Contemporary Italian Youth Television by Luca Barra

Contemporary Italian Youth Television by Luca Barra

This open-access volume is the first English-language study of the vibrant contemporary landscape of Italian youth-oriented television. TV shows addressed include internationally popular series such as SKAM Italia, Baby, Summertime, We Are Who We Are, Zero, Prisma, My Brilliant Friend, Mare Fuori, and many others. The collection explores the changing representation of young people, while contextualising these developments historically and industrially. The opening section examines key issues shaping contemporary Italian youth television, such as fashion, place, music, and language, with a focus on how Italian producers and outlets are adapting local practices in response to transnational production models and international distribution networks. The second and third sections offer focused readings of Italian youth TV series in this contemporary landscape, drawing on a wide range of thematic angles, from immigration to queer identities. Finally, the book concludes with interviews with major industry figures, who reflect on recent adjustments in production and distribution practices by public service broadcasters and digital platforms. 

Luca Barra is Professor of Television and Media Studies at the Università di Bologna, Italy. He published widely on TV production and distribution cultures, comedy genres, the global circulation of media products, and the evolution of the contemporary media landscape.

Danielle Hipkins is Professor of Italian Studies and Film at the University of Exeter, UK. She is currently co-authoring Girlhood and the Italian Screen: A Girls’-Eye View of Italian cinema and television.

Catherine O’Rawe is Professor of Italian Film and Culture at Bristol University, UK. Her publications include Stars and Masculinities in Contemporary Italian Cinema (2014) and The Non-Professional Actor. Italian Neorealist Cinema and Beyond (2023).

Dana Renga is Professor of Italian and Dean of Arts and Humanities at The Ohio State University, USA. She has published widely in Italian media studies, in particular on the mafia, and is working on the monograph #CastingStardom in Contemporary Italian Serial Television.