The Cultural History of Television
3 total works
After America’s most pompous barhound left the Cheer’s gang in Boston, he returned to Seattle and found himself surrounded by an equally colorful cast of friends and family alike. For eleven seasons, radio psychiatrist Frasier Crane contended with his blue-collar ex-cop father Martin, English caretaker Daphne, coworker Roz, and his younger brother Niles. Looking at the world through Frasier’s aristocratic, witty lens, the show explored themes of love, loss, friendship, and what it might mean to live a full life. Both fans and critics loved Frasier, and the show’s 37 primetime Emmy wins are the most ever for a comedy series.
In Frasier: A Cultural History, Joseph J. Darowski and Kate Darowski offer an engaging analysis of the long-running, award-winning show, offering insights into both the onscreen stories as well as the efforts behind the scenes to shape this modern classic. This volume examines the series as a whole, but also focuses on the show’s key characters, including Eddie, the canine. Close looks at set design, class issues, and gender roles are also provided, along with opinionated reviews of all 264 episodes, highlighting the peaks and dips in quality across more than a decade of television.
Despite the show’s focus on an elitist intellectual—and his equally snooty brother—Frasier often embraced farce on a level previously unseen in American sitcoms, a mix of comedic elements that endeared it to viewers around the world. Frasier: A Cultural History will appeal to the show’s many fans as well as to scholar of media, television, and popular culture.
In Frasier: A Cultural History, Joseph J. Darowski and Kate Darowski offer an engaging analysis of the long-running, award-winning show, offering insights into both the onscreen stories as well as the efforts behind the scenes to shape this modern classic. This volume examines the series as a whole, but also focuses on the show’s key characters, including Eddie, the canine. Close looks at set design, class issues, and gender roles are also provided, along with opinionated reviews of all 264 episodes, highlighting the peaks and dips in quality across more than a decade of television.
Despite the show’s focus on an elitist intellectual—and his equally snooty brother—Frasier often embraced farce on a level previously unseen in American sitcoms, a mix of comedic elements that endeared it to viewers around the world. Frasier: A Cultural History will appeal to the show’s many fans as well as to scholar of media, television, and popular culture.
Airing from 1982 to 1993, Cheers was both critically acclaimed and one of the most popular television shows of all time, earning over 100 Emmy nominations and securing 28 wins, including four for best comedy series. The show followed a group of Boston, Massachusetts locals who frequently gathered to drink and socialize. Bar owner Sam Malone was the de facto leader of the group and boss to Carla Tortelli, Coach Ernie Pantuso, Woody Boyd, and Diane Chambers, Sam’s on-again, off again paramour. Regular patrons Norm Peterson and Cliff Claven completed this ersatz family, later joined by Frasier Crane, his wife Lilith, and Rebecca Howe, a new foil for Sam. Cheers not only provided laughs for eleven seasons, it revolutionized American sitcoms with its long-running stories and famous will-they-won’t-they relationship.
In Cheers: A Cultural History, Joseph J. Darowski and Kate Darowski offer an engaging analysis of the show, providing insights into both the onscreen stories as well as the efforts behind the scenes to shape this beloved classic. The authors examine the series as a whole, but also focus on the show’s key characters, narrative arcs, and many themes, ranging from alcoholism to adultery. This volume also provides close looks at how set design, class issues, and gender roles informed the series throughout its run.
Also included is a compendium of opinionated reviews of every episode, highlighting the peaks and dips in quality across more than a decade of television. Cheers: A Cultural History will appeal to the show’s many fans and bring back beloved memories of the place where everybody knows your name!
In Cheers: A Cultural History, Joseph J. Darowski and Kate Darowski offer an engaging analysis of the show, providing insights into both the onscreen stories as well as the efforts behind the scenes to shape this beloved classic. The authors examine the series as a whole, but also focus on the show’s key characters, narrative arcs, and many themes, ranging from alcoholism to adultery. This volume also provides close looks at how set design, class issues, and gender roles informed the series throughout its run.
Also included is a compendium of opinionated reviews of every episode, highlighting the peaks and dips in quality across more than a decade of television. Cheers: A Cultural History will appeal to the show’s many fans and bring back beloved memories of the place where everybody knows your name!
