The ultimate deep dive into the revolution of queer TV
With the last decade’s television boom across a multitude of platforms, producing hundreds of network and streaming series, American audiences are being treated to a cascade of shows that some have trumpeted as a second Golden Age. But something completely new is stirring, too—the Rainbow Age. For the first time in the history of American television, we have shows in which LGBTQIA+ characters have evolved from being an anomaly to being an almost given and celebrated presence on the small screen. But what more can queer TV do? Is each new queer character really breaking ground? And has the curse of the fictional dead lesbian finally been defeated?
The Rainbow Age of Television tackles these questions and more as author Shayna Maci Warner tracks the history and evolution of LGBTQIA+ icons across the televised ages and into the future of streaming—from the very first televised queer kiss (we think) to the shows that are making household names and heroes of queer characters today. Warner uses original interviews with queer TV icons such as Lilly Wachowski and Stephanie Beatriz along with detailed history to investigate the constraints under which queer people have been allowed to exist on American television. Surveying seventy-plus years of broadcasts, The Rainbow Age of Television explores why queer people are so invested in—and conflicted by—the kinds of storytelling that TV has to offer. Above all, it’s a celebration of the LGBTQIA+ shows, their characters, and their creators that define this new age in television.
Praise
“The Rainbow Age of Television is such a wonderful survey of the big, beautiful expanse of LGBTQIA+ identities as represented on TV. It’s a medium that brings characters so close to us, into our homes for episode after episode, which has been vital as queer people have fought to be accepted and embraced. Reading this book is like having your smart queer friend watching with you and guiding you through it all.
I love how author Shayna Maci Warner talks about intersectional identity, showing that the struggle isn’t just one for queer people—it’s for everyone. This book examines an age when LGBTQIA+ characters were finally able to at least occasionally flourish on television and is a tool to put in your quiver as queer representation faces an uncertain future thanks to everything from the economy and our political scene to shifting priorities from the tech platforms now controlling our media consumption. Let it be your guide to better understanding your LGBTQIA+ friends and neighbors, along with why they can’t stop talking about this one show that you just absolutely have to watch.”
—Mike Roe, journalist and author of The 30 Rock Book
“Warner is that telephile bestie with an absurd wealth of knowledge about queer TV. Still, The Rainbow Age of Television isn’t just a history book; Warner’s cultural analysis of representation and its everlasting impact makes their book a must-read for every media-consuming queer person alive!”
—Zachary Zane, author of Boyslut: A Memoir and Manifesto
“A true gem. Warner’s incisive analysis, detailed research, and wry humor make for a genuine page-turner chronicling American LGBTQIA+ TV history. Warner seamlessly navigates between critiquing the institutions that hold LGBTQIA+ television back and appropriately contextualizing and paying homage to those who laid the foundation for all we have now. The Rainbow Age of Television is an essential read for every queer storyteller.”
—Sav Rodgers, filmmaker and founder, Transgender Film Center
“An astute account of how depictions of LGBTQ characters on TV have evolved since the 1970s…The history makes clear how advances in representation were often halting and double-edged…and interviews with queer television creators offer behind-the-scenes insights…a sharply observed chronicle of the small screen.”
—Publishers Weekly
“A thoughtful, well-researched cultural study”
—Kirkus Reviews
