Commander in Chief is the first prime-time television drama to have a protagonist and an entire plot dedicated to a female U.S. president. Through a transversal discourse analysis, we explain how the series is a feminist artifact that valuably contributes to contemporary discourses of gender-but also of race. First, the study unpacks the show's publicity that exaggerates essentialist views of White femininity. Second, the study considers ways that Commander in Chief offers protean but insufficiently intersectional representations. Third, the study examines how President Allen provides a third-wave feminist account of women.

The Amazing Mrs. Pritchard was the first British television series production that featured a woman Prime Minister, backed by an all-women party and elected by the large majority of voters. This article investigates whether the series was an attempt to provide a feminist portrayal of women politicians. It addresses three main issues: whether and how the series inscribes gender frames to place expectations upon women leaders; if it constructs sex stereotypes with regard to political women's presentation and policies, which distort the roles that these women play in public life and finally it problematises the kind of visibility given to women politicians in the series.

In a 2003 promotion for a new show on Comedy Central, comedian Wanda Sykes offered a characteristically pointed observation about the" reality romance" genre of television. Commenting on the wildly popular Joe Millionaire as its season finale neared, Sykes announced the show ought to be called Bitches Love Money. She cocked her head and asked," Are all the feminists in a coma?" I was watching television alone in my apartment, but I looked back and forth at the imaginary people seated to my left and right. Is she ...

This paper explores the use of The Mary Tyler Moore Show as a teaching tool used with a group of final‐year undergraduate students who gathered together last academic year (2007–8) to explore Women in Leadership, as part of a Communications course. The research focus was: How can the use of The Mary Tyler Moore Show (a 1970–7 American situation‐comedy) serve as teaching tool concerning an understanding of Second Wave feminism and women in the emerging role for women in the workplace? The particular connection with televisual texts suggests that the use of popular culture can connect today's college students with the often distant issues of Second Wave feminism.

Course Description: The purpose of this course is to examine the representation of women on American television through the application of feminist and media theories. The readings are complex and thought-provoking with each week focusing on a particular theme relating to women's identity as it is constructed by the media. A foundational understanding of feminism will help you, though it is not required. Television Analysis is, however, a prerequisite as a fundamental knowledge of television studies is a necessary basis for any form of television criticism. Course Objectives: • Understand and examine the following concepts/themes: feminism, post-feminism, narrative, representation of women, ideology, hegemony, consumerism, cultural studies • Become familiar with common analytic frames for the study of women's representation in the media. • Examine the relationship between television and culture while investigating gender dynamics, the family structure, heteronormativity and the role it plays in the construction of cultural identity. • Speculate on the impact of and source for popular portrayals of women on television and what they might be telling us about women's roles in society. • Contextualize images of women on television throughout American history. • It is my hope that each of you will further develop your critical thinking and critical writing skills through the various assignments and discussions throughout the course.