The Millennials on Film and Television

The millennials, who constitute the largest generation in America’s history, may resist a simple definition; nevertheless, they do share a number of common traits and also an ever increasing presence on film and television. This collection of new essays first situates the millennials within their historical context and then proceeds to an examination of specific characteristics—as addressed in the television and film narratives created about them, including their relationship to work, technology, family, religion, romance and history. Drawing on a multiplicity of theoretical frameworks, the essays show how these cultural products work at a number of levels, and through a variety of means, to shape our understanding of the millennials.

Betty Kaklamanidou is a lecturer in film history and theory in the film studies department at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece, where she lives.

Margaret Tally is a distinguished professor of social and public policy at the School for Graduate Studies of the State University of New York, Empire State College. She is the author or editor of several books on television and media, and several articles and book chapters in the area of gender and popular culture.

Edited by Betty Kaklamanidou and Margaret Tally

Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 216
Bibliographic Info: notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2014
pISBN: 978-0-7864-7880-4
eISBN: 978-1-4766-1514-1
Imprint: McFarland

Introduction: The ­Twenty-First Century Generation and the ABC Family Brand (Betty Kaklamanidou and Margaret Tally) 1

Secrets and Lies: Gender and Generation in the ABC Family Brand (Caryn Murphy) 15
Lavender Identity and Representation in the Media: The Portrayal of Gays and Lesbians in Popular Television (Sean Robinson and Bernice Alston) 31
Exploring Discourses of Engagement in 2 Broke Girls (Alison N. Novak) 46
The Mindy Project: South Asians and Television Multiculturalism (Janani Subramanian) 62
The Big Bang Theory: Nerds and Kidults (Janice Shaw) 78
The Emotional Power of Technology, Community and Morality in The Vampire Diaries (Margo Collins) 94
Generational Conflict, ­Twenty-First-Century Horror Films and The Cabin in the Woods (Karen J. Renner) 110
The Scream of a Generation: “Generation Me” in Scream 4 (Sotiris Petridis) 126
“Comedy Natives”: Generations, Humor and the Question of Why Smart + Funny Is the New Rock and Roll (Margaret Tally) 140
The ­Romantico-Sexual Narrative and Intertextuality in Friends with Benefits and No Strings Attached (Betty Kaklamanidou) 155
Labor Narratives and The Devil Wears Prada (Christoph Büettner) 169
Works Cited 185
About the Contributors 197
Index 199