Fifty Key Television Programmes offers a comprehensive and invaluable
account of television from the perspective of the programmes themselves.
"From I Love Lucy" to "The Simpsons", from "The Twlight Zone" to "The
X-Files", from the moon landing to the events of September 11th 2001,
this book chronicles some of the most fascinating and influential shows
and global events ever to hit the small screen. Accessible, stimulating
and challenging; each entry will offer a basic guide to the history of
the show, its textual and thematic context, its critical and popular
reception, while also explaining and frequently reconsidering ways in
which it may have been analysed in the past. Each entry is followed by
questions designed to develop students' analytical skills and awareness
of the key issues raised, while recommended readings and an extensive
bibliography enable readers to carry out further research. Written by
some of the leading names in the field, this book is an essential and
indispensable guide for all those studying, or simply interested in,
television and the programmes that have, literally, made television
history.