Queer TV in the 21st Century is, for me, a fascinating series of essays, because somehow I missed almost all the the TV shows that are discussed in the book. Indeed, other than Will & Grace and a few episodes of Queer as Folk (Including the British version), all the other shows were completely unknown to me. Invariably, the various essays have brought me up-to-date on what has been happening in TV-Land, and it's now possible for me to see the effect of their fresh view of gay life in various aspects of the world around me ... socially and politically.

Thus it's impossible for me to say how many hours this book has saved me in ... wasted viewing time. If for only that reason I value the book.

The lbgtq community really has made leaps and bounds on TV in the last 10-15 years. This book is a collection of essays focusing on different aspects of characters on many shows. The generalizations and characteristics of the said community are broken down and expressed in the various writers' essays. A lot of thoughts/views are shared on multiple issues that the lbgtq society deal with on a daily basis. An interesting read... Thought provoking. Thank you Librarything for providing me with my copy. ( )

This collection of twelve academic essay provides thought-provoking analysis of several TV shows, both on the shows themselves and on how audiences have responded to them. Some common themes emerge, such as the intersection of stereotypes of sexual orientation, race, and gender, and on the tension between assimilationist and anti-assimilationist views of LGBTQ life.
Read together, the essays can challenge each other. For example, Hart's unqualified praise for Queer Eye for the Straight Guy could benefit from some reflection, provided by other essays, on whether the non-threatening presentation of gays is necessarily a good thing. And Snider's essay on Will & Grace, in which he lets slip a stereotype about Midwesterners in a discussion of gay stereotypes, could benefit from Ciamparella's comments on ignorance of the Midwest on the part of some people on the coasts.

What is great about this series of essay's is that there is no clear agenda. It would be easy to gather essay's about how amazing queer representation has been on TV in the 21st century, or reversely how bad. This collection has varying points of view, ideas, theories and opinions on the subject. It allows us as readers to see the genre of queer TV from many different eyes.
I personally found it very interesting to read about these TV shows, shows that I have watched for pure pleasure, from an analytical perspective. Perhaps it is my own personality that had never really allowed me to see these shows as anything but entertainment. Here, in this collection, the topics are more about how the representation of the queer community is perceived, or showcased in these shows. It is less about the entertainment value of the shows discussed and more about how they help or hinder the LGBT community's continuous fight within the heterosexual world we live in. For me, having as mentioned, only watched the shows as entertainment, this opened a new door to these shows and allowed me to look at them from a completely new perspective.
The only thing I would have changed was to have more differing views on the same show or topic. For the most part, each essay is discussing a new topic and show. (With only a few shows being mentioned more than once in different essays). What I would have loved would to have seen two essays per show highlighting differing opinions to give the reader a wider view of that show or topic.
It is only a small and more personal wish than anything, however. It does not distract in any way from what the collection is trying to achieve, which I believe, is to simply to discuss varying points of view on how the Queer community has been represented in 21st Century television.
I found all of the essays well written, and overly interesting. What a good essay should do, is to open your mind and allow you to think, how do I feel about this. Most, if not all, of these essays did that for me. ( )