History by HBO

This rich, revelatory study of four of HBO's groundbreaking historical dramas—Deadwood, Boardwalk Empire, Treme, and Band of Brothers—greatly expands our understanding of how visual history represents and interprets the past. Of interest to scholars in film, television, and history, as well as fans of these series, Weeks's book urges us to take historical television seriously and offers a methodology for doing so.

~Jennifer Frost, author of Producer of Controversy: Stanley Kramer, Hollywood Liberalism, and the Cold War

In this engaging and persuasive book, Rebecca Weeks argues for television's capacity to communicate historical meaning, providing a fresh contribution to existing theoretical debates alongside an in-depth examination of four key HBO dramas. Her finely detailed account explores the historiographic work involved in the crafting of sets, costumes, character arcs, narrative structures and sonic environments, generating fascinating new insights into television's engagement with the past.

~Allan Cameron, author of Visceral Screens: Mediation and Matter in Horror Cinema

Rebecca Weeks' examination of History by HBO is a superb extension of scholarship on the ways in which different media add layers to our understandings of how historical narratives operate. Too many scholars confine their notions of 'real' history to academic scholarship published in book form in spite of lip service paid to other forms and formats. Weeks' puts the 'reel' in history, even if this is a notional concept in the digital age. In bringing the background to the fore, from sets to sound, Weeks exposes and explores not only HBO's historical narratives but also their historical importance. This is skillfully done not only in terms of what stories are being told, but also and especially of the HOW in HBO. The craft of the historian always hinges on the understanding of context, and Weeks has added vital layers and textures to a craft that should always be evolving.

~Dr. Sara Buttsworth, University of Auckland, co-editor of War, Myths and Fairy Tales