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Normporn
An irreverent look at the love-hate relationship between queer viewers and mainstream family TV shows like Gilmore Girls and This Is Us
After personal loss, political upheaval, and the devastation of the COVID-19 pandemic, many of us craved a return to business as usual, the mundane, the middlebrow. We turned to TV to find these things. For nearly forty years, network television has produced a constant stream of “cry-along” sentimental-realist dramedies designed to appeal to liberal, heterosexual, white America. But what makes us keep watching, even though these TV series inevitably fail to reflect who we are?
Revisiting soothing network dramedies like Parenthood,Gilmore Girls, This Is Us, and their late-80s precursor, thirtysomething, Normporn mines the nuanced pleasures and attraction-repulsion queer viewers experience watching liberal family-centric shows. Karen Tongson reflects on how queer cultural observers work through repeated declarations of a “new normal” and flash lifestyle trends like “normcore,” even as the absurdity, aberrance, and violence of our culture intensifies. Normporn allows us to process how the intimate traumas of everyday life depicted on certain TV shows―of love, life, death, and loss―are linked to the collective and historical traumas of their contemporary moments, from financial recessions and political crises to the pandemic.
Normporn asks, what are queers to do―what is anyone to do, really―when we are forced to confront the fact of our own normalcy, and our own privilege, inherited or attained? The fantasies, the utopian impulses, and (paradoxically) the unreality of sentimental realist TV drama creates a productive tension that queer spectators in particular take pleasure in, even as―or precisely because―it lulls us into a sense of boredom and stability that we never thought we could want or have. .
After personal loss, political upheaval, and the devastation of the COVID-19 pandemic, many of us craved a return to business as usual, the mundane, the middlebrow. We turned to TV to find these things. For nearly forty years, network television has produced a constant stream of “cry-along” sentimental-realist dramedies designed to appeal to liberal, heterosexual, white America. But what makes us keep watching, even though these TV series inevitably fail to reflect who we are?
Revisiting soothing network dramedies like Parenthood,Gilmore Girls, This Is Us, and their late-80s precursor, thirtysomething, Normporn mines the nuanced pleasures and attraction-repulsion queer viewers experience watching liberal family-centric shows. Karen Tongson reflects on how queer cultural observers work through repeated declarations of a “new normal” and flash lifestyle trends like “normcore,” even as the absurdity, aberrance, and violence of our culture intensifies. Normporn allows us to process how the intimate traumas of everyday life depicted on certain TV shows―of love, life, death, and loss―are linked to the collective and historical traumas of their contemporary moments, from financial recessions and political crises to the pandemic.
Normporn asks, what are queers to do―what is anyone to do, really―when we are forced to confront the fact of our own normalcy, and our own privilege, inherited or attained? The fantasies, the utopian impulses, and (paradoxically) the unreality of sentimental realist TV drama creates a productive tension that queer spectators in particular take pleasure in, even as―or precisely because―it lulls us into a sense of boredom and stability that we never thought we could want or have. .
- GenresNonfictionQueerLGBT
211 pages, Paperback
Published November 7, 2023
2 people are currently reading
198 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
October 5, 2023
Thank you to NYU Press and NetGalley for my copy of this book! I was drawn to the description of Tongson interrogating why queer people love watching shows like Gilmore Girls and This is Us. The book wasn't exactly what I expected--it's a very academic text, which isn't what I usually read. But I really enjoyed looking at these shows through that kind of critical lens.
Tongson talks a lot about what makes something a social norm, what makes something queer, the history of what she describes as "normporn" (sentimentalist, mostly white liberal TV), and then goes more in-depth to discuss each of the shows she chooses through the normporn categorization. I think I was left a bit disappointed, because I came into this wondering *why* queer people continue to revisit these shows, and that wasn't really the point of the book. I think the point was more how these shows come about in their respective political climates and how they reflect changing social norms.
I'm glad that I read about the media we consume from a different perspective than I'm used to!
Tongson talks a lot about what makes something a social norm, what makes something queer, the history of what she describes as "normporn" (sentimentalist, mostly white liberal TV), and then goes more in-depth to discuss each of the shows she chooses through the normporn categorization. I think I was left a bit disappointed, because I came into this wondering *why* queer people continue to revisit these shows, and that wasn't really the point of the book. I think the point was more how these shows come about in their respective political climates and how they reflect changing social norms.
