ABSTRACT
The term ‘postmodern’ (or ‘postmodernist’) is used in relation to television with several related meanings, but taking apart the two component words which make up the term shows that it involves distinguishing between one state of affairs and another. ‘Post’ means after, while ‘modern’ means contemporary. Therefore, ‘postmodern’ signifies newness, whether this newness is regarded positively (postmodern television might be experimental, innovative and exciting) or negatively (postmodern television might be shallow, mindless and trivial). Discussing television in relation to postmodernism is a way of analysing how television, and culture in general, has changed.
