Discusses prominent TV programmes and their influence within the industry An engaging and provocative study of the contemporary prime-time ‘quality’ serial television format, this book gives a timely account of prominent programmes such as 24, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, ER, The Sopranos and The West Wing and explores their influential position within the television industry. Divided into the areas of history, aesthetics and reception, the text provides an illuminating overview of an increasingly hybrid television studies discipline. Chapters consider the formal and aesthetic elements in the contemporary television serial through approaches ranging from those concerned with issues of gender and sexuality, national identity, and reception to industry history and textual analysis. The book also includes British examples of ‘quality’ serial television emphasizing not only their cultural specificity but also the transnational context in which these programmes operate.