Note on Television Sources

Home , China Beach, Clip show, Northern Exposure, Remington Steele, Touched by an Angel

Thanks to streaming video, it is easier than ever to watch old television. Still, serious television scholars should take care to confrm the ver- sions they fnd online match the episodes as they were originally broad- cast. Even the episodes found on Netfix, Amazon Prime, or Hulu may be slightly compromised (e.g., see Chapter 6, Note 24). The following is a list of the primary viewing sources for the main television shows I examined. Because of shifting rights agreements, certain shows may no longer be available on the streaming platform I used to view them. Also, while I did watch every episode from the following series that aired in the nineties, I have not watched every post-2000 episode of Frasier, Law & Order, ER, The Simpsons, or Touched by an Angel. Sometimes, you just have to turn off the TV and go outside.

Chapter Three Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee. Online video. Seasons 1–9. Netfix. Frasier. Online video. Seasons 1–11. Netfix. Friends. Online video. Seasons 1–10. Netfix. Seinfeld. DVD. Seasons 1–9. Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, 2004–2007.

Chapter Four ER. DVD. Seasons 1–15. Warner Home Video, 2004–2011. NYPD Blue. Online video. Seasons 1–12. Amazon Prime Instant Video.

Chapter Five Law & Order. DVD. Seasons 1–20. Universal Studios Home Entertainment, 2002–2011.

Chapter Six Touched by an Angel. DVD. Seasons 1–9. Paramount Home Entertainment, 2004–2019. The X-Files. Online Video. Seasons 1–9. Amazon Prime Instant Video.

Chapter Seven The Simpsons. DVD. Seasons 1–18. 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment, 2001–2017. ———. Online Video. Seasons 1–29. The Simpsons World, FX NOW. Index

A Between Brothers, 29 ABC’s TGIF, 35 Beverly Hillbillies, The, 31 Alice in Wonderland, 101, 110, 111, Big Bang Theory, The, 228 121 Big Brother, 217 Alien Autopsy (Fact or Fiction), Black-ish, 222 148–50 Bochco, Steven, 71, 72, 88 All in the Family, 32, 85, 108 Breaking Bad, 61, 72 Althusser, Louis, 9 Buchanan, Pat Amazing Race, 217 Culture Wars speech, 136 American Idol, 217 Bush, George H.W., 77, 186–87, 211 America’s Most Wanted, 78 Amos ‘n’ Andy, 30, 60 Anderson, Gillian, 141 C Andy Griffth Show, The, 31, 177 cable Arrest and Trial, 105 market penetration, 3 audience reception Cagney and Lacey, 78, 106, 108, 128 in the study of popular culture, 15 Carroll, Lewis. See Alice in Wonderland Carter, Chris, 142, 147 B Caruso, David, 70 Barr, Roseanne, 178, 223 Challenge, The, 218 Battlestar Galactica, 144 Cheers, 2, 26, 40–47, 50, 53–55, 178 Beavis and Butthead, 180 as third place, 40, 43 Bell, Art, 137–38, 139 Nielsen rating, 9 Bell, Daniel, 18, 20, 27 Chicago Conspiracy trial (1969-1970), Berlin Wall, fall of, 1, 18 112, 119, 120–24

