Introduction

The introduction begins by pointing to the common themes among the chapters in this part. Chapters 5, 6 and 7 explore the functions that the selected case study programs serve for specific broadcasting institutions (PBS, Sky, ITV, HBO, and the BBC) that choose to partner in one form or another with their transatlantic counterparts. These chapters also explore the themes of national identity, heritage and channel branding touched upon in the first part, highlighting their importance to the relationship of transatlantic partners and to specific programs’ placement within their import markets. Chapters 8 and 9 investigate the ways in which two programs, Episodes and Game of Thrones, textually encode some of the problematics of the transatlantic relationship—widespread assumptions about the differences between US/UK production contexts and acting styles. The rest of the introduction provides brief summaries of each chapter.