Blockbuster TV : Must-See Sitcoms in the Network Era / Janet Staiger.
2000
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Details
Title
Blockbuster TV : Must-See Sitcoms in the Network Era / Janet Staiger.
Author
Staiger, Janet, author.
ISBN
9780814786994
Published
New York, NY : : New York University Press, [2000]
Copyright
©2000
Language
English
Language Note
In English.
Description
1 online resource
Other Standard Identifiers
10.18574/nyu/9780814786994.001.0001 doi
Dewey Decimal Classification
791.45/617
Summary
Archie Bunker. Jed. Laverne and Shirley. Cliff Huxtable. Throughout the entire history of American prime-time television only four sitcoms have been true blockbusters, with Nielsen ratings far above the second- and third-rated programs. Weekly, millions of Americans of every age were making a special effort to turn on the set to see what Archie, Jed, Laverne, and Cliff were doing that week. The wild popularity of these shows--All in the Family, The Beverly Hillbillies, Laverne & Shirley (and its partner Happy Days), and The Cosby Show--left commentators bewildered by the tastes and preferences of the American public. How do we account for the huge appeal of these sitcoms, and how does it figure into the history of network prime-time television? Janet Staiger answers these questions by detailing the myriad factors that go into the construction of mass audiences. Treating the four shows as case studies, she deftly balances factual explanations (for instance, the impact of VCRs and cable on network domination of TV) with more interpretative ones (for example, the transformation of The Beverly Hillbillies from a popular show detested by the critics, to a blockbuster after its elevation as the critics' darling), and juxtaposes industry-based reasons (for example, the ways in which TV shows derive success from placement in the weekly programming schedule) with stylistic explanations (how, for instance, certain shows create pleasure from a repetition and variation of a formula). Staiger concludes that because of changes in the industry, these shows were a phenomenon that may never be repeated. And while the western or the night-time soap has at times captured public attention, Blockbuster TV maintains that the sitcom has been THE genre to attract people to the tube, and that without understanding the sitcom, we can't properly understand the role of television in our culture.
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Access limited to authorized users.
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Mode of access: Internet via World Wide Web.
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text file PDF
Source of Description
Description based on online resource; title from PDF title page (publisher's Web site, viewed 18. Sep 2023)
Available in Other Form
print 9780814797563
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Table of Contents
Frontmatter
Contents
Preface
1 Introduction
2. The Beverly Hillbillies
3. All in the Family
4. Laverne & Shirley
5. The Cosby Show
Epilogue: Some Final Observations
Notes
Select Bibliography
Index
About the Author
Contents
Preface
1 Introduction
2. The Beverly Hillbillies
3. All in the Family
4. Laverne & Shirley
5. The Cosby Show
Epilogue: Some Final Observations
Notes
Select Bibliography
Index
About the Author