I'm glad that I read about the media we consume from a different perspective than I'm used to!
July 3, 2023
Fair warning, if you're not into reading super critical, academic non-fiction you will find this book difficult to read. I'll be honest, even I had to read some passages a couple of times to fully grasp the writer's intent. Overall, I found it informative and thought provoking. I've even dropped some nuggets from the book during pop culture chats with my coworkers. That alone makes it worth a read.
Disclaimer: I am a big time fan of the author's podcast and was truly chuffed to see her work pop up on NetGalley.
Thank you to NYU Press and Netgalley for providing an eARC for a honest review.
Disclaimer: I am a big time fan of the author's podcast and was truly chuffed to see her work pop up on NetGalley.
Thank you to NYU Press and Netgalley for providing an eARC for a honest review.
April 17, 2024
this is the least relatable book i've maybe ever read. do i have my own normporn? a quandary there, certainly, but the answer remains to be seen. a book which bent and broke even my sellout-defensive soul; this kind of normative, bland, comforting self-soothing does not interest me at all.
also, to call this academic stresses me out. far be it from me to judge a book by its language by the repeated use of the term "himbo" took me so totally out of any seriousness. there's a brief indulgence in astrological analysis. brief but nonetheless it is there which constitutes some sort of crime. focusing less on the style i also think this left a lot of meat on the bone, there's a lot of avenues left unexplored and discourse poorly summarized instead of engaged with (the section about queer normativity in chapter 2, for instance, reduced a consistent inter-queer theory tension around what is normative and how we can "opt-in" or out to an offhanded dismissal or the handwaving of heteronormativity in chapter 1? in a book about television which upholds the normative values of "good" society? bizarre choice to me). comparing this to the accessible but still deeply engaged in scholarship/history of decolonize drag which i just read, this comes out so lacking because this stylistic "reaching-out" to the audience can be balanced! its possible! which makes the failure here even more stark. even more frustrating because there's so much here that was interesting, even with the short-comings, the chapter on this is us was easily the highlight
also, to call this academic stresses me out. far be it from me to judge a book by its language by the repeated use of the term "himbo" took me so totally out of any seriousness. there's a brief indulgence in astrological analysis. brief but nonetheless it is there which constitutes some sort of crime. focusing less on the style i also think this left a lot of meat on the bone, there's a lot of avenues left unexplored and discourse poorly summarized instead of engaged with (the section about queer normativity in chapter 2, for instance, reduced a consistent inter-queer theory tension around what is normative and how we can "opt-in" or out to an offhanded dismissal or the handwaving of heteronormativity in chapter 1? in a book about television which upholds the normative values of "good" society? bizarre choice to me). comparing this to the accessible but still deeply engaged in scholarship/history of decolonize drag which i just read, this comes out so lacking because this stylistic "reaching-out" to the audience can be balanced! its possible! which makes the failure here even more stark. even more frustrating because there's so much here that was interesting, even with the short-comings, the chapter on this is us was easily the highlight
September 9, 2024
disappointed in this :/ the dives were shallow and not discussed or presented with any meaningful depth. i struggle to call this academic/informative/theorizing/or even personally riveting. i enjoyed the section on true blood simply as a cultural phenomenon i seem to have missed and appreciate its interactivity with its own political climate
December 6, 2023
3 stars⭐⭐⭐
Thanks to Netgalley for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.
An academic esque read about queers, media and the related complexities involved in all these overlaps. I wasn't expecting this to be as academic as it was, and was hoping for something a bit more accessible. However, the author did a good job at what it seems she was intending to do. The three stars is partly I was hoping for a more accessible read and also, she did great at exploring this topic. Also, the title. I love it
Thanks to Netgalley for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.
An academic esque read about queers, media and the related complexities involved in all these overlaps. I wasn't expecting this to be as academic as it was, and was hoping for something a bit more accessible. However, the author did a good job at what it seems she was intending to do. The three stars is partly I was hoping for a more accessible read and also, she did great at exploring this topic. Also, the title. I love it
January 22, 2024
[Digital copy provided by Netgalley]
This was a really informative and deeply interesting read. Through detailed examination of a handful of TV shows the author deftly examines the concept of normalcy and how it has changed through the decades. Moreover, there is a deep dive into why general audiences (in particular queer, white, left-leaning ones) keep being enthralled and emotionally affected by family-centric shows such as This Is Us. As someone who hadn't seen any of the shows the author focuses on, I found myself pretty compelled throughout, even if the emotional impact was predictably a lot less than if you are or have been a fan. While at times I found this book to be a little overwrought and navel-gazey in its writing and definitely more academic than not, it is also offering deep analysis, insightful comparisons, and a lot of content to consider. A worthy read!
