Genre is central to understanding the industrial context and visual form of television. This new edition of the key textbook on television genre brings together leading international scholars to provide an accessible and comprehensive introduction to the debates, issues and concerns of the field. Structured in eleven sections,
The Television Genre Book introduces the concept of 'genre' itself and how it has been understood in television studies, and then addresses the main televisual genres in turn: drama, soap opera, comedy, news, documentary, reality television, children's television, animation and popular entertainment.
This third edition is illustrated throughout with case studies of classic and contemporary programming from each genre, ranging from
The Simpsons to
Buffy the Vampire Slayer and from
Monty Python's Flying Circus to
Who Wants to be a Millionaire?. It also features new case studies on contemporary shows, including The Only Way Is Essex,
Homeland,
Game of Thrones,
Downton Abbey,
Planet Earth,
Grey's Anatomy and QVC, and new chapters covering topics such as constructed reality, travelogues, telefantasy, stand-up comedy, the panel show, 24-hour news, Netflix and video on demand.