Black and Blue TV

Laurena Bernabo

ISBN 10: 1978844115 / ISBN 13: 9781978844117

Published by Rutgers University Press, US, 2026

Black and Blue TV explores the ways television productions have responded to the Black Lives Matter movement. Television programs' engagement with BLM was common before George Floyd's murder sparked international protests in the summer of 2020, at which point it became nearly unavoidable for many series. Images of police using violence against Black Americans fueled criticisms of the role of television-especially cop shows-in perpetuating "copaganda," highlighting the fact that television's cops are nearly always the good guys, even when they break the law and use excessive force. Black and Blue TV identifies trends and anomalies in television's engagement with BLM but also investigates the people who influence what those representations look like. Pairing textual criticism with interviews with television creatives, executives, and media activists, author Laurena Bernabo traces shifts in how these individuals understand their role in televisual culture and the cultural forum of narratives that are produced and distributed as a result. Seller Inventory # LU-9781978844117

Synopsis:

Black and Blue TV explores the ways television productions have responded to the Black Lives Matter movement. Television programs’ engagement with BLM was common before George Floyd’s murder sparked international protests in the summer of 2020, at which point it became nearly unavoidable for many series. Images of police using violence against Black Americans fueled criticisms of the role of television—especially cop shows—in perpetuating “copaganda,” highlighting the fact that television’s cops are nearly always the good guys, even when they break the law and use excessive force. Black and Blue TV identifies trends and anomalies in television’s engagement with BLM but also investigates the people who influence what those representations look like. Pairing textual criticism with interviews with television creatives, executives, and media activists, author Laurena Bernabo traces shifts in how these individuals understand their role in televisual culture, and the cultural forum of narratives that are produced and distributed as a result.

About the Author: Laurena Bernabo is an assistant professor of entertainment and media studies in the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Georgia.

Bibliographic Details

Title: Black and Blue TV
Publisher: Rutgers University Press, US
Publication Date: 2026
Binding: Paperback
Condition: New