This was a really informative and deeply interesting read. Through detailed examination of a handful of TV shows the author deftly examines the concept of normalcy and how it has changed through the decades. Moreover, there is a deep dive into why general audiences (in particular queer, white, left-leaning ones) keep being enthralled and emotionally affected by family-centric shows such as This Is Us. As someone who hadn't seen any of the shows the author focuses on, I found myself pretty compelled throughout, even if the emotional impact was predictably a lot less than if you are or have been a fan. While at times I found this book to be a little overwrought and navel-gazey in its writing and definitely more academic than not, it is also offering deep analysis, insightful comparisons, and a lot of content to consider. A worthy read!
June 29, 2024
Rating: 3* of five
The Publisher Says: An irreverent look at the love-hate relationship between queer viewers and mainstream family TV shows like Gilmore Girls and This Is Us
After personal loss, political upheaval, and the devastation of the COVID-19 pandemic, many of us craved a return to business as usual, the mundane, the middlebrow. We turned to TV to find these things. For nearly forty years, network television has produced a constant stream of “cry-along” sentimental-realist dramedies designed to appeal to liberal, heterosexual, white America. But what makes us keep watching, even though these TV series inevitably fail to reflect who we are?
Revisiting soothing network dramedies like Parenthood, Gilmore Girls, This Is Us, and their late-80s precursor, thirtysomething, Normporn mines the nuanced pleasures and attraction-repulsion queer viewers experience watching liberal family-centric shows. Karen Tongson reflects on how queer cultural observers work through repeated declarations of a “new normal” and flash lifestyle trends like “normcore,” even as the absurdity, aberrance, and violence of our culture intensifies. Normporn allows us to process how the intimate traumas of everyday life depicted on certain TV shows―of love, life, death, and loss―are linked to the collective and historical traumas of their contemporary moments, from financial recessions and political crises to the pandemic.
Normporn asks, what are queers to do―what is anyone to do, really―when we are forced to confront the fact of our own normalcy, and our own privilege, inherited or attained? The fantasies, the utopian impulses, and (paradoxically) the unreality of sentimental realist TV drama creates a productive tension that queer spectators in particular take pleasure in, even as―or precisely because―it lulls us into a sense of boredom and stability that we never thought we could want or have.
I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA EDELWEISS+. THANK YOU.
My Review: By the time I bailed we were still defining terms. Okay, it's an academic book; did it have to be tedious as well? I wish it had been *bad* because I could just ignore it completely.
Not for the distracted or casual reader. I tried three times to get past a third of the way in and could not make it up the hill. I was obviously not the right reader, or did not get to it at the right time. The subject interests me a lot. Well, it will still be on my Kindle if I decide to try again.
The Publisher Says: An irreverent look at the love-hate relationship between queer viewers and mainstream family TV shows like Gilmore Girls and This Is Us
After personal loss, political upheaval, and the devastation of the COVID-19 pandemic, many of us craved a return to business as usual, the mundane, the middlebrow. We turned to TV to find these things. For nearly forty years, network television has produced a constant stream of “cry-along” sentimental-realist dramedies designed to appeal to liberal, heterosexual, white America. But what makes us keep watching, even though these TV series inevitably fail to reflect who we are?
Revisiting soothing network dramedies like Parenthood, Gilmore Girls, This Is Us, and their late-80s precursor, thirtysomething, Normporn mines the nuanced pleasures and attraction-repulsion queer viewers experience watching liberal family-centric shows. Karen Tongson reflects on how queer cultural observers work through repeated declarations of a “new normal” and flash lifestyle trends like “normcore,” even as the absurdity, aberrance, and violence of our culture intensifies. Normporn allows us to process how the intimate traumas of everyday life depicted on certain TV shows―of love, life, death, and loss―are linked to the collective and historical traumas of their contemporary moments, from financial recessions and political crises to the pandemic.
