Indie TV Industry, Aesthetics and Medium Specificity

This edited collection is the first book to offer a wide-ranging examination of the interface between American independent film and a converged television landscape that consists of terrestrial broadcasters, cable networks and streaming providers, in which independent film and television intersect in complex, multifaceted and creative ways.

The book covers the long history of continuities and connections between the two sectors, as seen in the activities of PBS, HBO or Sundance. It considers the movement of filmmakers between indie film and TV such as Steven Soderbergh, Rian Johnson, the Duplass brothers, Joe Swanberg, Lynn Shelton and Gregg Araki; details the confluence of aesthetic and thematic elements seen in shows such as Girls, Breaking Bad, Master of None, or Glow; points to a shared interest in regional sensibilities evident in shows like One Mississippi or Fargo; and makes the case for documentaries and web series as significant entities in this domain. Collectively, the book builds a compelling picture of indie TV as a significant feature of US screen entertainment in the 21st Century.

This interdisciplinary landmark volume will be a go-to reference for students and scholars of Television Studies, Film Studies and Media Studies.

Part 1: Indie Film and Television: Historical Relationships 1. Indie (Film on) TV: A Tale of two very Close Friends 2. Same Word, Different Medium: The Evolution of Indie TV since the 2000s’ Part 2: Indie Film and Television: Industrial Continuities 3. (Re-)Branding Sundance: Entering the Indie TV Market 4. Packaging the 'Purest' form of Indie TV: Michael Sugar, Talent Management and Indie-Auteur Clients’ 5. ‘The Things That Keep Us Up at Night’: Blumhouse Television and Indie Horror’s Small Screen Dispersal Part 3: Filmmakers Migration from Indie Film to TV (and back) 6. From Brick to Breaking Bad: ‘Quality’ Television Style, Authorship and ‘Cinematic’ Status 7. Mumblecore’s Second Act: Millennial Indie Moviemaking’s Migration to Television 8. Apocalyptic Visions and Commercial Constraints: Gregg Araki’s Negotiation of Emerging Modes of Indie TV Auteurship Part 4: Indie TV: Aesthetic and Institutional Trajectories 9. Prestige TV, Comedy, and the Indie Aesthetic 10. Netflix, Race and Cinephilia: Master of None and Indie TV 11. 'It may Be Where the Future of Independent Production Is Happening': Netflix and Indie Aesthetics in GLOW 12. Affect, Tabloid Reality TV and Indie Cinema Part 5: Indie TV and Regional Sensibilities 13. Fargo (2014-2020): Indie Cinema, Midwest Mobsters, and Indie TV 14. Gender, Family, and Therapeutic Regionalism in One MississippiPart 6: Indie TV and Alternative Practices 15. Indie TV in the Streaming Era 16. Web Series as Indie TV: Intersectional Identities and Intersecting Media 17. ‘A Decade of Distinction’: A&E IndieFilms and the Channelling of Documentary

James Lyons is Associate Professor in Screen Studies at the University of Exeter. He is the author or co-editor of six books, including Documentary, Performance and Risk (2020), Miami Vice (2010) and Quality Popular Television (2003).

Yannis Tzioumakis is Reader in Film and Media Industries at the University of Liverpool. He is the author and editor of eleven books, most recently United Artists (2020). He also co-edits the Routledge Hollywood Centenary and the Cinema and Youth Cultures book series.