The eighties are seen by many as a time of excess and extremes. From Boy George to Madonna, metal heads to valley girls, and workout clothes to shoulder pads, many pushed the boundaries of what was was conventional. After a decade of war, disillusionment of the government, advances in civil rights, and disco, Americans became status seekers and shopaholics and the "Me" generation was born. Twelve narrative chapters describe the decade of decedence and its impact on popular culture including: the AIDS epidemic, preppies, Miami Vice, the Rubik's Cube, E.T., hair bands, the advent of the personal computer, malls, Ronald Reagan, Pac-Man, Cheers, Stephen King, Michael Jackson, the shuttle Challenger explosion, Bonfire of the Vanities, music videos, Roseanne, the power suit, Less Than Zero, rap music, and The Cosby Show, among many others. Chapters on "Everyday America" and the "World of Youth" describe the important changes in American society, from Ronald Reagan's "War on Drugs," to latch-key kids, to Black Monday. The following ten chapters explore the many aspects of popular culture-everything from advertising to fashion, literature to music, travel to the visual arts-that influenced Americans in the eighties. Supplemental resources include a timeline of important events, an extensive bibliography for further reading and a subject index.

Emulating the style of directors John Ford, Howard Hawks and Henry Hathaway, the Hollywood Western in its heyday of the 1930s through the 1950s reflected a grand patriotism. Then, it was ripe for revision in the turbulent 1960s. Directors like Sam Peckinpah, George Roy Hill, John Schlesinger and Dennis Hopper retooled the genre as a cultural commentary on America's involvement in Vietnam and the culture clash on American campuses. Between the mid-1970s and the turn of 21st century, the Western lost favor with the movie-going public. A few directors would briefly return the genre to its former glory, such as Kevin Costner with Dances with Wolves (1990) and Clint Eastwood with Unforgiven (1992). Yet for the most part the Western was revisited for comedic purposes in such films as Blazing Saddles (1974) and City Slickers (1991). Since 9/11, the Western has made a remarkable comeback, blending its original patriotic narrative with critical commentary on America's place in the global community. This collection of new essays explores how the genre today captures the spirit of our times, and explains why Americans return to the Western in times of crisis.

Throughout its limited run beginning in 2014, the HBO series True Detective has presented viewers with unique takes on the American crime drama on television, marked by literary and cinematic influences, heavyweight performances, and an experimental approach to the genre. At times celebrated and opposed, the series has ignited a range of ongoing critical conversations about representations of gender, depictions of place, and narrative forms. True Detective: Critical Essays on the HBO Series includes a breadth of scholarly chapters that cross disciplinary boundaries, interrogate a range of topics, and ultimately promise to further contribute to critical debates surrounding the series.

The BBC television series Downton Abbey (2010-2016) developed and produced by Academy Award winner Julian Fellowes, became a cultural barometer with American viewers harkening back to the days when televised serial dramas ruled the airwaves. The series finale was one of the most-watched in television history. Exploring Downton Abbey is a collection of scholarly essays, written by both British and American scholars, that interrogate this cultural phenomenon-the essays challenge readers to explore how and why this British television serial about life upstairs and downstairs in a British, turn-of-the-century manor home resonates with American audiences, focusing on topics as diverse as the role of the house (Highclere Castle) in literature and film; the changing roles of women and the servant class; the influence of jazz and fashion; and the attitudes toward education and the class system within the series.

AMC's episodic drama Mad Men has become a cultural phenomenon, detailing America's preoccupation with commercialism and image in the Camelot of 1960s Kennedy-era America, while self-consciously exploring current preoccupations. The 12 critical essays in this collection offer a broad, interdisciplinary approach to this highly relevant television show, examining Mad Men as a cultural barometer for contemporary concerns with consumerism, capitalism and sexism. Topics covered include New Historicist parallels between the 1960s and the present day, psychoanalytical approaches to the show, the self as commodity, and the "Age of Camelot" as an "Age of Anxiety," among others. A detailed cast list and episode guide are included.