Very Special Episodes: Televising Industrial and Social Change

by Jonathan Cohn (Contributor), Jennifer Porst (Editor), Reba Wissner (Contributor)

Very Special Episodes examines how the quintessential “very special episode” format became a primary way in which the television industry responded to and shaped social change, cultural traumas, and industrial transformations. With essays covering shows ranging from the birth of Desi Arnaz, Jr. on I Love Lucy to contemporary examples such as a delayed episode of Black- ish and the streaming-era phenomenon of the “Very Special Seasons” of UnReal and 13 Reasons Why, this collection seriously and critically uses the “very special episode” to chart the history of American television and its self-identified status as an arbiter of culture.

 

256 pages, Hardcover

Published August 13, 2021

Reviews

[Lizzy B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Learned a lot! Really appreciate the field’s commitment to studying not just the story elements but also the cultural/corporate/political contexts surrounding television production.

Favorite chapters were: music/atomic, Bewitched, the war-on-drugs, the NBC blackout, the black-ish episode ban, and the EastEnders knife storyline.

The text could be a little dry or opinionated, but overall was insightful and thought-provoking.