Martin Shuster, New Television: The Aesthetics and Politics of a Genre

Abstract

Martin Shuster aims with this book to elevate critically acclaimed television through an aesthetic appreciation of particular series. The complexity and importance of the themes typified in the series on which he focuses – all high-end US subscription service shows, specifically Weeds (Showtime, 2005–12), The Wire (HBO, 2002–08) and Justified (FX, 2010–15) – underscore his objective to place these works alongside the greatest achievements of screen art. Shuster situates New Television: The Aesthetics and Politics of a Genre within the tradition of studies of ‘Quality TV’ by stripping his chosen programmes from TV ‘flow’ and distancing them from television’s ‘tainted’ legacy of quick, ‘low-quality’ programming. Instead he places these shows amongst the high arts, comparing them to films, novels and paintings. He argues that television has ‘come of age’ because certain series are worthy of serious consideration and philosophical reflection. Consequently New Television seems targeted at the readers interested more in film-philosophy and art criticism than in television as television.