Table of Contents

1. Introduction: Theorising Motherhood on the Small Screen; 2. Soap Opera: Challenging the 'Good' Mother Stereotype; 3. Situation Comedy: the (Un)Funny Mummy Wars; 4. Teen Drama: Absent, Inept and Intoxicated Mothers; 5. Dramedy: Struggling, Sexual and Sisterly Single Mothers; 6. Reality Parenting Programming: Fragile, Failing and Ineffectual Mothers; 7. Celebrity Reality Television: Maintaining the 'Yummy Mummy' Profile; 8. Factual Television: Pregnancy, Delivery and the New Mother; 9. Conclusion; Bibliography; Index

Promotional Information

A comprehensive and accessible introduction to key debates concerning the representations of motherhood and the maternal role in contemporary television programming.

About the Author

Rebecca Feasey is Senior Lecturer in Film and Media Communications at Bath Spa University, UK.