ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book argues that changes to the economic and technological base of television in the streaming era have precipitated changes in the medium’s superstructure that, in turn, require queer television critics to shift their modes of critique. It examines a specific moment in time—the late 1970s—to consider the structures of affect at work in a lesbian-themed episode from the US television drama Family. The book then looks backward in time to articulate a mode of criticism that examines questions of historicity in search of new approaches to queer television scholarship. It also considers current debates in LGBTQ+ and trans communities about jokes related to LGBTQ+ and trans lives and identities, thinking through how appeals to heterogeneous audiences’ “land” with varied viewerships.
