JOURNAL ARTICLE

Happy Trees in a Black Box: Elevated Escapism as Comfort Television in The Joy of Painting with Bob Ross.

  • Published In: JCMS: Journal of Cinema & Media Studies, 2023, v. 62, n. 5. P. 50 1 of 3

  • Database: Academic Search Ultimate 2 of 3

  • Authored By: Howell, Charlotte E.; Howell, Joyce B. 3 of 3

Abstract

Using The Joy of Painting with Bob Ross (PBS, 1983–1994) as a case study, this article analyzes three vectors of elevated escapism—categorization as comfort TV, nostalgia for public media, and an art pedagogy drawing on medieval and picturesque traditions. These three vectors, which are applicable to the program and the discourse surrounding it in the late 2010s and were heightened in 2020, exemplify the discursive category of comfort TV in the 2020s, amplified by American television critics and journalists in such a way that further normalizes class-based tastes in the era of streaming television. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Additional Information

  • Source:JCMS: Journal of Cinema & Media Studies. 2023/08, Vol. 62, Issue 5, p50
  • Document Type:Article
  • Subject Area:History
  • Publication Date:2023
  • ISSN:2578-4900
  • DOI:10.1353/cj.2022.a899237
  • Accession Number:175308629
  • Copyright Statement:Copyright of JCMS: Journal of Cinema & Media Studies is the property of Society of Cinema & Media Studies and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Looking to go deeper into this topic? Look for more articles on EBSCOhost.