{"product_id":"birth-of-the-binge-dennis-broe-9780814345269","title":"Birth of the Binge: Serial TV and the End of Leisure","description":"\u003cp\u003e \u003cb\u003eA deep-dive into the practice and execution of contemporary television viewing.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003ci\u003eBirth of the Binge: Serial TV and the End of Leisure\u003c\/i\u003e describes and details serial television and \"binge watching,\" the exceedingly popular form of contemporary television viewing that has come to dominance over the past decade. Author Dennis Broe looks at this practice of media consumption by suggesting that the history of seriality itself is a continual battleground between a more unified version of truth-telling and a more fractured form of diversion and addiction. Serial television is examined for the ways its elements (multiple characters, defined social location, and season and series arcs) are used alternately to illustrate a totality or to fragment social meaning. Broe follows his theoretical points with detailed illustrations and readings of several TV series in a variety of genres, including the systemization of work in \u003ci\u003eBig Bang Theory \u003c\/i\u003eand \u003ci\u003eSilicon Valley; \u003c\/i\u003ethe social imbrications of \u003ci\u003eJustified\u003c\/i\u003e; and the contesting of masculinity in Joss Whedon's \u003ci\u003eBuffy the Vampire Slayer, Firefly, \u003c\/i\u003eand \u003ci\u003eDollhouse\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn this monograph, Broe uses the work of Bernard Stiegler to relate the growth of digital media to a new phase of capitalism called \"hyperindustrialism,\" analyzing the show \u003ci\u003eLost \u003c\/i\u003eas suggestive of the potential as well as the poverty and limitations of digital life. The author questions whether, in terms of mode of delivery, commercial studio structure, and narrative patterns, viewers are experiencing an entirely new moment or a (hyper)extension of the earlier network era. \u003ci\u003eThe Office, The Larry Sanders Show\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eOrange Is the New Black \u003c\/i\u003eare examined as examples of, respectively, network, cable, and online series with structure that is more consistent than disruptive. Finally, Broe examines three series by J. J. Abrams--\u003ci\u003eRevolution\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eBelieve\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003e11.22.63\u003c\/i\u003e--which employ the techniques and devices of serial television to criticize a rightward, neo-conservative drift in the American empire, noting that none of the series were able to endure in an increasingly conservative climate. The book also functions as a reference work, featuring an appendix of \"100 Seminal Serial Series\" and a supplementary index that television fans and media students and scholars will utilize in and out of the classroom.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Dennis Broe\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 0814345263\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780814345269\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Wayne State University Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 03\/04\/2019\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 312\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.92lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.00h x 6.00w x 0.65d","brand":"Dennis Broe","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":44410411319551,"sku":"9780814345269","price":34.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_73866b63-7112-47ec-bb66-00aec6ba2c53.jpg?v=1697536122","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/birth-of-the-binge-dennis-broe-9780814345269","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}