TV Matters is a new series of short monographs (40,000 to 50,000 words) on television series,
analysing their production history, cultural context, main themes, as well as fandom and
audience reception. (All three of these aspects need to be touched upon!) The focus is on shows that both have critical acclaim (as reflected by awards, media reviews), but more importantly, are genuinely “popular”. That means they have
had a robust viewership and ideally an active fandom (watercooler discussions on- and offline,
as well as fan production such as fic, art, vids etc), and/or an unusual reception history (cases
of bans, censorship or similar).

As the intended audience for this book series extends beyond academia, we expect an
engaging/accessible writing style. This however does not mean less academic “rigour” –
authors should thoroughly research production history (incl. where possible through interviews
with creators or archival research), include a solid textual analysis of main themes, and should
show familiarity with concepts and theories of fan and audience studies.
The aim of this book series is to engage with TV shows that were and are truly popular rather
than just part of a canon of “quality TV” or “cult TV”. The scope includes scripted/fictional
programming, both live action as well as animation, but also reality TV, casting shows, and
documentary formats, if they fill the criteria. If it mattered to people, it qualifies!
This crucially also means shows outside of a Eurocentric lens of media production – K-Drama,
Telenovelas, any popular TV in its respective cultural contexts, but also productions that
crossed border lines and were adapted transnationally. In case of particularly long-running
shows such as soaps or procedurals, or non-scripted content, ongoing series are also open to
consideration.

To illustrate examples, series that tentative authors have already been approached about include
Bridgerton (2020-), Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997-2003),  Game of Thrones (2011-2019), Ted Lasso (2020-2023), Ducktales (1987-
1990), Star Trek: Voyager (1995-2001) and the Eurovision Song Contest.

At this point, we are open to any proposals on series meeting the criteria, but are especially
looking for someone interested in writing on Supernatural (2005-2020), Friends (1994-2004), All in the Family (1971-1979), Fresh Prince of Bel Air (1990-1996), Living Single (1993-1998), Grey’s Anatomy (2005-), Doctor Who (1963-), the CSI, NCIS, Law & Order franchises, or long-running reality TV and transnational competition formats such as Survivor, Big Brother, or Strictly Come Dancing, please approach us.
As a first step, just send a short (!) pitch (500 words max.) of what series you’d want to
write on and why you think it matters to the series editor Sabrina Mittermeier
(Sabrina.Mittermeier@uni-kassel.de). There is no deadline as this is an ongoing call.

If deemed a good fit, we move on to a more formal proposal. We expect the series to launch in 2026