Overview
Since ABC’s George Lopez Show left the airwaves in 2007 as the only network television show to feature a Latino lead, the representational landscape of Latina and Latino actors has shifted from media invisibility toward an era of increasing inclusion. Sofia Vergara became the highest paid woman and Latina on TV for her starring role on Modern Family. In the first successful dramedy starring a Latina since ABC’s Ugly Betty, Gina Rodriguez gained critical acclaim for her role on the CW’s Jane the Virgin. And the first Latina leading lady of TV, America Ferrera (Ugly Betty), returned to TV stardom in NBC’s Superstore. This period of diversity brought U.S. Latina and Latino lives to the screen, yet a careful look at TV comedic content and production reveals a more troubling terrain for Latinas/os producers, writers, actors, and audiences. Interweaving discussions about the ethnic, racial, and linguistic representations of Latinas/os within network television comedies, Isabel Molina-Guzmán probes published interviews with producers and textual examples from hit programs like Modern Family, The Office, and Scrubs to understand how these prime-time sitcoms communicate difference in the United States. Understanding the complexity by which audiences interpret these programs, Molina-Guzmán situates her analysis within the Obama era, a period where ethnicity and race became increasingly grounded in “hipster racism,” and argues that despite increased inclusion, the feel-good imperative of TV comedies still inevitably leaves racism, sexism, and homophobia uncontested.
Full Product Details
Author: Isabel Molina-Guzman
Publisher: University of Arizona Press
Imprint: University of Arizona Press
Dimensions:
Width: 13.90cm
, Height: 1.20cm
, Length: 21.00cm
Weight: 0.182kg
ISBN: 9780816537242
ISBN 10: 0816537240
Pages: 144
Publication Date: 28 February 2018
Audience:
Professional and scholarly
,
Professional & Vocational
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active
Availability: Temporarily unavailable
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Reviews
A superb book that deftly articulates the many conversations Latina/o viewers have had regarding the visible yet troubling representations of Latinas/os on network television. Molina-Guzman offers a smart and relevant analysis of how network industries engage with Latina/o narratives, character development, and the role of comedic laughter in a 'post-racial' political climate. --Dolores Ines Casillas, co-editor of The Routledge Companion to Latina/o Media
A superb book that deftly articulates the many conversations Latina/o viewers have had regarding the visible yet troubling representations of Latinas/os on network television. Molina-Guzman offers a smart and relevant analysis of how network industries engage with Latina/o narratives, character development, and the role of comedic laughter in a 'post-racial' political climate. --Dolores Ines Casillas, co-editor of The Routledge Companion to Latina/o Media
Author Information
Isabel Molina-Guzman is an associate professor of media and cinema studies and Latina/Latino studies at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign. She is the author of Dangerous Curves: Latina Bodies in the Media.