Normporn asks, what are queers to do―what is anyone to do, really―when we are forced to confront the fact of our own normalcy, and our own privilege, inherited or attained? The fantasies, the utopian impulses, and (paradoxically) the unreality of sentimental realist TV drama creates a productive tension that queer spectators in particular take pleasure in, even as―or precisely because―it lulls us into a sense of boredom and stability that we never thought we could want or have.
I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA EDELWEISS+. THANK YOU.
My Review: By the time I bailed we were still defining terms. Okay, it's an academic book; did it have to be tedious as well? I wish it had been *bad* because I could just ignore it completely.
Not for the distracted or casual reader. I tried three times to get past a third of the way in and could not make it up the hill. I was obviously not the right reader, or did not get to it at the right time. The subject interests me a lot. Well, it will still be on my Kindle if I decide to try again.
March 8, 2024
Tongson's critical thought and analysis does something that other authors shy away from far too often: She celebrates, and relishes. What a joy to read the writing of such a close and thoughtful viewer. It dips into the personal just enough to completely charm you all the while exploring a worldview that is really interesting and special. Just as the shows she writes about offer a soothing feeling, the writing does the same here. It approaches heavy issues with care and ease in a way that is so impressive. I really love pop culture writing and reflection, and Karen Tongson is one of the best. This is a great book. Smart and fun and very thought provoking.
January 10, 2024
[3.75]
“Most of our entertainment fails us politically”
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!
“Normporn” is a non-fiction book about the difficult relationship between queer viewers and mainstream television series like “Gilmore Girls” or “This Is Us”. It explores why queer people are drawn to these “normporn” shows, even though they misrepresent us and create false images of an idyllic, liberal and tolerant America.
I picked up this book because one of my new goals is to learn more about film criticism (part of the degree I’m starting in October is about English & American film & television so I’m preparing), despite not being the kind of queer viewer Tongson writes about. I’ve never watched any of the shows explored in the book, nor do I have the desire to. So I can tell you first-hand: it’s an interesting book, even if you know nothing about the five TV shows it explores.
To no one’s surprise, the explorations of “norm culture” and the ever-changing norms to include and exclude certain groups of people were most interesting to me. The author made some interesting points about the changing definition of “queer” and “normal” over the course of time, always expanding to include more identities and living styles, but ever-excluding.
Lots of the reviews I’ve read mention the academic language this book is written in and I definitely agree but I’d also argue that it is quite accessible academic language – I’ve read essays that are much worse in terms of comprehension. The paragraphs were all of a descent size but not too long to become incomprehensible or unclear and there weren’t any long run-on sentences that you read ten times and still don’t understand.
Overall, I found this book informative and will definitely be returning to my notes in the future to think about the topic some more!
“Most of our entertainment fails us politically”
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!
“Normporn” is a non-fiction book about the difficult relationship between queer viewers and mainstream television series like “Gilmore Girls” or “This Is Us”. It explores why queer people are drawn to these “normporn” shows, even though they misrepresent us and create false images of an idyllic, liberal and tolerant America.
I picked up this book because one of my new goals is to learn more about film criticism (part of the degree I’m starting in October is about English & American film & television so I’m preparing), despite not being the kind of queer viewer Tongson writes about. I’ve never watched any of the shows explored in the book, nor do I have the desire to. So I can tell you first-hand: it’s an interesting book, even if you know nothing about the five TV shows it explores.
To no one’s surprise, the explorations of “norm culture” and the ever-changing norms to include and exclude certain groups of people were most interesting to me. The author made some interesting points about the changing definition of “queer” and “normal” over the course of time, always expanding to include more identities and living styles, but ever-excluding.
Lots of the reviews I’ve read mention the academic language this book is written in and I definitely agree but I’d also argue that it is quite accessible academic language – I’ve read essays that are much worse in terms of comprehension. The paragraphs were all of a descent size but not too long to become incomprehensible or unclear and there weren’t any long run-on sentences that you read ten times and still don’t understand.
Overall, I found this book informative and will definitely be returning to my notes in the future to think about the topic some more!
January 2, 2024
4.5! Fascinating and informative. I genuinely appreciate an analysis on anything that starts from a place of love, especially something as close to my own interests as NormPorn tv
March 27, 2024
This is exactly the kind of academic book I love—grounded in theory, supported with super sharp close readings of the texts, and written with verve and humor!
July 10, 2025
I thought this would be more about normative family dynamics but it was entertaining and made me want to watch tv lol. Academics should be provided a very strict quota for puns (5 or fewer).
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews