Fifty Key Television Programmes offers a comprehensive and invaluable account of television from the perspective of the programmes themselves. From I Love Lucy to The Simpsons, from The Twlight Zone to The X-Files, from the moon landing to the events of September 11th 2001, this book chronicles some of the most fascinating and influential shows and global events ever to hit the small screen. Accessible, stimulating and challenging; each entry will offer a basic guide to the history of the show, its textual and thematic context, its critical and popular reception, while also explaining and frequently reconsidering ways in which it may have been analysed in the past. Each entry is followed by questions designed to develop students' analytical skills and awareness of the key issues raised, while recommended readings and an extensive bibliography enable readers to carry out further research. Written by some of the leading names in the field, this book is an essential and indispensable guide for all those studying, or simply interested in, television and the programmes that have, literally, made television history.