The Sitcom Reader: America Viewed and Skewed

Offers a variety of perspectives on the sitcom genre and its influence on American culture.

Despite the popularity of the sitcom, one of the oldest and most ubiquitous forms of television programming, The Sitcom Reader is the first book to offer critical essays devoted specifically to the form. The contributors address important topics in relation to sitcoms, such as conventions of the form, the family, gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, work and social class, and ideology, and they do so from a variety of perspectives, including cultural studies, feminist theory, queer theory, and media studies.

€œThe beauty of €¦ The Sitcom Reader is its versatility €¦ Several of the essays provide significant research into a specific philosophy, social attitude, or genre of television sitcoms.€ €" Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media

€œBecause situation comedy is often a window into the culture of the day, as a genre it is important not only as entertainment but also for the view it offers of society and social classes €¦ Those familiar with the programs discussed will profit most from this book, which is an important contribution to the literature, particularly since more and more academic courses include discussion of the culture and content of television.€ €" CHOICE

"As a field of study this topic is essential. Prime time television remains the most influential medium, helping formulate cultural sensibilities, attitudes, values, and assessments of the social world. As a genre, the situation comedy is one of the most prevalent formats on television, and this book builds on a strong foundation in media studies that seeks to understand and evaluate the social significance of these forms. The various approaches to this topic offer the widest range of intellectual rigor." - Robin Andersen, author of Consumer Culture and TV Programming

"I like the scope of the book and the fact that the essays are written from a variety of perspectives-theoretical, historical, and industrial. The book raises an important central question: how has the genre historically constructed their subjects in relation to the dominant ideology?" - Stephen Tropiano, author of The Prime Time Closet: A History of Gays and Lesbians on TV

Contributors include Karen Anijar, Robert S. Brown, Hsueh-hua Vivian Chen, Robin R. Means Coleman, Mary M. Dalton, Paul R. Kohl, Judy Kutulas, Lori Landay, Laura R. Linder, Amanda Dyanne Lotz, David Marc, Charlton D. McIlwain, John O'Leary, Valerie V. Peterson, David Pierson, Denis M. Provencher, Sharon Marie Ross, Christine Scodari, Demetria Rougeaux Shabazz, H. Peter Steeves, Michael V. Tueth, Thomas E. Walker, Rick Worland, and Phyllis Scrocco Zrzavy.