China Beach, 125, 131 police drama, 68–69, 72 CHiPs, 88, 106 procedural, 102–107, 122, 225 Clinton, Bill, 14, 77, 135–37 Duchovny, David, 141, 143 clip show, 161 DVD, 4–5, 169 Clooney, George, 89–90 DVR, 5 CNN, 74 Dye, John, 155, 156, 160 Coast to Coast AM, 137–40, 148–50 Cold War, end of, 3, 18–19, 27 Columbo, 106, 128 E Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee, Ellen, 63 57–59, 64 ER, 7, 88–90, 225 communitarian, 18–21 Everybody Loves Raymond, 178 community (defnition), 16 Cops (TV show), 78 Cosby Show, The, 2, 108, 179, 209 F Nielsen rating, 2, 8 Family Guy, 180 CSI Family Matters, 178 original, 106–107 Father Knows Best, 31 spinoffs, 108 FitzGerald, Kevin, 138 culture wars, 18, 136, 140, 155, 167, Flintstones, The, 180, 191 186, 222, 226 Forrest Gump, 125 Curb Your Enthusiasm, 28, 61 Fox (network) strategy, 29 Franz, Dennis, 71, 94 D Frasier, 7, 53–55, 158 D.A., The (TV show), 105 Café Nervosa, 54 Dallas, 212 Fresh off the Boat, 222 Dancing with the Stars, 217 Friends, 6, 55, 225 David, Larry, 28, 29, 37, 58–59 anti-community, 52–53 as basis of George Costanza, 35 Central Perk, 50–53 Deadwood, 68 race, 57 Dear John, 2 third place, 52 Nielsen rating, 9 F Troop, 88 Dick Van Dyke Show, The, 32 Fukuyama, Francis, 18, 27 Different World, A, 2 Full House, 177–78 Nielsen rating, 9 Diff’rent Strokes, 108 Dirty Harry, 86 G Dolly (cloned sheep), 138 Game of Thrones Donna Reed Show, The, 31 Nielsen rating, 9 Downey, Roma, 154, 158, 159–60 George Burns and Gracie Allen Show, Dragnet, 69, 103–106, 141 The, 30 drama Gingrich, Newt, 135 Index 235

Gitlin, Todd, 122 King Jr., Martin Luther, 19, 226 Gramsci, Antonio, 122 King of the Hill, 180 Green Acres, 31 King, Rodney Gulf War, The (1990–1991), 74, 126 1992 LA riots, 78 Gunsmoke, 94, 106, 128 videotaped beating, 77 Kojak, 106, 128 Kolchak: The Night Stalker, 143 H Kunstler, William, 110–27 Halbwachs, Maurice collective memory, 111 Hall, Stuart, 15 L Happy Days, 44 L.A. Law, 2, 70 Hawaii Five-O, 106 Nielsen rating, 9 Highway to Heaven, 154 Landon, Michael, 154 Hill Street Blues, 2, 32, 67, 72, 88, 94 Lasch, Christopher, 26, 56 Holliday, George, 74–78, 95 Culture of Narcissism, 20, 26–27 Home Improvement, 178 laugh track on The Hank McCune Honeymooners, The, 30, 60 Show, 60 Hughes, John, 187–88 Law & Order, 7, 101–22, 123–27, Hunter, 78 221, 224, 225 Hunter, James Davison Criminal Intent, 108 Culture Wars (book), 135, 139 LA, 108 Nielsen rating, 127 Special Victims Unit (SVU), 108, I 109, 221 ideology (defnition), 6, 9 UK, 108 I Love Lucy, 30–31, 60, 103 Leave it to Beaver, 31, 182 In the Heat of the Night, 78 Limbaugh, Rush, 135–36 Ironside, 106, 128 Living Single, 29 It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, 220 lonely (defnition), 17–18 Lost, 144 Louie, 220–21, 227 J Lucy Show, The, 60 Jefferson Airplane Lyotard, Jean-François, 18, 27 “White Rabbit”, 101 Jeffersons, The, 108 Judge, Mike, 180 M MacDonald, J. Fred, 68 Mad Men, 61 K Magnum, P.I., 78 Kate & Allie, 108 Mary Tyler Moore Show, The, 32–33, Keeping Up with the Kardashians, 217 178 236 Index

