Something Ain't Kosher Here: The Rise of the 'Jewish' Sitcom

From 1989 through 2002 there was an unprecedented surge in American sitcoms featuring explicitly Jewish protagonists, thirty-three compared to seven in the previous forty years. Several of these—Seinfeld, Mad About You, The Nanny, and Friends—were among the most popular and influential of all television shows over this period. Viewers also saw a rising number of "Jewish" dramatic series and Jewish supporting characters overall. Vincent Brook asks two key questions: Why has this trend appeared at this particular historical moment and what is the significance of this phenomenon for Jews and for non-Jews?

Interviews with key writers, producers, and "showrunners" such as David Kohan (Will and Grace), Marta Kauffman (Friends), Peter Mehlman and Carol Leifer (Seinfeld) and close readings of individual series provoke the inescapable conclusion that we have entered uncharted "post-Jewish" territory. Brook contends that the acceptance of Jews in mainstream white America threatens the historically unique insider/outsider status of Jews in society. No reader of this book will ever be able to watch these television programs in quite the same way again.