroke so he didn't have many options. They assigned the project to Orgaet a producer of scripted dramas. An Artist. It was a punishment for going over budget. Orgaet hated the project and wanted it to fail fast so he could ...

The Gamesmaster is a narrative memoir chronicling the life and career of Flint Dille. And while he isn't exactly a household name, you almost certainly know his work - which includes credits from some of the most important and successful entertainment franchises throughout the world across the cartoon, film, video game, and comic book industries and beyond.

Elvis Presley was a virtual unknown when, in 1956, he strutted his stuff in front of a national television audience for the very first time. By year’s end, following a dozen TV appearances, he was an international superstar. Over the next two decades, Elvis turned to TV whenever his career required a boost or a complete makeover. "Channeling Elvis: How Television Saved the King of Rock 'n' Roll" peers through TV’s unique lens to take a close-up look at his 20-year career. Based on more than a decade of research, dozens of fresh interviews, and careful review of hours of television and ...

In the vibrant, transformative decade of the 1980s, Saturday mornings became synonymous with animated adventures, beloved characters, and a sense of wonder that defined an entire generation. The Golden Era of Saturday Morning Cartoons: Networks, Shows, and the Legacy of the 1980s is a comprehensive exploration of this iconic period in television history, delving into how cartoons became more than just shows—they became cultural phenomena that shaped the childhoods of millions, revolutionized the entertainment industry, and left a lasting legacy that still resonates today. This book takes ...

In the tradition of Neil Postman's masterpiece Amusing Ourselves to Death, Audience of One shows how American media have shaped American society and politics, by interweaving two crucial stories. The first story follows the evolution of television from the three-network era of the 20th century, which joined millions of Americans in a shared monoculture, into today's zillion-channel, internet-atomized universe, which sliced and diced them into fractious, alienated subcultures. The second story is a cultural critique of Donald Trump.

History is about so much more than memorizing facts. It is, as more than half of the word suggests, about the story. And, told in the right way, it is the greatest one ever written: Good and evil, triumph and tragedy, despicable acts of barbarism and courageous acts of heroism.The things you've never learned about our past will shock you. For example, the reason why gun control is so important to government elites can be found in a story about Athens. Not the city in ancient Greece, but the one in 1946 Tennessee.

No medium in history can match the power of television. No product has spread so far and so fast. Nothing has had so much influence. Nothing has impacted how the world sees itself like television. Television: Volume 1 brings together seven decades of stories on how this happened into one epic narrative. With unparalleled insider insight, it shares critical, practical, behind the scenes lessons from the business of TV. The Television series is a must for media executives, students, entrepreneurs, and fans.

Flipping TVs is a business model that is often overlooked, but those who are getting involved and know what to look out for can make impressive additional incomes–with very little effort.

Music composed for television had, until recently, never been taken seriously by scholars or critics. Catchy TV themes, often for popular weekly series, were fondly remembered but not considered much more culturally significant than commercial jingles. Yet noted composers like John Williams, Henry Mancini, and Jerry Goldsmith learned and/or honed their craft in television before going on to major success in feature films.

Bruce Vilanch is known as a go-to comedy writer for award shows, sitcoms, and top-heavy variety specials, but he has also been responsible for quite a few of the worst shows ever put on television—legendarily bad productions. It Seemed Like a Bad Idea at the Time is a lifetime reflection of what Vilanch has experienced, learned, forgotten, dismissed, and embraced in decades of working in show business

Ted Lasso and Philosophy explores the hidden depths beneath the vibrant veneer of AppleTV's breakout, award-winning sitcom. Blending philosophical sophistication with winsome appreciation of this feel-good comedy, the collection features original essays canvassing the breadth of the series and carefully considering the ideas it presents.

For fans of one of the most successful and highly discussed shows in recent memory, LOST: Back to the Island is both a delightful time capsule and a rousing work of entertainment criticism.

Walt Disney always loved to entertain people. Often it got him into trouble. Once he painted pictures with tar on the side of his family's white house. His family was poor, and the happiest time of his childhood was spent living on a farm in Missouri. His affection for small-town life is reflected in Disneyland Main Streets around the world. This biography reveals the man behind the magic.

Since premiering in 2009, the groundbreaking television sitcom Modern Family has garnered tens of millions of devoted fans, earning 75 Emmy nominations and 22 Emmy Awards, including five in a row for Outstanding Comedy Series (one of only two sitcoms to ever achieve that feat). Professors have written about it. Psychologists have lectured on it. Leading publications, such as The New York Times and Washington Post, have explained their love for it.

The groundbreaking inside look at the making — and unmaking — of a network TV series, back in print for the first time in thirty years. Smoldering Lust seemed like a sure-fire hit for NBC – a sexy new comedy-drama starring Kate Capshaw from Jay Tarses, the acclaimed, Emmy-awarding winning writer/producer of The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd, Buffalo Bill and The Bob Newhart Show. But things started to go wrong from the start and author Vance Muse was there to witness it all, from the development, casting, and production of the show all the way to the disastrous test screening, the ...