This is an interesting, detailed examination of the queer history of television. It did seem a little strange that there were no interviews with any LGBTQ male actors or writers, but the interviews that were included were illuminating (yay, Stephanie Beatriz!). I also appreciated her breakdown of different reboots of classic queer shows and which ones worked vs what did not. The book covers a lot of ground and while the author makes it clear that she couldn't possibly fit in everyone's favorite shows I had hoped she would have mentioned the groundbreaking Heartstopper and the emotional audience reactions to it (and the toxic reactions, including the forced outing of actor Kit Connor). In general though this was a compelling read and the author seems cautiously optimistic about the state of queer representation on TV. Hopefully books like this will make Hollywood realize how much audiences crave well-written, complex queer characters on screen.

I've never been much of a television watcher until recently, so a lot of the shows talked about here were shows I've yet to watch or haven't even heard of. Which is fine, however it caused two problems for me:

1. I had a harder time connecting to bits of the book.

2. I got a lot of things spoiled for me. Hoping that Buffy spoiler just evaporates from my brain.

Warner's style is definitely one of those that keeps you interested and in the mood to learn. This is not boring nonfiction by any means. Other queer people who watch a lot of TV will probably enjoy and connect with this much more.

Rainbow Age is more academic and less lighthearted than 2023's "Hi Honey, I'm Homo!: Sitcoms, Specials, and the Queering of American Culture," although it covers some of the same territory. In addition to retracing the history of queer TV, Warner addresses delicate issues such as cishet characters with whom queers felt a connection (Jo from The Facts of Life, Buddy on Family, and...Bugs Bunny?); whether the scarcity of queer characters requires them to be likeable; the ridiculously high mortality rate of lesbian characters; queers on reality TV; and cis actors playing trans characters.

The end of each chapter features interviews with queer actors, writers, and directors, which add a welcome jolt of energy to the book. There is a stronger emphasis on lesbians and trans TV characters than in Hi Honey! and a sobering acknowledgement that queer rep on TV is likely to decline in 2024's toxic political environment.

This book is best read one or two chapters at a time, as it is a bit dry in some parts. Shayna Maci Warner's portfolio includes articles written for both general and queer publications about the entertainment media. I recommend perusing them to determine if her voice works for you.

ARC received from Net Galley and Abrams Press in exchange for objective review.

As someone who’s not super into TV, I was happily surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. I particularly appreciated the inclusion of interviews with industry insiders at the end of each chapter. I finished having learned a lot, thinking about queer representation on tv from new angles, and with a long list of shows to watch.

The Rainbow Age of Television is such an incredibly detailed and well organized compilation of queer characters and roles in the history of television, and how those roles/lack thereof relate to the real world and the struggles/growth of queer people. Wow. I'm blown away by the extent of the material in this book, so much work went into this and you can tell! As a queer person myself, I appreciate the deep dive into the LGBTQIA+ community's history in the media!
I will admit, many of the names of characters/shows were lost on me, as I have a bad habit of only watching modern television, and even so, not always the most well known TV shows... but this isn't an issue at all if you're in the same boat, thankfully! Every section is well explained and you need no prior "knowledge" going in. A very well written piece!
Such a fascinating read!