McHale’s Navy, 88 P Miami Vice, 78, 106, 128 Parks and Recreation, 221, 223 Middle, The, 222 Phil Silvers Show, The, 88 Milch, David, 68, 71, 72, 88 Promised Land, 158 Modern Family, 222, 228 Putnam, Robert Moonlighting, 28, 78 Bowling Alone, 14, 176 Moriarty, Michael, 105, 107, 128 MTM Enterprises, 32–33, 88, 178 Munsters, The, 182 R Murphy Brown, 33, 179 reality television, 217 My Three Sons, 177 Reese, Della, 155, 158, 160 Remington Steele, 78 Rescue 911, 78 N Rieff, Philip National Public Radio, 135 The Triumph of the Therapeutic, 20, NBC 165, 226 News, 1, 8 Rookies, The, 86 skepticism towards early Seinfeld Roseanne, 178–80, 182, 183, 193–95, episodes, 28 208, 223 Thursday night, 1–2, 4 Rosenblatt, Roger New Left, 19, 116, 121, 122 “Age of Irony Comes to an End”, Nixon, Richard M., 114–17, 121–25, 97, 166, 171 130, 131 Rubin, Jerry, 116 “Silent Majority”, 117, 123–24, 130 Noory, George, 139 S Northern Exposure, 169, 202 Sanford and Son, 32 NYPD Blue, 7, 69–73, 79–93, 221, Saturday Night Live, 68, 156, 158 225 Schultz, Howard, 25–26, 46–50, 59, and Rodney King, 85 60 frst episode controversy, 71 Seinfeld, 6, 25, 26–47, 50–52, individualism, 69 175–178, 202, 208, 224–227 Nielsen rating, 71 AIDS, 62 post-9/11, 90–93 and race, 29 and Robert Putnam’s Bowling Alone, 14 O anti-community, 27, 40 Offce, The, 33, 221 as third place, 40–41, 43–46 Oldenburg, Ray, 26, 42–45, 48–50, homophobia, 37, 61 52, 55–58 infuence on other sitcoms, 33, 225 Orbach, Jerry, 103 Monk’s, 25, 41–45, 50–51, 57 Osbournes, The, 217 narcissism, 26, 36–37 Index 237

Nielsen rating, 25, 28 St. Elsewhere, 28, 89 series fnale, 29, 32, 36 Starbucks, 25–26, 28, 46–53 show about nothing, 26, 33 as third places, 26, 47–50 therapeutic culture, 37–38 Starsky and Hutch, 86 Seinfeld, Jerry, 28, 29 streaming video services and coffee, 57 market penetration, 5 September 11, 2001, 3, 73, 90–93, Survivor, 218–220, 227 166, 171, 222 First Season Finale, 218 primetime TV references, 91 Shield, The, 72 Simpson, O.J., 110, 129 T Simpsons, The, 8, 175–209, 221, T.J. Hooker, 78, 86 226–227 Tartikoff, Brandon, 104 and George H.W. Bush, 186–187 Taxi, 33, 108 and Robert Putnam’s Bowling television Alone, 13–14 industry changes in the nineties, 3–5 animation style, 180–181 market penetration, 4 Bart Simpson and skateboarding, third place 188, 203 benefts, 43 Bart Simpson fandom, 186–188 characteristics, 42 Bart Simpson, 185–189 defnition, 26 chalkboard gag, 185 thirtysomething, 27 family, 17 Thompson, Robert J., 32, 94 Homer Simpson, 183, 189–191, Tönnies, Ferdinand, 16 193–194, 197, 203–207 Touched by an Angel, 7, 139–140, 150, “Homer’s Enemy”, 203–208 154–167, 222–223, 225, 226 Lisa Simpson, 195–197 Angel of Death (character), Maggie Simpson, 191–192 156–157 Marge Simpson, 191–195 Christianity, 159 Montgomery Burns, 189–192, Nielsen rating, 141, 157 204–206 premise, 154 “Team Homer”, 13–14, 190 public support for show, 158 sitcom Tour of Duty, 125 family, 177–180 Tracey Ullman Show, The, 180 military, 88 Twin Peaks, 67, 93, 143 workplace. See workplace-as-family, 32 Slater, Philip, 20 U Smits, Jimmy, 70 Unsolved Mysteries, 78, 149 Sopranos, The, 4, 61, 72, 94, 219 Untouchables, The, 105 Nielsen rating, 9 UPN, 29 South Park, 180 238 Index

V Wolf, Dick, 104–105, 128 VCR, 4, 144 Wolfe, Tom, 19 Vietnam War, 110–112, 118, 121– workplace-as-family, 7, 25–26, 33, 90, 127, 131 178, 221–223, 225 flms, 88

X W X-Files, The, 140–156, 166–167, Waterston, Sam, 105 222–223, 225–226 Webb, Jack, 103–105 I want to believe, 141, 142 Welcome Back Kotter, 108 Nielsen rating, 141, 144 Westerns, 68–69, 94, 106 opening credits tagline, 146 Who Wants to be a Millionaire, 68, 227 Williams, Raymond, 4, 161 Williamson, Martha, 160–161, 163, 165 Wire, The, 69, 219–220