What does television tell us about our lives? In Prime Time: How TV Portrays American Culture, noted media critics Robert Lichter, Linda Lichter, and Stanley Rothman reveal that prime time entertainment is often out of synch with the reality of American life.

Prime Time provides the first comprehensive guide to the meanings and messages of entertainment television. From the 1950s to the 1990s, it examines how the world of TV depicts American society in the home, at work, and in popular culture. The authors show that television's images of American life have changed drastically in recent years to include more graphic sex and violence, political commentary and new images of women and racial minorities.

Based on a scientific survey of nearly 1,000 shows and more than 10,000 characters, from Dodge City to Dallas, from the Honeymooners to the Huxtables, and from June Cleaver to Murphy Brown, Prime Time is the most extensive analysis of television's history ever presented in one volume.

According to Prime Time, television has become an agent of social upheaval. The 1990s world of sitcoms, soaps, and cop shows is sexy, sarcastic, and cynical about the very standards and sensibilities television embraced so enthusiastically just 20 years ago.