Teen Television: Essays on Programming and Fandom

by Sharon Marie Ross (Editor), Louisa Ellen Stein (Editor)

This essay collection explores the phenomenon of "teen TV" in the United States, analyzing the meanings and manifestations of this category of programming from a variety of perspectives. Part One views teen television through an industrial perspective, examining how networks such as WB, UPN, The CW, and The N have created a unique economic framework based on demographic niches and teen-focused narrowcasting. Part Two focuses on popular teen programs from a cultural context, evaluating how such programs reflect and at times stretch the envelope of the cultural contexts in which they are created. Finally, Part Three explores the cultures of reception (including the realms of teen consumerism, fan discourse, and unofficial production) through which teens and consumers of teen media have become authors of the teenage experience in their own right.

Genres: Fandom, Nonfiction

259 pages, Paperback

First published March 22, 2008

Reviews

[Petty Lisbon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the look at teen TV this book provided, but I'm in the perfect demographic for it (for people with arrested development that outgrew rereading Wikipedia and TVTropes articles about shows). While this has moments that drag it to a 3 or lower, I really enjoyed the essays on The WB, The N (both now defunct), the Buffy essay, and the Veronica Mars essays. I'm not familiar with Six Feet Under at all, but that essay really dragged on. Although I think fan reactions from (also the now defunct) Television Without Pity and LiveJournal and old message boards are interesting, I think it's really cheap to just have an essay that's 30% compiled of random fan posts and using that as an argument in a legitimate book, so that also dragged on a bit. And having fan fiction was pretty unnecessary as well. The Smallville slash chapter had me bursting with laughter because of how serious the slash fans are.
Pros:
+It made me interested in Veronica Mars.
+It covered topics that aren't really talked about (The N, Smallville) while avoiding some of the more generic teen media pieces.
+I learned the word "bedecked".
Cons:
-Six Feet Under (what, was Beverly Hills 90210 unavailable for comment?)
-It focuses more on fan reaction than media, which while interesting, kind of was annoying. Imagine if the weird fringe parts of your fandoms were the only representative of your fandom. Or imagine if your own live tweets/blogs were used in an academic argument.
-I now have the overarching sadness of the lack of teen media now. So I guess, job well done.

[Maile · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this for academic purposes and found it extremely fascinating. Only for those who take their television seriously; might bore the casual television viewer.

Perfect for my essay on the linguistic styles of teen television.