Philip Scepanski

Very Special Episodes explores various examples of the “very special episode” to chart the history of American television and its self-identified status as an arbiter of culture. Through the study of this unique television format, this anthology traces the history of television’s engagement with many of the most important political, aesthetic, economic, and social movements that continue to challenge our society today.

Very Special Episodes explores various examples of the “very special episode” to chart the history of American television and its self-identified status as an arbiter of culture. Through the study of this unique television format, this anthology traces the history of television’s engagement with many of the most important political, aesthetic, economic, and social movements that continue to challenge our society today.

As the saying goes, “Comedy equals tragedy plus time,” but in the face of tragedies on a national scale, comedy becomes the medium through which audiences untangle accepted understandings of what it means to be American.