Viewing America: Twenty-First-Century Television Drama

by Christopher Bigsby

Something has happened in the world of television drama. For the last decade and a half America has assumed a dominant position. Novelists, screenwriters and journalists, who would once have had no interest in writing for television, indeed who often despised it, suddenly realised that it was where America could have a dialogue with itself. The new television drama was where writers could engage with the social and political realities of the time, interrogating the myths and values of a society moving into a new century. Familiar genres have been reinvented, from crime fiction to science fiction. This is a book as much about a changing America as about the television series which have addressed it, from The Sopranos and The Wire to The West Wing, Mad Men and Treme, in what has emerged as the second golden age of American television drama.

512 pages, Hardcover

First published October 10, 2013

Reviews

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Viewing America: Twenty-First- Century Television Drama by Christopher Bigsby is an October 2013 Cambridge University publication. I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book pertains to television in the drama category only. The author has listed shows that made an impact on television and propelled the medium into our consciousness in a way that as surpassed the movie industry.

The first show the author showcased was "The West Wing". High drama surrounding politics and the White House. A stellar cast, the admission of an obvious liberal tint, and the impact this show had on TV drama as a whole.

The next show highlighted and arguably the best television drama ever is The Sopranos. The impact this how had on the way we watch television today goes without saying. There would be no Mad Men or anything else along those lines if it were not for this drama. Without the restrictions network television has, The Sopranos depicted graphic violence, explicit sex, and course language. The show went way beyond that, however. This show was one of the most well acted and complex dramas to ever air on the small screen. It's influence will always be with us as it shaped the future of television dramas as we know it today.

The author takes a different tack after The Sopranos showcase and delves into a different type of crime drama. Homicide: Life on the Streets, The Wire, and The Corner take center stage. The city of Baltimore is evidently a prime location for gritty cop dramas. Homicide suffered from the restrictions network television imposes, but The Wire was yet another HBO masterpiece. This show was incredible. Dark, gritty, violent and again a drama that went well past one case to the next.

The remaining dramas showcased were also much discussed and unique dramas, worthy of being included in this expose of television dramas. There were also some honorable mentions, shows the author probably would have liked to have analyzed and maybe someday a follow up to this book will appear.

Now, after you read this book you may find yourself wondering why this or that show didn't make the list. There have been since the early 1990's a shift in many television dramas. From space to cop shows, to the original programming we see on cable and now on video streaming like with Netflix, Amazon and even Hulu and Crackle.
"Oz", "Six Feet Under", "House", "Lost", and several other dramas were not included on the list, although they were mentioned a time or two.

This breakdown of the shows, the characters, directors, writers, actors, camera angles and many quotes and allegory are all included in each showcase.
I enjoyed revisiting some of these shows. It's been a long while since I have watched any Homicide: Life on the Streets or The Wire episodes. There were a few chosen for this book that I have never heard of and may try to check out at some point.
I will confess that over the last three or four years I have watched less and less television and opted for more and more reading. Of the shows listed in this book, I watched less than half of them. I was very familiar with the Sopranos and it is without a doubt my favorite show of all time. There were a few small mistakes I noticed. The history of the mafia style movies leading to the modern day depiction witnessed in the Sopranos, included The Godfather of course, but Al Pacino never played in Goodfellas, and Tony Montana from Scarface was Cuban, not Italian. I have no idea about any other discrepancies because I was only familiar with a handful of these shows and couldn't speak the accuracy of these showcases.

Overall this was an interesting study of the television dramas that have far surpassed the usual CSI type programs. All of these shows were well outside the box, had stellar cast, crews, writers, directors and were not afraid of pushing the envelope. Some of these shows have b taken some harsh criticisms for one reason or another, but still maintained their stance and didn't bow to the pressure.
Anytime I am provided with a book from Cambridge University I find that I have marked my e-book with copious notes. I would have liked to have included some in this review, but I couldn't decided what to leave it or take out. My review would have been entirely too long. So, suffice it to say this is another wonderfully unique and interesting book from this publisher and if you are fan of television dramas, it's a must have. If you like pop culture, or if you just would like to have a guide or commentary for some of these great dramas, I highly recommend you add this one to your library. Overall this one gets an A.

[Ilia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Found this most interesting when Bigsby digs into the motivations and methods of the creators of these television shows. All of that work is well-researched and valuable. Less valuable is Bigsby's own interpretations, which draw on other works of literature as points of comparison but rarely produce anything original or provocative about what these shows mean and how they achieve their effects. The creators' own words are more eloquent and revealing in that respect.

[Janet · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an excellently written offering. I was so intrigued by the premise, I couldn't wait to dive in. It was such a captivating study of the best of American TV drams. From The West Wing, to the Sopranos, to Homicide: Life On The Streets, The Wire and The corner to start and on to even more. the book is jam packed with info, and commentary on the shows I loved and I must admit I will be re watching some with a different eye. I also discovered some I will be watching for the first time - How Fun! I think it would make a great gift for the Media Aficionado in your life, or for yourself; you're worth it.
*I received my copy from NetGalley.com in exchange for an honest review.