This book presents an examination of the television series Nurse Jackie, making connections between the representational processes and the audience consumption of the series. A key point of reference is the political and performative potential of Nurse Jackie with regards to its progressive representation of prescription drug addiction and its relationship to the concept of quality television. It deconstructs Nurse Jackie ’s discursive potential, involving intersections with contemporary notions of genre, heroism, celebrity, therapy and feminism. At the same time this book foregrounds the self-refl exive educational potential of the series, largely enabled by the scriptwriters and the leading actor Edie Falco.

This book presents an examination of the television series Nurse Jackie, making connections between the representational processes and the audience consumption of the series. A key point of reference is the political and performative potential of Nurse Jackie with regards to its progressive representation of prescription drug addiction and its relationship to the concept of quality television. It deconstructs Nurse Jackie ’s discursive potential, involving intersections with contemporary notions of genre, heroism, celebrity, therapy and feminism. At the same time this book foregrounds the self-refl exive educational potential of the series, largely enabled by the scriptwriters and the leading actor Edie Falco.