Television criticism has evolved alongside the medium itself. Starting in the 1950s, it focused on content analysis and social impact. As TV grew more complex, academic approaches emerged, incorporating theories from various fields and legitimizing TV as a subject of serious study.

The digital age brought new challenges and opportunities for critics. Streaming platforms, binge-watching, and social media transformed how we watch and discuss TV. Critics now grapple with complex narratives, transmedia storytelling, and the impact of algorithms on viewing habits.

Evolution of Television Criticism

Early Development and Focus

• Television criticism emerged in the 1950s responding to television's growing influence on American culture and society
• Early critics primarily focused on content analysis and television programming's social impact
• Gilbert Seldes established foundational principles for evaluating television as a unique medium in the 1950s
• Launch of TV Guide in 1953 marked the beginning of widespread, popular television criticism in print media

Shift to Academic Approaches

• 1960s and 1970s saw a shift towards more academic approaches to television criticism
• Incorporated theories from literary criticism, film studies, and cultural studies
• Publication of Understanding Media by Marshall McLuhan in 1964 introduced "the medium is the message" concept
• Establishment of the journal Screen in 1969 signaled the emergence of academic television criticism as a distinct field
• Horace Newcomb's TV: The Most Popular Art (1974) legitimized television as a subject of serious academic study
• Raymond Williams' Television: Technology and Cultural Form (1974) introduced a critical framework for analyzing television as technology and cultural form

Expansion and Specialization

• 1980s and 1990s saw television criticism expand to include new areas of analysis
• Focused on audience reception, industry practices, and television's political economy
• John Fiske's works popularized cultural studies approaches, emphasizing audience agency and polysemic readings
• Advent of cable television led to more nuanced and specialized forms of criticism
• Robert J. Thompson coined "quality TV" in Television's Second Golden Age (1996)
• Rise of HBO's The Sopranos in 1999 sparked new era of criticism focused on "prestige TV" and complex narratives

Digital Age Transformation

• Digital age and streaming platforms transformed television criticism
• Introduced new methodologies and focus areas (binge-watching culture, transmedia storytelling)
• Jason Mittell's complex TV theory provided a framework for analyzing narrative complexity
• Amanda Lotz's work on the post-network era helped understand the changing television landscape
• Online critics and bloggers reshaped criticism, introducing more immediate and interactive engagement
• Rise of "recap culture" in late 2000s and early 2010s transformed criticism's immediacy and format
• Contemporary television criticism encompasses wide range of approaches (feminist criticism, queer theory, race and ethnicity studies, eco-criticism)

Influence of Critics on Television

Foundational Critics and Their Impact

• Gilbert Seldes established foundational principles for evaluating television as a unique medium in the 1950s
• Horace Newcomb's TV: The Most Popular Art (1974) legitimized television as a subject of serious academic study
• Introduced the concept of "television aesthetics"
• John Fiske's works in the 1980s and 1990s popularized cultural studies approaches to television criticism
• Emphasized audience agency and polysemic readings (multiple interpretations of media texts)
• Robert J. Thompson coined "quality TV" in Television's Second Golden Age (1996)
• Significantly influenced discussions of television aesthetics and value

Contemporary Critics and Their Contributions

• Jason Mittell's complex TV theory in the 2000s provided a framework for analyzing narrative complexity
• Applied to shows like Lost, Breaking Bad, and Game of Thrones
• Amanda Lotz's work on the post-network era instrumental in understanding changing television landscape
• Explored concepts like "post-network audience" and "era of plenty"
• Online critics and bloggers reshaped television criticism in the 21st century
• Alan Sepinwall pioneered episode-by-episode reviews for complex serialized dramas
• Emily Nussbaum's work elevated television criticism to new literary heights
• Both introduced more immediate and interactive forms of engagement with audiences

