This book examines the proliferation of surrogacy storylines on TV exploring themes of
infertility motherhood parenting and family. It investigates how despite reproductive
technologies' ability to flex contours of family the shows' narratives work to uphold the
white heterosexual genetically-reproduced family as the ideal. In dialogue with responses
from a range of female viewers both mothers and non-mothers the book scrutinises the
construction of family ideology on television with studies including Coronation Street
(1960-present) Giuliana & Bill (2009-2014) Rules of Engagement (2007-2013) The New Normal
(2012-2013) Top of the Lake: China Girl (2017) The Handmaid's Tale (2017-present) and film
Baby Mama (2008). These studies raise a number of questions is homosexuality only acceptable
when it echoes heterosexual norms? Are female characters only fulfilled when they are genetic
mothers? Does heterosexual romance override technology in the cure for infertility? While the
answers to these questions may suggest that television still conforms to heteronormative
narratives this book importantly demonstrates that audiences desire alternative happy endings
that show infertile female characters more positively and recognise alternative kinship
formations as meaningful.
