In the wake of the contemporary Golden Age of Television and political polarization in the United States, this collection argues that the tension between sincerity and irony in nicecore television is crucial to understanding its aesthetic and political aims. An interdisciplinary range of both established and emerging scholars analyze shows like Schitts Creek, Ted Lasso, Jury Duty, and The Bear to highlight how creators are responding to audience demands for sincerity in the contemporary television landscape. Placing the concept of niceness in relation to queerness, class, unlikability, traditional gender norms, and the comfort of sincerity, contributors demonstrate how even across genres and individual creators, these seemingly lighthearted shows each have unique and important messages and goals beneath the surface. As a whole, this collection presents a clear picture of how the 21st-century political landscape has shaped both manifestations and interpretations of the New Sincerity aesthetic in televisual media. Ultimately, Irony and Sincerity in Contemporary Television argues that the 21st-century political landscape has shaped modern manifestations and interpretations of the New Sincerity aesthetic in televisual media.
Arvustused
There is something profound and interesting happening on television today. Creators and audiences are both using the medium to do and to be more, constructing elaborate fictions and pointing to complicated realities in ways that are overwhelming in their absurdity and in their earnestness. It can feel strange, fraught, or contradictory, even as we laugh at what we see and enjoy how preposterous it all is. This excellent collection confronts all this and more, offering compelling analyses of a bevy of spectacular shows and offering challenging insights into the ways these programs offer profound connections to audiences and craft unique entertainment experiences in one of the most traditional media forms. * Zachary Sheldon, Lecturer in Film & Digital Media, Baylor University, USA * In this illuminating and insightful collection, Owen Cantrell and Sage Westfall have brought together a series of essays that open up important new angles, questions, and ways of thinking about the recent trend of "nicecore" television. While often written off as mere "comfort" viewing or escapist fantasy, the contributors to this collection reveal that such series in fact reflect many important trends and shifts taking place in the wider culture. For this reason, the book is essential reading for anyone interested in the aesthetic and political dimensions of contemporary television. * Lucas Thompson, Senior Lecturer in English & Writing, University of Sydney, Australia * From Hallmark movies to Ted Lasso, nicecore entertainment has been too quickly dismissed as lightweight and superficial. Irony and Sincerity in Contemporary Television offers the first serious study of nicecore television in this wide-ranging and groundbreaking collection. It emphasizes the complexity and depth of a popular culture genre that responds to our polarized times. * Carrie Bramen, Professor of English, University at Buffalo, USA *
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In the wake of the contemporary Golden Age of Television and political polarization in the United States, this collection argues that the tension between sincerity and irony in nicecore television is crucial to understanding its aesthetic and political aims.
Acknowledgements
Introduction: Better Today Than They Were Yesterday: Playing Nice in
Nicecore TV
Owen Cantrell (Georgia State University, USA) & Sage Westfall (Independent
Scholar, USA)
PART I: Gender and Niceness
1. Reimagining Niceness: The Role of Indian Television Soap Operas in
Perpetuating Traditional Gender Norms
Sony Jalarajan Raj (MacEwan University, Canada) & Adith K. Suresh (MacEwan
University, Canada)
2. 'Hey, takin' ona challenge is a lot like ridin' a horse: Ted
Lasso and Left-Populism
Colleen Tripp (California State University-Northridge, USA)
3. In the Matter of Ronald Gladden vs. James Marsden: Nicecore Guys
Finish First in Freevee's Jury Duty
Emily Hoffman (Arkansas Tech University, USA)
4. Just a Small Town Girl: Hallmark Movie Small Towns and the
Politics of Niceness
Andrea Braithwaite (Ontario Tech University, Canada)
PART II: Nicecore TV Roster
5. Just your typical all-American, Catholic, divorcing, disgraced,
lawbreaking, gay family: Nicely Queering the Sitcom with ABCs The Real
ONeals
Francesca Petronio (Stony Brook University, USA)
6. Youre Simply the Best: Character Growth and Making the Unlikable
Likable in Schitts Creek
Colleen Etman (University of South Carolina, USA)
7. "Real and alive and good: Nicecore Conventions in The Bear
Judith Clemens-Smucker (Sam Houston State University, USA)
PART III: New Sincerity and Irony
8. Joe Pera Talks with You and the Post-Ironic Comfort Watch
Sage Westfall
9. Do You Want to Feel Something Real? Sincere Irony in the Work of
Nathan Fielder
Owen Cantrell
10. More than just ball hairs: (Post-)Irony, Sincerity, and
Digitization Netflixs American Vandal
Dominik Steinhilber (University of Konstanz, Germany)
About the Editors and Contributors
Index
Sage Westfall is a writer, researcher, and teacher based in Washington state, USA. Owen Cantrell is Associate Professor of English at Perimeter College, Georgia State University, USA.
