Lexington Books
Pages: 230
Trim: 6 x 9
978-1-66694-712-0 • Hardback • February 2025 • $110.00 • (£85.00)
978-1-66694-713-7 • eBook • January 2025 • $45.00 • (£35.00) (coming soon)
Joel R. Campbell is professor in the political science department of Troy University in Alabama. He teaches in the Master of Science in International Relations (MSIR) program, as well as the undergraduate political science program. He has written extensively on East Asian politics and political economy, along with film, television, and politics.
Chapter 1: Politics and Television: The Advent of High-Quality TV
Chapter 2: HBO’s Breakthrough: Analyzing the Gangster Through The Sopranos and Boardwalk Empire
Chapter 3: Collapse of the American Dream: Redoing Crime Stories in The Wire and Breaking Bad
Chapter 4: Politics in Washington and the Boardroom: Power, Corruption, and Morals on Quality TV Shows
Chapter 5: New Worlds as Mirrors of Today: Science Fiction and Fantasy Television Series in the Second Golden Age
Dr. Campbell has written an intriguing book on how TV has not only evolved in terms of storytelling, but also how it reflects political and societal concepts. It is a valuable book that may be used in a variety of classes and scenarios.
— Cord A. Scott, University of Maryland Global Campus, Okinawa
Joel Campbell's fascinating new book explains the interplay between politics and contemporary television in lucid, elegant prose. The pages abound with original insights about how television, which Campbell deems the "poor stepchild" of movies, ultimately surpassed the latter in quality, due to the increased creative freedom afforded to it by cable and eventually streaming services. Campbell has a keen eye for telling details and gives nuanced, probing, well-reasoned arguments throughout the book. I highly recommend it.
— Barry Pollick, Okinawa University