Television

Following on author Peter Rollins' motto "e;If it isn't popular, it isn't culture,"e; this collection of new essays considers Vince Gilligan's award-winning television series Breaking Bad as a landmark of Western culture--comparable to the works of Shakespeare and Dickens in their time--that merits scholarly attention from those who would understand early the 21st century zeitgeist.

The Wire's provocative subject matter, layered narrative and explicit critiques of American socio-economic institutions make it one of the most teachable television series in recent years.

George R.

In post-9/11 America, while all eyes were on Iraq and Afghanistan, The Wire (2002-2008) focused on the dark realities of those living in America's disintegrating industrial heartlands and drug-ravaged neighborhoods, striving against the odds in its schools, hospitals and legal system.

The Big Bang Theory's mix of humor, nerdy protagonists, sexy female leads and quirky characters have made the series one of CBS's most successful shows and have brought it international acclaim.

One of the most critically-acclaimed television series of all time, Arrested Development is widely hailed as a cutting-edge comedy that broke the traditional sitcom mold.

Vince Gilligan's Breaking Bad is a central work in the recent renaissance in television-making.

Created around the world and available only on the Web, internet "e;television"e; series are independently produced, mostly low budget shows that often feature talented but unknown performers.

HBO's Carnivale was a critically-acclaimed, elaborate period narrative set in Depression era America that set the stage for the current explosion of cinematic storytelling on television.

Theodor Seuss Geisel--known worldwide as the beloved children's author Dr.

Start your engines--for the fun, controversy and life lessons of RuPaul's Drag Race and its spinoff, RuPaul's DragU.

One of the most original shows in the history of television, Mystery Science Theater 3000 is a beloved cult hit built on the back of another cult phenomenon: the bad movie.

One of the great intellectual achievements of the 20th century, Joseph Campbell's The Hero with a Thousand Faces is an elaborate articulation of the monomyth: the narrative pattern underlying countless stories from the most ancient myths and legends to the films and television series of today.

Bringing together papers presented at the Academic Conference on Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy from 2005 to 2013, this collection of essays includes Veronica Hollinger's keynote address, "e;The Body on the Slab,"e; and Robert Runte's Aurora Award-winning paper, "e;Why I Read Canadian Speculative Fiction,"e; along with 15 other contributions on science fiction and fantasy literature, television and music by Canadian creators.

Individually and together, The Five Sedgwicks are among the unsung heroes of early filmmaking in Hollywood.

From 1955 to 1964, American television was awash in adult Westerns, as much as one quarter of all prime-time programming.

Neil Simon is the most successful American playwright on Broadway, and the winner of many awards including the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, the Mark Twain Prize for Humor, and a Kennedy Center Honor for Lifetime Achievement.

One of the first full-length academic projects on the television series Smallville, this collection of new essays explains why the WB/CW series is important to understanding contemporary popular culture.

These new essays examine the many ways that issues of gender and sexuality intersect with other identities and practices--including race, religion, disability, music and education--on the Fox hit program Glee.

With diverse contributions from scholars in English literature, psychology, and film and television studies, this collection of essays contextualizes Fringe as a postmodern investigation into what makes us human and as an examination of how technology transforms our humanity.

This is the first ever compilation on Internet television and provides details of 405 programs from 1998 to 2013.

From cops who are paragons of virtue, to cops who are as bad as the bad guys.

An elementary school dropout, George Burns went on to become one of America's most beloved entertainers.

This work, first published in 1989, includes discussions of the history of sound effects, the different types of sound effects, creating sound effects from scratch, recording sounds in the studio and field, the advantages of live sounds over tape, knowing why and when to use sound effects, the difference between radio, TV and film sounds, Foleying and the Foley stage, and recording and editing equipment.

This is the first biography of journalist Robert Pierpoint, a contemporary of Edward R.

Television's Community follows the shenanigans of a diverse group of traditional and nontraditional community college students: Jeff Winger, a former lawyer; Britta Perry, a feminist; Abed Nadir, a pop culture enthusiast; Shirley Bennett, a mother; Troy Barnes, a former jock; Annie Edison, a naive overachiever; and Pierce Hawthorne, an old-fashioned elderly man.

Game of Thrones, one of the hottest series on television, leaves hundreds of critics divided on how "e;feminist"e; the show really is.

With an output of more than 250,000 minutes annually, and with roughly 5,000 producers and production units, the Chinese are leading the field of animated films.

Inspired by the real life post-divorce experiences of television comedy writer Danny Simon, The Odd Couple has touched multiple generations of fans.

The millennials, who constitute the largest generation in America's history, may resist a simple definition; nevertheless, they do share a number of common traits and also an ever increasing presence on film and television.

The Emmy-nominated star of the classic 1950s sitcom I Married Joan, Joan Davis (1912-1961) was also radio's highest paid comedienne in the 1940s--and she displayed her unique brand of knockabout comedy in more than forty films.

Animation has been part of television since the start of the medium but it has rarely received unbiased recognition from media scholars.

This book explores the presence of the anti-hero in mainstream dramatic serial television.

This collection of new essay examines how authors of the 20th and 21st centuries continue the use of sentimental forms and tropes of 19th century literature.

Former child actor Paul Petersen once said, "e;Fame is a dangerous drug and should be kept out of the reach of children.

Producer-writer Roy Huggins is best known for creating the TV series, Maverick, 77 Sunset Strip, The Fugitive, Run For Your Life and The Rockford Files (with Stephen J.

Civilization seems to move ever more toward the power of words over weapons.

A chronological listing of the creative output and other antics of the members of the British comedy group Monty Python, both as a group and individually.

Iowa-born Jock Mahoney was an elite athlete and U.

When the first season of Star Trek opened to American television viewers in 1966, the thematically insightful sci-fi story line presented audiences with the exciting vision of a bold voyage into the final frontiers of space and strange, new galactic worlds.

This book highlights detection's malleability by analyzing the works of particular groups of authors from specific time periods written in response to other texts.

This is a collection of new essays on the religious themes in, and the implications of, the works of Joss Whedon, creator of such shows as Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, and Firefly, and more recently writer and director of the box-office hit Marvel's The Avengers.

This is a complete revision of the author's 1993 McFarland book Television Specials that not only updates entries contained within that edition, but adds numerous programs not previously covered, including beauty pageants, parades, awards programs, Broadway and opera adaptations, musicals produced especially for television, holiday specials (e.

The Fugitive made its debut on ABC on September 17, 1963.

The sitcom made its first appearance in January of 1949 with the introduction of television's first family, The Goldbergs.

When the space drama Battlestar Galactica debuted on ABC in 1978, it was expected to be the most popular new program of the year.

Reversing a common science fiction cliche, Farscape follows the adventures of the human astronaut John Crichton after he is shot through a wormhole into another part of the universe.

This collection of 19 new essays by 21 authors from the United States, the UK, Canada, Australia and India focuses on contemporary film and television (1989 to the present) from those countries as well as from China, Korea, Thailand and France.

This is an exploration of the potent blend of Arthurian legend, cartoon animation, and cultural and artistic trends from 1933 to the present.

On the TV screen as elsewhere, there is often more than meets the eye.