The 1980s saw the rise of Ronald Reagan and the New Right in American politics, the popularity of programs such as "thirtysomething" and "Dynasty" on network television, and the increasingly widespread use of VCRs, cable TV, and remote control in American living rooms. In "Seeing Through the Eighties," Jane Feuer critically examines this most aesthetically complex and politically significant period in the history of American television in the context of the prevailing conservative ideological climate. With wit, humor, and an undisguised appreciation of TV, she demonstrates the richness of...

The 1980s saw the rise of Ronald Reagan and the New Right in American politics, the popularity of programs such as "thirtysomething" and "Dynasty" on network television, and the increasingly widespread use of VCRs, cable TV, and remote control in American living rooms. In "Seeing Through the Eighties," Jane Feuer critically examines this most aesthetically complex and politically significant period in the history of American television in the context of the prevailing conservative ideological climate. With wit, humor, and an undisguised appreciation of TV, she demonstrates the richness of...