Better Living through Reality TV

Combining cutting-edge theories of culture and government with programming examples—including <i>Todd TV</i>, <i>Survivor</i>, and <i>American Idol</i>—<i>Better Living through Reality TV</i> moves beyond the established concerns of political economy and cultural studies to conceptualize television’s evolving role in the contemporary period.<br /> <ul> <li style=”list-style: none”><br /> </li> <li>A major textbook on the impact of reality and lifestyle television on today’s programming, and on broader social, cultural and political trends<br /> </li> <li>Draws on a range of examples from <i>The Apprentice</i> and <i>American Idol</i> to <i>Extreme Makeover</i> and <i>Wife Swap</i><br /> </li> <li>Argues that reality television teaches viewers to monitor, motivate, improve, transform and protect themselves in the name of freedom, enterprise, and personal responsibility</li> </ul>