Institutional Recognition and Impact

• Society for Cinema and Media Studies (formerly Society for Cinema Studies) founded in 1959
• Gradual inclusion of television studies marked the institutionalization of television criticism in academia
• Emergence of dedicated television studies programs and departments in universities
• Television critics' awards (Peabody Awards, Television Critics Association Awards) influence industry recognition
• Critics' reviews and analyses impact show renewals, cancellations, and creative decisions

Technology and Television Criticism

Technological Advancements and Critical Analysis

• Introduction of color television in the 1960s led to new considerations in visual analysis and aesthetics
• Critics began discussing color symbolism and visual composition in shows
• Advent of VCR in 1970s and 1980s allowed for more detailed textual analysis and repeat viewing
• Enhanced depth of television criticism by enabling pause, rewind, and close reading of scenes
• Cable television's expansion in 1980s and 1990s necessitated new critical approaches
• Addressed niche programming and audience fragmentation (MTV for music videos, CNN for 24-hour news)
• Rise of DVRs and time-shifting technologies in early 2000s prompted reconsideration of scheduling and audience engagement
• Critics analyzed impact of ad-skipping and non-linear viewing on narrative structure

Streaming Era and New Critical Paradigms

• Streaming platforms and on-demand viewing altered production, distribution, and consumption patterns
• Required critics to develop new frameworks for analysis (binge-watching, season drops)
• Social media and online platforms democratized television criticism
• Allowed for real-time discourse and fan engagement influencing critical perspectives (live-tweeting, Reddit discussions)
• Big data and analytics introduced quantitative methods into television criticism
• Enabled critics to analyze viewing patterns and audience preferences on a large scale
• Critics now consider algorithms and recommendation systems in their analysis of viewer behavior

Impact on Critical Methodologies

• Technological advancements necessitated evolution of critical methodologies
• From purely textual analysis to consideration of paratexts (trailers, social media content)
• Integration of digital humanities approaches in television criticism
• Use of data visualization, network analysis, and other computational methods
• Emergence of platform studies as a critical approach
• Examines how streaming platforms' interfaces and algorithms shape viewing experiences
• Consideration of transmedia storytelling and convergence culture in critical analysis
• Analyzing how stories unfold across multiple platforms and media (TV shows, web series, social media)

Milestones in Television Criticism

Early Milestones and Institutionalization

• Launch of TV Guide in 1953 marked beginning of widespread, popular television criticism in print media
• Provided weekly program listings and short reviews for general audience
• Publication of Understanding Media by Marshall McLuhan in 1964 introduced "the medium is the message"
• Profoundly influenced television criticism by emphasizing medium's impact over content
• Establishment of the journal Screen in 1969 signaled emergence of academic television criticism
• Marked television studies as distinct field within film and media studies
• Founding of Society for Cinema and Media Studies (formerly Society for Cinema Studies) in 1959
• Gradual inclusion of television studies marked institutionalization of television criticism in academia

Theoretical Developments and New Perspectives

• Publication of Raymond Williams' Television: Technology and Cultural Form in 1974
• Introduced critical framework for analyzing television as technology and cultural form
• Concept of "flow" in television programming influential in understanding viewer experience
• John Fiske's works in 1980s and 1990s popularized cultural studies approaches
• Emphasized active audience and polysemic readings of television texts
• Robert J. Thompson's Television's Second Golden Age (1996) coined term "quality TV"
• Sparked debates about television aesthetics and cultural value of certain programs

Digital Age and Democratization of Criticism

• Launch of HBO's The Sopranos in 1999 sparked new era of television criticism
• Focus on "prestige TV" and complex narratives in critical discourse
• Rise of online television criticism in early 2000s (Television Without Pity)
• Democratized critical discourse and challenged traditional critical authority
• Emergence of "recap culture" in late 2000s and early 2010s
• Transformed immediacy and format of television criticism, particularly for serialized dramas
• Integration of social media in television criticism (Twitter, Facebook, Reddit)
• Enabled real-time engagement between critics, audiences, and creators