Masculinity and Popular Television (Paperback)

This book is a comprehensive and accessible introduction to the key debates concerning the representation of masculinities in a wide range of popular television genres. The volume looks at the depiction of public masculinity in the soap opera, homosexuality in the situation comedy, the portrayal of fatherhood in prime-time animation, emerging manhood in the supernatural teen text, alternative gender roles in science fiction, male authority in the police series, masculine anxieties in the hospital drama, violence and aggression in sports coverage, ordinariness and emotional connectedness in the reality game show, and domesticity in lifestyle television. Masculinity and Popular Television examines the ways in which masculinities are being constructed, circulated and interrogated in contemporary British and American programming, and considers the ways in which such images can be understood in relation to the 'common sense' model of the hegemonic male that is said to dominate the cultural landscape. Key Features *Offers a clear and comprehensive overview of existing theoretical debates concerning the representation of masculinities on the small screen. *Explores various representations of masculinities across a wide range of popular television genres. *Draws on a broad range of today's most critically and commercially successful television programmes in order to make the volume both accessible and enjoyable for the reader.