Joss Whedon

Matthew Pateman is Head of Department of Media at Edge Hill University and Professor of Contemporary Popular Aesthetics

‘Matthew Pateman’s new book is an essential addition to the collection of all Whedon scholars and fans. Pateman’s accounts of each of Whedon’s major television shows are informed by detailed research into the surrounding contexts of creative working relationships, network negotiations, and television programming strategies. This fresh angle of approach, coupled with a sharp eye for textual detail, adds breadth and depth to our understanding of these shows, of Whedon, and of broader questions of agency and structure in television production.’ James A Zborowski, University of Hull‘Matthew Pateman’s Joss Whedon is a timely reflection on Whedon’s place as a leading figure in contemporary TV production and a cult figure within popular media. Challenging traditional notions of the single creative artist, Pateman examines the complex tapestry of creative partnerships, cultural and industrial contexts, political engagements and multi-media platforms that have shaped Whedon’s output and his cult auteur-image. Rich in insight, detailed analysis and scholarly rigor – expressed with passion for the material in Pateman’s own inimitable style – this a must-read for the Whedon fan and the TV scholar. This not just the Whedon book we want but the Whedon book we need.’Stacey Abbott, Reader in Film and Television Studies at the University of Roehampton

• IntroductionPart I1 ‘Buffy is the Slayer. Don’t tell anyone’: creating a cultural phenomenon: the first three years of Buffy2 ‘How do you know what this guy’s gonna do?’ Producing worlds, changing worlds 1999–20043 ‘There are so many things I’d like to be’: multi-media polymath and rise of mainstream cult 2005–17Part II4 ‘I must say, it’s a delightful change to have someone else around who can explain these matters’: narrative and genre: the exposition scene in Buffy5 ‘I love a story with scope’: narratives in Angel: cross overs, complexity and conclusions6 ‘Come with me now, if you will, gentle viewers’: non-Whedon scripted episodes: Jane Espenson, popular culture and authorship7 ‘Why’d this get so complicated?’ Narrative and televisual analysis: a brief excursus using Firefly8 ‘I can bring back the world’: Dollhouse: narrating the tabula rasaCoda: ‘I’m not done baking’Appendix 1: Jane Espenson correspondenceAppendix 2: Definitive guide to Whedon output week-by-weekIndex