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Politics and Politicians in Contemporary US Television

Washington as Fiction

Betty Kaklamanidou editor Margaret Tally editor

Format:Hardback

Publisher:Taylor & Francis Ltd

Published:18th Oct '16

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Politics and Politicians in Contemporary US Television cover

Bringing together well-established scholars of media, political science, sociology, and film to investigate the representation of Washington politics on U.S. television from the mid-2000s to the present, this volume offers stimulating perspectives on the status of representations of contemporary US politics, the role of government and the machinations and intrigue often associated with politicians and governmental institutions. The authors help to locate these representations both in the context of the history of earlier television shows that portrayed the political culture of Washington as well as within the current political culture transpiring both inside and outside of "The Beltway." With close attention to issues of gender, race and class and offering studies from contemporary quality television, including popular programmes such as The West Wing, Veep, House of Cards, The Americans, The Good Wife and Scandal, the authors examine the ways in which televisual representations reveal changing attitudes towards Washington culture, shedding light on the role of the media in framing the public’s changing perception of politics and politicians. Exploring the new era in which television finds itself, with new production practices and the possible emergence of a new ’political genre’ emerging, Politics and Politicians in Contemporary U.S. Television also considers the ’humanizing’ of political characters on television, asking what that representation of politicians as human beings says about the national political culture. A fascinating study that sits at the intersection of politics and television, this book will appeal to scholars of popular culture, sociology, cultural and media studies.

'This timely collection of informative and insightful essays helps us to make sense of early twenty-first century American TV serials -- from The West Wing and Veep to Scandal and House of Cards -- that grapple with the potent drama of party politics during the Bush and Obama years.' - Michael Z. Newman, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, U.S.A

'The essays in this volume offer engaging analyses of recent fictional political TV shows. Collectively, they persuasively argue that depictions of U.S. political culture on entertainment television have never been more relevant while making insightful connections to contemporary political campaigns.'- Chuck Tryon, Fayetteville State University, U.S.A

ISBN: 9781472486042

Dimensions: unknown

Weight: 385g

178 pages