Cable guys
Subtitle: television and masculinities in the twenty-first century
By: Amanda D. Lotz
Publisher: New York University Press; NYU Press
Published: 2014
Place of publication: New York
Language: eng
Number of pages: 241
ISBN-13: 9781479800742; 9781479800483
Subjects: Television broadcasting; Masculinity on television; Men on television; Cable television
Description: "From the meth-dealing but devoted family man Walter White of AMC's Breaking Bad, to the part-time basketball coach, part-time gigolo Ray Drecker of HBO's Hung, depictions of male characters perplexed by societal expectations of men and anxious about changing American masculinity have become standard across the television landscape. Engaging with a wide variety of shows, including The League, Dexter, and Nip/Tuck, among many others, Amanda D. Lotz identifies the gradual incorporation of second-wave feminism into prevailing gender norms as the catalyst for the contested masculinities on display in contemporary cable dramas. Examining the emergence of "male-centered serials" such as The Shield, Rescue Me, and Sons of Anarchy and the challenges these characters face in negotiating modern masculinities, Lotz analyzes how these shows combine feminist approaches to fatherhood and marriage with more traditional constructions of masculine identity that emphasize men's role as providers. She explores the dynamics of close male friendships both in groups, as in Entourage and Men of a Certain Age, wherein characters test the boundaries between the homosocial and homosexual in their relationships with each other, and in the dyadic intimacy depicted in Boston Legal and Scrubs. Cable Guys provides a much needed look into the under-considered subject of how constructions of masculinity continue to evolve on television." -- Publisher's description.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.
Table of contents: title: Introduction; title: Understanding Men on Television; title: Trying to Man Up: Struggling with Contemporary Masculinities in Cable's Male-Centered Serials; title: Any Men and Outlaws: The Unbearable Burden of Straight White Man; title: Where Men Can Be Men: The Homosocial Enclave and Jocular Policing of Masculinity; title: Dynamic Duos: Hetero Intimacy and the New Male Friendship; title: Conclusion: Is It the End of Men as We Know Them?