TV's American Dream : US Television after the Great Recession - Barbara Selznick

TV's American Dream

US Television after the Great Recession

By: Barbara Selznick

Paperback | 20 March 2025

At a Glance

Paperback


RRP $44.99

$44.50

or 4 interest-free payments of $11.13 with

 or 

Aims to ship in 25 to 30 business days

TV's American Dream examines how the U.S. television industry in the 2010s pursued audiences whose ideas about hope, fairness, work, and economic class were shaped by the Great Recession.

As Americans navigated the trauma of the economic meltdown, new program distribution and viewing methods, increasingly fragmented audiences, shifts in methods of advertising, and regulatory changes increased pressure on program distributors and producers to cut through the clutter of television content to reach valuable younger audiences. To appeal to elusive viewers, television programming reimagined some of the traditional representations of the American Dream and continued to bolster others.

Exploring shows on different platforms from legacy networks to Netflix, including The Office, Friends, Atlanta, Daredevil, Arrow, and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Selznick takes a deep dive into representations of the American Dream on television. Each chapter of this book focuses on a particular strategy mobilized in the second decade of the new century to speak to audiences about their expectations for and concerns about the Dream. Bringing together research on industrial practices with an examination of sociocultural context, TV's American Dream demonstrates how interconnected forces give rise to the television programs that reinforce and redefine audiences' ideas about the world in which they live.

More in Television

Star Trek : The Art of Glenn Hetrick's Alchemy Studios - Joe Nazzaro
Outer Banks : The Official Coloring Book - Random House Worlds
The Sopranos Family Cookbook - Artie Bucco
Mary Makes it Easy : The new ultimate stress-free cookbook - Mary Berry
BoJack Horseman : The Art Before the Horse - Chris McDonnell

RRP $59.99

$41.25

31%
OFF
Talking As Fast As I Can - Lauren Graham

RRP $22.99

$21.90

Bong Appetit : Mastering The Art Of Cooking With Weed - Munchies
Percy Jackson and the Olympians : The Official Cookbook - Jarrett Melendez
Fleabag : The Scriptures - Phoebe Waller-Bridge

$48.35

Entrances and Exits - Michael Richards

BLACK FRIDAY

RRP $34.99

$17.50

50%
OFF
Sanford Meisner On Acting : Vintage Vintage - Sanford Meisner

RRP $27.99

$20.90

25%
OFF
The Art of Star Wars : The Mandalorian (Season One) - Phil Szostak
Berserker! - Adrian Edmondson

BLACK FRIDAY

Paperback

RRP $36.99

$14.80

60%
OFF