Critically examines the quiz show genre in American culture from the 1930s to the present.
From The $64,000 Question and Twenty-One to Jeopardy and Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, quiz shows have permeated American culture ever since their beginnings in early radio. In Rules of the Game, Olaf Hoerschelmann critically examines the quiz show genre in American culture, drawing on a large body of radio and television programs and on archival materials relating to the broadcast industry, program sponsors, advertising agencies, and individual producers. Hoerschelmann relates quiz shows to the larger social and industrial structures from which they originate and examines the connection of quiz shows to the production of knowledge in American society. He also provides a rethinking of media genre theory, offering a detailed analysis of the text-audience relationships on quiz shows and their significance for the practice of broadcasting.
“…demonstrates the rich complexity of the genre, and the fact that, in America, its history is far more than simply the 1950s scandals.” — European Journal of Communication
“As the first in-depth, book-length investigation of quiz shows, Rules of the Game stands out through its historic scope, theoretical depth, and thorough research. It adds an important new perspective by linking the popularity and transformations of the genre over the years to the ever-changing surrounding ideological formations. The book challenges current media scholarship and establishes Hoerschelmann as one of the leading experts in this area.” — Elfriede Fürsich, Boston College
“With excellent research and intriguing readings of the programs, Hoerschelmann examines some very important issues, including a neglected but major broadcast genre, the differences in audience relations to television from cinema, and the political economy of the genre. More than just a general history of quiz and game shows, the book raises larger questions within television studies.” — Sean Griffin, coauthor of Queer Images: A History of Gay and Lesbian Film in America
Olaf Hoerschelmann is Associate Professor of Media Theory and Criticism at Eastern Illinois University.
