Abstract
The short-lived ABC network television series Miracles (2003) not only provided viewers with criticism of US military might but also delivered a prophetic envisioning of the visual iconography of post-9/11 terror. The show's pre-emption for “prime time” military engagements, or direct beaming of the War on Terror vis-à-vis “free” network television, was aimed at demonstrating US military dominance and offered, as Slavoj Žižek argues, a sublime representation of the role of faith in negotiating the cataclysmic events of September 11, 2001. These highly critical, anti-Patriot Act stances complicate ABC/Disney’s position as America’s “family friendly” network. This essay argues that Miracles clearly marked the beginning of network television’s censorship of post-9/11 apocalyptic scenarios—a decision that would later manifest itself in the creation of 9/11 visual reimaginings, particularly in movie posters and television advertisements.
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Ramírez, J. (2016). We Now Interrupt this Program: Pre-Empting the Apocalypse in ABC’s Miracles . In: Fragopoulos, G., Naydan, L. (eds) Terror in Global Narrative. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-40654-1_10
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