The Essential Cult TV Reader
is a collection of insightful essays that examine television shows that amass engaged, active fan bases by employing an imaginative approach to programming. Once defined by limited viewership, cult TV has developed its own identity, with some shows gaining large, mainstream audiences. By exploring the defining characteristics of cult TV,
traces the development of this once obscure form and explains how cult TV achieved its current status as legitimate television.
The essays explore a wide range of cult programs, from early shows such as
Star Trek
,
The Avengers
Dark Shadows
, and
The Twilight Zone
to popular contemporary shows such as
Lost
Dexter
24
, addressing the cultural context that allowed the development of the phenomenon. The contributors investigate the obligations of cult series to their fans, the relationship of camp and cult, the effects of DVD releases and the Internet, and the globalization of cult TV.
answers many of the questions surrounding the form while revealing emerging debates on its future.